I had one glass of wine at thanksgiving my first pregnancy. I will only do it in my third tri and (obviously) very rarely. I have a gf that drink a glass or two a week in her third tri.
What kind of wine do you like? I usually drink Chardonnay and if you're looking for not too expensive, I like Cupcake and La Crema.
Have you ever drank while prego? Ftm here
I had an occasional small glass of wine when I was pregnant with DS. He is a very happy, healthy, smart 2 year old. Definitely do what you are comfortable with. If you're going to feel super guilty after, it's not worth it. But if you do enjoy a glass, get something good! Enjoy it.
Wine is OK. You can have up to a glass a day in the second and third tris, though that's over my comfort level. I drank 1-2 glasses per week in the last tri with DS, usually as a reward at the end of the week. I tend to like strong, dry reds (Zinfandel - NOT white zin, which isn't the same at all), so that's why I limited myself. Just make sure to measure it. A glass is only 4-5 oz, which barely makes a splash in the huge goblets most people have these days (including myself).
Studies have show that children of mothers who drink lightly are smarter and more well-behaved. The no drinking rule is part of the American tendency to treat pregnant women like children who can't make decisions for themselves or exercise self-control. (Much like the ridiculous advice on caffeine and various foods.)
I've already had half a glass of wine and it was amazing. I also steal sips of people's beers from time to time. We're going to Hawaii next week... I plan on having 1-2 half glasses there too (over the course of 10 days). I'm sure I'll get side eyed by my dh's stuffy step sisters, but I couldn't care less what they think of me.
I had 4 half glasses while pregnant with my now perfect 2 year old. Most my friends enjoyed the occasional glass while pregnant
And as for wines... I'm usually a cab drinker. Also a huge beer drinker, pale ale's are my favorite. For some reason with this pregnancy, all I want is sweet, bubbly wines ... So Moscato, Riesling Spatlese, etc.
I love love love an ice cold glass of Rose. My fav is Chateau Miraval. It's about 25 a bottle in NY. Now that I'm in the second trimester I allow myself 1-2 proper glasses a week. Usually one during the week and one on the weekends. I also steal sips of DHs beer whenever I feel like it. No guilt.
Every year my family and I spend a weekend touring and tasting at wineries in Northern VA. It is seriously one of my favorite events of the year! What helped me to feel a little less left out (we went this past weekend) was to have some mock-tails on hand. Sparkling water, soda water & sparkling grape fruit juice were my go-tos. With the sparkling water and soda water I would fill a glass 3/4's full and add a splash of juice and a twist of lime. Very refreshing. The sparkling grape juice, although very sweet, was also a nice substitution.
I will be enjoying a real glass of wine later in my 2nd trimester. This weekend just didn't feel like the right time.
As for recommending a wine, I highly recommend Frisk Prickly Riesling.
I just hit the second trimester but am not fully comfortable with the idea yet. I will probably wait until 20 weeks when we go on our babymoon to enjoy a couple glasses (not all in one sitting, of course). I can't wait! After that, it will be limited to Thanksgiving and Christmas, maybe a glass of champ for New Years. I miss my wine so bad!!
I know it's hard, and it will not be a popular opinion, but the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are not worth it. My uncle was actually part of the medical research team that was responsible for petitioning the surgeon general for warning labels on alcohol telling pregnant women not to drink. There is no officially recognized "safe" amount of alcohol for a pregnant woman to consume. Even in the same woman from one pregnancy to another can have different results from alcohol consumption. I have personally seen the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome in babies of women who drank less than a glass of wine a day. Please, please opt for a non-alcoholic drink while you're pregnant and nursing (unless you have pumped in advance and have one hour for every half-drink you consume to allow te alcohol to work its way out of your breastmilk). This is something very close to me and I would hate to see any of you wonderful ladies affected by it.
THAT BEING SAID. When you can drink again, try a Malbec. It's like Merlot's big sister. My absolute FAV wine!!!
" If a 150-pound nursing mom downs four alcoholic drinks—say, four 5-ounce glasses of table wine—and then breast-feeds her 13-pound baby 4 ounces of milk when she’s at her tipsiest, her baby will end up with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0038 percent—the same blood alcohol concentration her mom would have after consuming a mere 1.5 ounces of Bud Light (one-eighth of a 12-ounce bottle). "
I'll give it to you on being cautious while pregnant. That's a personal choice and there's no research providing a safe amount as it can vary. But there's a lot of misinformation about drinking and nursing (such as pumping and dumping) and research proves otherwise.
I think drinking during pregnancy is a hard subject. While I wouldn't tell you what to do, I have seen the effects that alcohol has on children whose mothers drank during their pregnancy in small amounts. I have also seen perfectly healthy baby's whose moms were darn near alcoholics . The reason there isn't much research on this topic is because it wouldn't be possible to complete a study unless you knowingly exposed lots of children to alcohol in a controlled way for long the course of pregnancy to see how much and at what point Fetal Alcohol syndrome occurred. What I can say is that I do not want to make that choice to drink and then have the child effected by fetal alcohol because it is a very difficult diagnoses. To be safe, I drink no alcohol in pregnancy .
@Emott13 100% agree with the Malbec! Oh it's my favorite thing!!
Not sure I'm on the whole "no alcohol while preggo" bandwagon. To me, most common sense says everything in moderation. Anyhow, to each there own!
Except for the Malbec thing. Everyone needs to try it!
My friend is in her 3rd trimester and swears by these Alcohol Free crafted wines!! I am craving bubbly so I am thinking of purchasing the Brut or Moscato Thought I'd share!!
The problem with saying "it's a minuscule percentage that reaches baby's bloodstream" is that even small amounts of alcohol seriously affect developing neurons. That's why most countries have a drinking age limit near or after the end of puberty. Alcohol doesn't affect a child's brain the way that it affects an adult's. I know many people will ignore me and have perfectly fine children, but I want the facts to be out there for anyone on the fence. It's worth it to wait.
The problem with many studies, especially the earlier ones, is that they didn't control for many things. For one, the study that first sparked the no-alcohol recommendation also included women (a shockingly high percentage, actually) who USED COCAINE at the same time. So was it the alcohol or the, you know, hardcore drugs? Even for women who drink heavily their whole pregnancies, many (a majority, actually) of their kids don't have FASD or delays.
I have never heard of a well-conducted study that shows less than one drink per day causing FASD.
I highly encourage women to read The Panic Free Pregnancy and, especially, Expecting Better. Both look at the validity of studies and then come to conclusions. Just because a study says something doesn't mean it was well conducted, large enough, or other controls were in place to eliminate other factors.
I would recommend the findings of Dr Larry Burd, MD in the indigenous populations of North Dakota. Native Americans not using any recreational drugs, not exposed to any "toxins", living off of the fruit of their land (probably a healthier diet than any of us lol) and had an extremely high stillbirth and deformity rate. Alcohol was literally the only thing these women did differently than their "dry" counterparts, and it was only used sparingly in cultural rituals (not performed every day). Many early studies involved people on coca because, yes, people didn't know that cocaine had such horrible side effects. But even then, there was a large difference in the malformation and stillbirth rates between women using cocaine AND alcohol, and women only using cocaine. Alcohol, again, was the only differing factor there. I also don't know of anyone who has died from melanoma from tanning beds but I've seen the science and have heard the stories. Just because it hasn't touched your life personally doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
That's actually not what was concluded at all. At least not by other scientists who have researched the prevalence of FASD in American Indian populations. I know wiki is not a peer-reviewed source, but this is a good overview of various studies and the flaws in some: https://amin210.wikispaces.com/Fetal+Alcohol+Syndrome+Among+American+Indians
FASD is found in populations with chronic alcohol abuse issues. When controlled for those issues, Native Americans don't have a higher risk at all. Again, no credible study has found that less than one drink per day leads to FASD, and certainly not 1-2 drinks per week as we have been discussing on here. FASD occurs in something like 1/1000 births. Statistically, there are far more women drinking in pregnancy than 1/1000. Conversely, a white person's chance of getting melanoma is 1 in 40. Vastly different. But I believe we will have to agree to disagree. I will enjoy my glass or two of wine a week in good faith that it is safe (and also approved by my OB, who did so herself in her pregnancies).
The bottom line is that no amount of alcohol is "safe" in pregnancy. I just don't understand what the point of even playing Russian Roulette is when you are caring for another humans life.
Before I got pregnant, I found a $3 bottle of strawberry wine at Dollar General... I could not get enough of it... but otherwise it was Riesling or Chardonnay. Ugh I miss it so much
The bottom line is that no amount of alcohol is "safe" in pregnancy. I just don't understand what the point of even playing Russian Roulette is when you are caring for another humans life.
But this isn't true. There are many studies that show that alcohol is actually BENEFICIAL to the child in small amounts (higher IQ, better social skills). You can't prove that ANYTHING is 100% safe, really. I'm certain there is something you are currently doing, or will do, with your child's health that someone will judge.
I am not judging... All I am just saying that both of my doctors and every credible source has said that "no amount of alcohol has been proven safe in pregnancy". I don't know, I just worry that if something went wrong... that if I did drink that I would always wonder if I had of abstained from alcohol if it wouldn't have happened. You couldn't pay me to indulge in alcohol while pregnant. And I am curious where you found that alcohol is at all beneficial in pregnancy? Higher IQ?!?! Better social skills?! Also, alcohol is a depressant. I just feel very strongly about this.
Alcohol is the last thing I want right now. But even if I did, no alcohol for me until after the baby. I did it with DS and I plan on not drinking again with this baby. I am a healthcare worker and is just not worth it IMO.
I want wine and beer too but the smell of it is still so disgusting to me. I read Expecting Better and think she has good info that's definitely worth considering. That being said, drinking is out of my comfort zone during pregnancy, so I will be abstaining.
Married DW 08.2013; AI 2x; IUI 6x; IUI #7 05.2015; DD born 2.2016 ; Reciprocal IVF FET #1 on 11.18.2020
@SummerOH I recently started reading Expecting Better. I agree with pretty much everything she says and appreciate the fact that she approaches the idea of alcohol (among other things) in pregnancy with a very scientific viewpoint and focuses on the numbers. I brought the idea up with hubs and I think he thinks I am just trying to find excuses to drink. Obviously if he's not comfortable with it, I will continue to abstain, but some days I want that after work glass of rose so damn bad! I also worry about the judgy. side-eye I could potentially get from strangers if I should decide to have a small glass of wine out in public at a restaurant or what not. How would you or any of you other ladies suggest dealing with this?
I honestly Don't think you should ever care about what the next person if your not doing any harm but I will say I'm gonna withhold my urge atleast til the end of my second tri but after going that long I might just wait til after I give birth
@SummerOH I recently started reading Expecting Better. I agree with pretty much everything she says and appreciate the fact that she approaches the idea of alcohol (among other things) in pregnancy with a very scientific viewpoint and focuses on the numbers. I brought the idea up with hubs and I think he thinks I am just trying to find excuses to drink. Obviously if he's not comfortable with it, I will continue to abstain, but some days I want that after work glass of rose so damn bad! I also worry about the judgy. side-eye I could potentially get from strangers if I should decide to have a small glass of wine out in public at a restaurant or what not. How would you or any of you other ladies suggest dealing with this?
I never did out in public because I didn't feel like dealing with stares or explaining myself to those who aren't educated on the topic. There are many people who refuse to listen to logic, anyway. Several braver friends and family did, though, and would just stare right back lol. It depends on your community, though, I think. I live in a suburb and wouldn't do it here, but I would in the bigger city in which I work because it is filled with more progressive, educated younger professionals who wouldn't bat an eye. If I were you, though, I'd just do it at home.
FWIW, my OB and her 12 colleagues all ok small glasses 1-2x per week in the second and last tris. MH and many, many friends are medical providers and they are also fine with it.
Re: Craving wine
DD - January 2016
I only drink red.
BFP #2 - EDD 1/25/16
DD - January 2016
Studies have show that children of mothers who drink lightly are smarter and more well-behaved. The no drinking rule is part of the American tendency to treat pregnant women like children who can't make decisions for themselves or exercise self-control. (Much like the ridiculous advice on caffeine and various foods.)
DD 12/20/99, DS 12/14/12, M/C 9/2014, M/C 1/2015
I had 4 half glasses while pregnant with my now perfect 2 year old. Most my friends enjoyed the occasional glass while pregnant
And as for wines... I'm usually a cab drinker. Also a huge beer drinker, pale ale's are my favorite. For some reason with this pregnancy, all I want is sweet, bubbly wines ... So Moscato, Riesling Spatlese, etc.
Every year my family and I spend a weekend touring and tasting at wineries in Northern VA. It is seriously one of my favorite events of the year! What helped me to feel a little less left out (we went this past weekend) was to have some mock-tails on hand. Sparkling water, soda water & sparkling grape fruit juice were my go-tos. With the sparkling water and soda water I would fill a glass 3/4's full and add a splash of juice and a twist of lime. Very refreshing. The sparkling grape juice, although very sweet, was also a nice substitution.
I will be enjoying a real glass of wine later in my 2nd trimester. This weekend just didn't feel like the right time.
As for recommending a wine, I highly recommend Frisk Prickly Riesling.
THAT BEING SAID. When you can drink again, try a Malbec. It's like Merlot's big sister. My absolute FAV wine!!!
" If a 150-pound nursing mom downs four alcoholic drinks—say, four 5-ounce glasses of table wine—and then breast-feeds her 13-pound baby 4 ounces of milk when she’s at her tipsiest, her baby will end up with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0038 percent—the same blood alcohol concentration her mom would have after consuming a mere 1.5 ounces of Bud Light (one-eighth of a 12-ounce bottle). "
I'll give it to you on being cautious while pregnant. That's a personal choice and there's no research providing a safe amount as it can vary. But there's a lot of misinformation about drinking and nursing (such as pumping and dumping) and research proves otherwise.
Not sure I'm on the whole "no alcohol while preggo" bandwagon. To me, most common sense says everything in moderation. Anyhow, to each their own!
Except for the Malbec thing. Everyone needs to try it!
Edited because words...
Thought I'd share!!
I have never heard of a well-conducted study that shows less than one drink per day causing FASD.
I highly encourage women to read The Panic Free Pregnancy and, especially, Expecting Better. Both look at the validity of studies and then come to conclusions. Just because a study says something doesn't mean it was well conducted, large enough, or other controls were in place to eliminate other factors.
DD 12/20/99, DS 12/14/12, M/C 9/2014, M/C 1/2015
FASD is found in populations with chronic alcohol abuse issues. When controlled for those issues, Native Americans don't have a higher risk at all. Again, no credible study has found that less than one drink per day leads to FASD, and certainly not 1-2 drinks per week as we have been discussing on here. FASD occurs in something like 1/1000 births. Statistically, there are far more women drinking in pregnancy than 1/1000. Conversely, a white person's chance of getting melanoma is 1 in 40. Vastly different. But I believe we will have to agree to disagree. I will enjoy my glass or two of wine a week in good faith that it is safe (and also approved by my OB, who did so herself in her pregnancies).
DD 12/20/99, DS 12/14/12, M/C 9/2014, M/C 1/2015
DD 12/20/99, DS 12/14/12, M/C 9/2014, M/C 1/2015
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/1613683
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/451623/Pregnant-women-drinking-a-bottle-of-wine-a-month-have-better-behaved-children-says-report
But you should really read the book! It also covers L&D and postpartum topics.
DD 12/20/99, DS 12/14/12, M/C 9/2014, M/C 1/2015
I never did out in public because I didn't feel like dealing with stares or explaining myself to those who aren't educated on the topic. There are many people who refuse to listen to logic, anyway. Several braver friends and family did, though, and would just stare right back lol. It depends on your community, though, I think. I live in a suburb and wouldn't do it here, but I would in the bigger city in which I work because it is filled with more progressive, educated younger professionals who wouldn't bat an eye. If I were you, though, I'd just do it at home.
FWIW, my OB and her 12 colleagues all ok small glasses 1-2x per week in the second and last tris. MH and many, many friends are medical providers and they are also fine with it.
DD 12/20/99, DS 12/14/12, M/C 9/2014, M/C 1/2015