Drinking while Pregnant

[Twister]

If other people want to have the occasional glass of wine on special occasions or something whilst pregnant then it's up to them as long as it's not in excess.

But see thats the problem, the line of what is excess is very blurred and whats not excess for the mum can be excess for a fetus, therefore this is why many health professionals all over the world are saying NO amount is a safe amount which suggests any amount could be a potential risk

Well in the uk we have guidelines as to how many units are safe for women to drink whilst pregnant, backed up with scientific studies as already mentioned in this thread. All I'm saying is if people choose to drink when pregnant as long as it's not in excess and they follow official guidelines then that's up to them and it's unlikely that their LO will be harmed. Obviously it would be best to abstain all together but if the risk is so minimal from having a small amount then some people will decide to have that celebratory glass of wine at Christmas.

Some people will abuse it whilst pregnant and that I definitely don't agree with and think woman who do drink large quantities whilst knowing they're pg should be ashamed.

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I think the issue is, many women don't know how much a "unit" is.

 

[Natsku]

Yeah that is an issue, especially as what they teach you in school (a unit is half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine) just isn't true anymore as the drinks are stronger. People need to be educated better

 

[feeble]

education is definitely the key... its the only way to be sure that a good portion of the population make the right choices.

Alcohol, like any drug, is addictive so you are always going to find people who abuse when they shouldnt... its the nature of it unfortunately those people (and babies) should be helped. not scorned

i know its not possible for me to have just ONE drink of an evening (i never get really drunk, but i like to have 3 or 4) so i just avoid places where i would usually drink...

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

Slighlty off topic but does anyone actually not miss drinking? I'm really not missing it at all in fact I think I could never have a drink and be fine. Whereas my friend really enjoys her daily glass of wine and I think she will miss it when she becomes pregnant x

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I don't miss it at all. I have a glass of wine on a rare occasion or a wkd once in a while, but I don't miss it.

 

[Natsku]

I miss it (gave it at new year - well, slightly after) but I didn't miss it while I was pregnant or for the first few months after giving birth.

 

[feeble]

yes i miss it!

I miss me friends down the pub and i miss me open mic nights and having a singsong and deeply miss the taste of rum n coke

But, i havent told anyone about my pregnancy, i dont really want to tell anyone until i am 20/25 weeks (til people start noticing basically) and so i cant very well head down the pub, drink coke and 'hope' people dont notice...

 

[Raven24]

I didnt drink while pregnant and dont now either as i breastfeed and bed share so not safe. To be honest i dont know wh anyone would drink while pregnant its only 9 month out of your life and if a person cant not have an alcoholic drink for thwt short amount of time then that is a bit shocking really.

 

[nosocks]

I didnt drink while pregnant and dont now either as i breastfeed and bed share so not safe. To be honest i dont know wh anyone would drink while pregnant its only 9 month out of your life and if a person cant not have an alcoholic drink for thwt short amount of time then that is a bit shocking really.

If you read back a few pages- a lot of people have said that it's not because they 'can't' abstain from drinking- its because they are following guidelines available to them and having an odd drink occasionally like advised.
I could easily stop drinking for 9 months- like I said before- I gave up smoking the day I found out I was pregnant- but I will take the advice and family, friends and research available to me and decide that I do not need to- that having the odd shandy is safe.

Is it therefore not safe to ever drink when children are present?!

 

[malia]

I haven't been pregnant yet, so I can't say what I did, though I personally don't think I would drink at all, just because I'm a worrier.

I guess I don't understand how hard it would be just to abstain for nine months from drinking?

I don't think it's fair that you start a thread asking people for their opinions and then don't accept people having a different one from you

 

[Raven24]

I know guidlines say it is safe to have a certain amountof alcohol while pregnant but if you know you can abstain for nine months then why bother having a drink, it may be safe at low levels but it has no benefits to the pregnancy whatsoever so why bother?

 

[feeble]

Alcohol is a readily available and highly addictive substance! Its best if no one drinks to excess but actually, given that we (as a culture) accept it in society, we also have to accept and HELP those that abuse it, rather than condemning them...

Its also (on a different vein) a very social thing, something that people are 'used' to doing in time of celebration or what not, so of course folk are going to have the odd drink if they feel like it (and its been proven to do no harm) so whats the issue with that? We also shouldnt eat runny eggs, consume caffine, eat meat that hasnt been cooked throughly or do Many things whilst pregnant which are exactly the same as alcohol when its taken in moderation and rarely... yet we dont penalise and judge women who do those things so why the difference?

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

The issue I have with alchohol is the fact it is classed as a drug and it can cause significant harm to an unborn fetus. Also due to the studies not being 'sound' and medical proffessionals still not entirely sure how much is a safe amount I don't feel I can make an educated choice based on these findings. I completed my first year of nursing last year and had a brief midwifery placement, the MW's made it very clear that there is no clear evidence either way on the safe amounts which is why I feel if I abstain then I completley avoid that risk. I do it for my pregnancy what women do with their bodies/to their babies is up to them but for me I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my son was harmed by my actions. x

 

[Ozzieshunni]

I haven't been pregnant yet, so I can't say what I did, though I personally don't think I would drink at all, just because I'm a worrier.

I guess I don't understand how hard it would be just to abstain for nine months from drinking?

I don't think it's fair that you start a thread asking people for their opinions and then don't accept people having a different one from you

So because I have a debate thread I cannot state my opinion?

The question was meant to further the debate. Please don't assume tone. Ask for clarification

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

And I do agree with ozzieshunni for me personally I don't see why people can't abstain from drinking whilst pregnant. But that is my personal opinon, also with the soical side of it I don't think you have to drink when you go to pubs/clubs etc. I went out for my bestfriends 21st when I was 6 weeks pregnant, I didn't drink and just said that it was because I wasn't feeling very well. I havebeen to pubs as well and I still have a really good time socialising with my friends. I suppose it would get diffficult if you were trying to keep your pregnancy quite for a long period of time but again there must be a way x

 

[malia]

I haven't been pregnant yet, so I can't say what I did, though I personally don't think I would drink at all, just because I'm a worrier.

I guess I don't understand how hard it would be just to abstain for nine months from drinking?

I don't think it's fair that you start a thread asking people for their opinions and then don't accept people having a different one from you

So because I have a debate thread I cannot state my opinion?

The question was meant to further the debate. Please don't assume tone. Ask for clarification

I didn't say, or at all suggest, that you couldn't state your opinion.. rather the opposite; I was saying that everybody is entitled to one.
I'm sorry if I assumed a tone, I just thought the thread looked like it was spiralling into an argument. Some of your responses to people who disagreed with you seemed a tad aggressive.
But I suppose the problem with debate is that over the internet tone can be misconstrued, so I apologise if I misinterpreted, was just trying to keep the peace

 

[indy and lara]

Nope. I never drank during either pregnancy. It would never cross my mind to. I can't understand why people do to be honest. It is a small period of time to abstain in my opinion.

 

[Brookey]

well what about all the thousands and thousands of women who dont know they are pregnant for the first couple of months and carry on drinking as normal? Obviously nobody on here would argue that drinking excessively throughout pregnancy is a good thing but to suggest that people are irresponsible for having a couple of drinks throughout pregnancy is ridiculous.

 

[lhancock90]

About two glasses of wine, throughout my first, nothing with this one so far, it scares me that woman who think its okay to get hammered whilst pregnant will eventually have to care for a tiny baby...