Heavy Drinking Before I Knew I Was Pregnant - Please, Need Your Help

[Scared2013]

I was not trying to get pregnant, but I was not being as careful as I should have been.

I am a social drinker, usually a few glasses of wine here or there. I sometimes have more. A few weeks ago, I had an uncharacteristically wild weekend. I drank two bottles of wine by myself in one night, then I had 3 drinks the next night, then 4 drinks the next night.

My period should have started on Monday. I took a pregnancy test that day because I just wanted to ease my mind. It was POSITIVE.

My doctor confirmed that I was exactly four weeks pregnant when I drank the two bottles of wine in one night. I was four weeks, 1 day when I had the 3 drinks and four weeks, 2 days when I had the four drinks.

I have not had any alcohol since I found out, but I am terrified that the damage is already done.

Please, has anyone else been through this? I asked my doctor about the risks, and he did nothing to reassure me, other than to say that he could not quantify the risk that I had placed my baby under.

I'm hoping to hear stories from real moms who have been through this. What did you do? Is it even POSSIBLE to still have a healthy child at this point?

 

[Gem1302]

I haven't been through it, but it is possible to have a perfectly healthy baby after this, many people go through this and go on to have perfect babies, and not everyone knows as soon as they're pregnant, and some dont find out until really late on, unless they're trying then they won't be touching the drink anyway. Try not to get yourself down, I don't know the likelihood or statistics but many people carry on drinking, smoking, doing drugs etc (obviously not responsible people) all the way through pregnancy and have healthy babies. Best of luck and congrats

 

[MaryP83]

I drunk a whole bottle of wine the week before I found out. I had a friend who didn't find out till she was 5 months gone. She went out drinking all the time. Her daughter is 10 and fine. U can't take it back, I'm sure it's fine. I think everyone worries about something in their first trimester x

 

[jodilee6]

Popping over from baby club to offer reassurance

I was on holiday before I found out I was PG, we had a few (a lot!) of boozy nights and I now have a very happy & healthy 10 month old who's met all his milestones on time or ahead!

Relax and enjoy your pregnancy

 

[Amygdala]

Apparently, the very early stages of pregnancy are all-or-nothing. Meaning, if there is going to be damage, the pregnancy won't continue, whereas if the pregnancy continues, no early damage was done. So in other words, seeing as you're still pregnant, you'll probably be fine. Obviously I'd be very careful to avoid alcohol and anything else harmful from now on.

 

[kassiaethne]

I was in the hospital on heavy narcotics a week before I found out I was pregnant. My doctor told me the baby was so small and just a few cells at that point and it shouldn't have effected the baby. A small probability. Would just say now that you know, don't do it again and just keep faith that they will grow happy and healthy. Some women can have 1 drink and their baby gets fetal alcohol syndrome, and some drink so much their eyeballs are swimming and they have perfectly healthy children. Truth is you never know till they are born. So try to do your best from here on in and try not to dwell on it

 

[susan_1981]

I really wouldn't worry. My SIL has PCOS and didn't realise she was 4 weeks pregnant on her 30th birthday. She did shots, drank and smoked loads and her baby was perfectly fine. My friend also didn't realise she was pregnant (was probably only 3 weeks so too early to tell) and she got absolutely wasted that weekend because it was her birthday and her little boy was fine.

I really wouldn't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine. Just lay off the booze now though

 

[Mrsmac02]

I did exactly the same thing and, like you, I was worried so spoke to my midwife.

She said at that v early stage, the baby takes only what it absolutely needs from your body and nothing else so I should not worry.

Please try not to fret honey, there are women out there who don't find out for months, carry on drinking and have perfectly healthy babies xx

 

[sheldonsmommy]

With my first pregnancy I had the realization that i'd missed my period when I was pretty intoxicated, from vodka no less. I was about 5 weeks along. In the really really early stages your baby doesn't share your blood yet, and even after that your body does a lot to filter your blood. Chronic alcoholism (large amounts of alcohol every day) is what is most likely going to cause problems in babies.

Remember most of our parents and grandparents continued to drink moderately whilst pregnant, and smoke for that matter. I had a small glass of wine maybe every month while pregnant. Not for everybody, but I had such a craving and it was sooo relaxing, which is overall beneficial for mommy and baby.

Try not to stress too much, stay relaxed and care for yourself now, whatever that may mean for you!!

 

[Quest55]

Apparently, the very early stages of pregnancy are all-or-nothing. Meaning, if there is going to be damage, the pregnancy won't continue, whereas if the pregnancy continues, no early damage was done. So in other words, seeing as you're still pregnant, you'll probably be fine. Obviously I'd be very careful to avoid alcohol and anything else harmful from now on.

where did you get this info, it is very interesting to me that no damage could be done as long as she doesn't miscarry?

 

[surprisedmama]

I did not know I was pregnant with my first until I was 34 weeks. That's right, almost 8 months pregnant. My period had stopped completely the year before and I was told by my doc and OB that I wasn't going to be able to get pregnant on my own. I had no symptoms of pregnancy and therefore had no reason to act like I was.

I did drink during the 8 months, although I am not a heavy drinker at all, and I can say that I have a very healthy 13 month old daughter who is smart, sassy, and funny.

I consider myself blessed that nothing happened and that there are no long term effects.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

https://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAlcoholSyndrome.html

I found this websites that has some good resources. Happy reading!

 

[laila 44]

Please don't worry!!! I was away on holiday before I found out I was pregnant with my daughter and we binge drank for 3 days straight and smoked lots of cigarettes too! My daughter is now 20 months and thriving Way ahead of her age. Don't worry... Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy! Baby is gone!

 

[darkriver]

I had a whole bottle of alchol the night before I found out I was pregnant. I was dead shocked and felt guilty.

 

[Misscalais]

I've drank through the 1st few weeks of each pregnancy without knowing I was pregnant ( including this one because I thought I'd missed my window! )
I have two healthy happy boys and 5 weeks with this little one.
Don't stress it's more if you continually drink during a pregnancy that's when problems arise.
Congratulations.

 

[MrsH1980]

Agree with the other posters - with my first we had been ttc for a year and had been on special diets/quit booze etc - we decided to have a month off, partied our asses off, drink waaaay too much and next thing you know, we're pregnant!

This time round, although slightly less effort (and a bit more of a surprise) we spent Christmas boozing, eating and generally over-indulging and once again, pregnant.

I know so many people who have been out drinking/doing all sorts of things whilst not knowing they were pregnant - nothing you can do about it now and you shouldn't feel any guilt; just concentrate on taking your prenatal vits (or folic acid at least), steer clear from the booze and anything harmful, eat well and look forward to a happy healthy 9 months xxx

 

[Larkspur]

Don't panic at all, many MANY women have been where you are!

I had a really big night out the night before I found out I was pregnant (had actually had a negative test result a couple of days before so thought I was NOT pregnant), went to a loooooooong Christmas lunch with a lot of glasses of wine. Had also had a few glasses of wine here and there in the week prior, just one or two at a time though.

I also had dental x-rays!

My doctor was SO reassuring. She said it was very, very unlikely to cause any damage at all at that point - the embryo is about the size of a sesame seed and isn't even attached via a placenta yet, it is in its own yolk sac. FAS is caused by ongoing drinking throughout pregnancy, and even then, it seems to be very hit and miss. Only about a third of babies born even to chronic alcoholics have FAS.

My baby boy is six months old today, perfect and beautiful and crashing through those milestones.

When I admitted my fears to quite a few of my friends, most of them were like, "OH GOD, me too. I was so worried, and for no reason."

You and your baby will be fine. It seems strange to say now, but in a few months you will realise how much your baby had yet to grow, the memory of those drinking nights will seem so long ago, and you will feel quite confident your baby will be fine. Which he or she will.

 

[Amygdala]

Apparently, the very early stages of pregnancy are all-or-nothing. Meaning, if there is going to be damage, the pregnancy won't continue, whereas if the pregnancy continues, no early damage was done. So in other words, seeing as you're still pregnant, you'll probably be fine. Obviously I'd be very careful to avoid alcohol and anything else harmful from now on.

where did you get this info, it is very interesting to me that no damage could be done as long as she doesn't miscarry?

I can't remember where I got the info originally but if you google "all or nothing principle early pregnancy" you find plenty of sources. Here's an excerpt from just one of the papers I found:

" Severe damage may cause death of the product of conception or, because of the pluripotential nature of the cells, the damage may be compensated allowing development to continue in a normal fashion. Most investigators believe that the all-or-none rule applies to the first 2 wk of development." (From https://www.annclinlabsci.org/content/40/2/99.full)

Basically, at this early stage, the embryo's cell aren't "specialised" yet, so any damaged cells can be easily replaced by others. Unless too many are damaged, in which case the pregnancy doesn't continue. This is only true of about the first 2 weeks after conception though. After that, organs begin to form and the embryo becomes susceptible to damage from toxins like alcohol or certain drugs.

 

[missbabes]

Me and Hubby decided to celebrate the finished result of decorating our living room after a long busy weekend, and we spent the Sunday night drinking wine and even cocktails, leaving me with a rather horrid hangover on the Monday. We certainly weren't expecting a BFP on the wednesday, and even joked that if there was a baby then it would have experienced it's first taste of alcohol. Oooops.

I have been reassured several times now, including by the midwife, that in the very early days there is no cause of concern if you have had a drinking binge.

Friends of mine with children have even admitted that they had gotten drunk before getting their BFP's too, and now have lively little ones.

 

[30pkfr]

I drank on new years eve without knowing i was, i asked my midwife about it and she said at that stage they are so small they are hardly taking alot of your blood or what u have, so i wouldnt worry about it my friend got pushed home in a shopping trolly she was that drunk and her little daughter is perfectly fine xxxxxx