Taboo: DWP (drinking while pregnant)

[tankel]

Please don't kick me off for asking, I am just really curious. I know here in the US, it is a serious no-no to DWP but since the forum has so many ladies from different countries, I was wondering if anyone can give me some in-sight if it's taboo everywhere else too. PS: I'm not saying I want to, again I am just curoius. hehehe

 

[bluebird44]

I'm in the US, but most of my friends have been told by their docs that if they occasionally want to have one glass of wine or a beer after the 1st trimester is over, then that is generally fine. I am also curious to know about other places though.

 

[Orglethorp]

In Canada it's generally thought that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.

That being said, the most sensitive period is the first trimester excluding the first few weeks when there is no exchange of nutrients between mother and foetus.

 

[Orglethorp]

Personally, I'm going to continue to drink sparsely until I confirm I'm pregnant, then stop altogether for the duration of my pregnancy.

 

[tankel]

I think after TTC so long, that is what I am going to do too. I am glad I'm not the only one who is curious though.

 

[misspriss]

In Canada it's generally thought that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.

That being said, the most sensitive period is the first trimester excluding the first few weeks when there is no exchange of nutrients between mother and foetus.

I'd like to see evidence to suggest there is no exchange of nutrients between mother and baby at a few weeks pregnant. If there is no exchange, how does hcg get into your blood, and then your urine?

On the drinking, I didn't have any alcohol at all with DS. I probably won't with this one either, but a small glass of wine would probably be okay in the second or third tri. Again, I probably won't do it.

Oh except communion wine, I receive communion once a week. But it's a very small sip.

 

[wlovew]

Once the blastocyst implants into the uterine wall I would think it's starting to absorb nutrients. This implantation usually happens 5-10 days after O. Soooo you're probably safe to drink until ovulation. I'm pretty paranoid tho lol

 

[Orglethorp]

I can't post links this early in my membership, but the very first result on Google when I checked to verify this is "How Does Nutrition Get From the Placenta to the Fetus?" on the livestrong website.

There is insufficient blood vessels in the placenta until ~21 days for nurtrient transfer.

 

[misspriss]

I can't post links this early in my membership, but the very first result on Google when I checked to verify this is "How Does Nutrition Get From the Placenta to the Fetus?" on the livestrong website.

There is insufficient blood vessels in the placenta until ~21 days for nurtrient transfer.

Because that article is about transfer from the PLACENTA (which forms later) to the fetus...that doesn't mean that there isn't transfer before the placenta forms. The baby implants directly into the uterine wall. There is enough blood transfer for hcg from the baby to get into the maternal blood (and then the urine) so I'd say there is enough transfer for what's in the maternal blood to get into the baby. The baby gets nutrients from the yolk sac, which has blood flow.

How is blood and nutrition conveyed to the embryo by yolk sac?

One of the most important needs of any embryo throughout the pregnancy is regular supply of nutrition and blood without which the fetus cannot grow. This blood is initially transported to the sac wall by primitive aortae and after travelling through wide-meshed capillary plexus, it returns back via vitelline veins into the embryo’s tubular heart. This is called as the vitelline circulation and during this process, nutrition from the yolk sac is sent to the embryo.

Link.

I find it odd anyone would think the baby would have a beating heart without blood flow before the placenta...how do you get beta hcg in your blood again without blood flow?

 

[Orglethorp]

I did not imply that the baby does not have a blood flow, but either way, I'm not debating this any more. I've been told that there is little-to-no transfer of nutrients between mother's blood and fetus' blood in the first couple of weeks. Something to this effect was mentioned in one of my university lectures last week, in fact. Does the fetus get nutrients before that time? Obviously.

For the first couple of days between fertilizations and implantation, the embryo receives all of its nutrients from what was contained in the egg. Implantation takes up to 2 weeks. During this time yes, there must be some transfer of nutrients and waste, but it is not nearly to the level of a full placenta. Up until a full placenta is formed (~3 weeks), the biggest factor in nutrients for the embryo is that which was contained in the egg.

All of this being said, I'm done with this conversation. If you feel you're putting your pregnancy at risk by drinking a little before you know you're pregnant, then don't do it. My point in my original reply was that there is not a significant enough transfer directly from the mother's blood (nutrients absorbed within the last couple of hours) that a single drink around the time of conception is going to cause deformities or developmental setbacks in your child, so if I happen to decide to have a single cooler a the cabin one weekend and then find out the next weekend that I'm pregnant, I'm not going to freak out. (For what it's worth, I have not yet chosen to have a single sip of alcohol since stopping my BCP, but I'm not much of a drinker anyway.)

 

[misspriss]

Not trying to debate, I'm just so tired of seeing this everywhere. It makes no logical sense and maybe I'm wrong (although most people say the placenta develops much later). But I see people going around getting betas and positive tests, and then in the next breath saying there is no bloodflow to the baby yet because there is no placenta. It just isn't logical. If hormones can get from the baby to your bloodstream, harmful stuff in your bloodstream can possibly get to the baby.

I'm not trying to debate or anything.

 

[spicyorange]

A recent bbc article about FAS said that in the first few weeks you might not know drinking will either do no harm or cause early miscarriage by went cause FAS, in the UK it's debated and official advice is just don't but a small amount is supposed to be ok. I dint drink much anyway but I'm going to cut back whilst ttc and maybe stop during tww and then stop when I get bfp

 

[BlueWater]

There's new research to suggest that drinking the four weeks before pregnancy affects the baby's birth weight https://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03Marc...ng-in-early-pregnancy-can-harm-your-baby.aspx

 

[BlueWater]

A recent bbc article about FAS said that in the first few weeks you might not know drinking will either do no harm or cause early miscarriage by went cause FAS, in the UK it's debated and official advice is just don't but a small amount is supposed to be ok. I dint drink much anyway but I'm going to cut back whilst ttc and maybe stop during tww and then stop when I get bfp

This is the same thing I read "it causes early miscarriage" as in a miscarriage before the first missed period....
It really got me thinking.

 

[MrsHudson]

Most people I know here in the US are ok with a glass of beer or wine here or there. I pretty much stopped drinking already and I didn't drink that much to begin with so, I probably won't while pregnant. For me personally, it's not worth the risk.

 

[crazycatlady5]

I have heard that the first few weeks are actually the worst time to consume alcohol, as the baby is so small alcohol could kill it. I had an extremely well educated prof with a PhD in neuropsychology from Russia say if there is any possible chance (read: you have had sex) you should not drink alcohol. So she is not American, I don't think it's just taboo, I think it's very damaging for the baby. I'm a teacher so I see the effects of FAS all the time.

Personally, while I'm ttc I'm only drinking alcohol when I know I am not pregnant for sure, like on period. And when I'm sure it's af and not spotting.

 

[Mintastic]

I am in the US.
I drank quite heavily two days before I knew I was pregnant (I mistook IB for the start of AF). My doctor said not to worry about it since the placenta wasn't formed yet. I don't know... there are some good points here but I feel like I should trust my doctor, especially since there is nothing I can do about it now.
Otherwise I plan to not drink at all for the rest of my pregnancy. Maybe a 1/2 glass of wine towards the end of third tri since I have heard it can help you relax if you are having BH but even then I am not sure...

Also to the earlier reference to Communion. my husband is Catholic and says you don't actually consume alcohol when you take communion because it isn't actually wine anymore because of transubstantiation (what he believes - no one needs to debate me on this, just sharing).

 

[crazycatlady5]

For sure mintastic, don't beat yourself up for what you can't change now.

 

[Kiwiberry]

In Canada it's generally thought that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.

That being said, the most sensitive period is the first trimester excluding the first few weeks when there is no exchange of nutrients between mother and foetus.

This is true in the US as well. I mean they don't even let you take Dayquil / Nyquil unless you seriously need it, and the amount of alcohol in that is next to none compared to drinking wine or a beer.

I think people just justify their actions by saying its ok "once in awhile" or "in the first few weeks". No real doctor would ever promote drinking alcohol no matter how many weeks along you are. I have no idea why anyone would want to risk harming their unborn baby just to get a buzz.

 

[misspriss]

I am in the US.
I drank quite heavily two days before I knew I was pregnant (I mistook IB for the start of AF). My doctor said not to worry about it since the placenta wasn't formed yet. I don't know... there are some good points here but I feel like I should trust my doctor, especially since there is nothing I can do about it now.
Otherwise I plan to not drink at all for the rest of my pregnancy. Maybe a 1/2 glass of wine towards the end of third tri since I have heard it can help you relax if you are having BH but even then I am not sure...

Also to the earlier reference to Communion. my husband is Catholic and says you don't actually consume alcohol when you take communion because it isn't actually wine anymore because of transubstantiation (what he believes - no one needs to debate me on this, just sharing).

That's why I never worry about it