Alcohol when pregnant...

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Location
Rammy
We're probably all aware of the "no alcohol when pregnant" advice given out left right and centre, I was wondering what your opinion is.

I know my mother in law drank while expecting (she wasn't actually aware she was pregnant at the time) with no ill effects and I'm sure many of our parents, or perhaps ourselves / partners had a small glass of wine / lager etc while expecting prior to the current advice.

Opinions please :smile:
 

Bromptonaut

Rohan Man
Location
Bugbrooke UK
Mrs B had a glass or two of Guinness fairly regularly and a glass of wine with meals now and then.

No harm done at that level and I suspect there's a wide safety margin in the official advice. OTOH foetal alcohol syndrome doesn't bear thinking about.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
The damage might have been done pre-conception in which case it's a matter of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

As with all my advice on medical matters be aware that I am not a doctor.
 

pauldavid

Veteran
I drank just the same as normal right the way through 2 pregnancies with no ill effects whatsoever!












The wife stopped though, came in bloody handy too and saved a fortune in taxi's cause she drove us everywhere.

Been trying to talk her into going teetotal since the last little angel arrived with no luck, may have to resort to bumping uglies again in the hope that I end up with a free 9 month taxi!
 

London Female

Über Member
I drank just the same as normal right the way through 2 pregnancies with no ill effects whatsoever!












The wife stopped though, came in bloody handy too and saved a fortune in taxi's cause she drove us everywhere.

Been trying to talk her into going teetotal since the last little angel arrived with no luck, may have to resort to bumping uglies again in the hope that I end up with a free 9 month taxi!

My ex-husband said the only reason he married me was because I don't drink and could do the driving leaving him free to drink as much as he liked (plus I was a cheap date) :rolleyes:
 

Trail Child

Well-Known Member
Location
Ottawa, Canada
My baby book has a few pics with my mum (8 & 9 months pregnant) holding a gin martini and a Marlboro. Love my mum forever, but certainly wasn't mother of the year ....
 
OP
OP
Black Sheep
Location
Rammy
The reason I'm asking is I've seen, at friends weddings other guests get berated by someone they've never met before over having the champagne for the toast or a tiny glass of wine (and a fair few glasses of water) with the meal.

I've also seen bar staff refuse to sell alcohol to a pregnant lady even when she protested that it was just her round buying drinks for the whole table.

I'd be a bit worried if I saw an expectant mother drinking heavily but wouldn't say anything unless it was someone I knew well.
 

Dan B

Disengaged member
The U.K. Department of Health (2007) advises that "pregnant women or women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol. If they do choose to drink, to minimise the risk to the baby, they should not drink more than 1 to 2 units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk." [12]

Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in its 2006 guide, Alcohol and Pregnancy: Information for You [13], states, "The safest approach in pregnancy is to choose not to drink at all. Small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy (not more than 1 to 2 units, not more than once or twice a week) have not been shown to be harmful."

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in its clinical guideline Antenatal Care: Routine Care for the Healthy Pregnant Woman (2008), "“Pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy should be advised to avoid drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy if possible because it may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. If women choose to drink alcohol during pregnancy they should be advised to drink no more than 1 to 2 U.K. units once or twice a week." [14]
From http://www.icap.org/Table/InternationalGuidelinesOnDrinkingAndPregnancy
 

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
The advice we got was that the occasional glass of red would probably be quite beneficial. My wife also drank a can of Mackeson stout a day for a while to raise her iron levels so we could go for a home birth. On top of that my wife had a very boozy Christmas when she didn't know she was pregnant and our wee one turned out just fine.

I on the other hand drank more during pregnancy - once a bottle of wine has been opened it must not be wasted!

Our wee one is only 18 months old, but advice seems to change very quickly.
 

Sara_H

Guru
I rarely drank at all during pregnancy, until I was 38 weeks and reasoned baby was fully formed etc and it couldn't do much harm.

I had a glass of red wine and I was completely p****d! Spen the next few hours worrying that I'd go into labour drunk and have to give birth with a hangover!!!

Not sure what current advice is about drinking in pregnancy.
 

ComedyPilot

Secret Lemonade Drinker
Mrs CP gave up alcohol completely when we were trying for a family and before she conceived, I was pretty much teetotal at the time. During her pregnancy and subsequent nursing she remained dry, and so did I. I didn't treat her like a taxi service, she just decided not to drink, and I supported her by not rubbing her nose in it. Now we can pretty much take or leave alcohol alone altogether.
 

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
Mrs CP gave up alcohol completely when we were trying for a family and before she conceived, I was pretty much teetotal at the time. During her pregnancy and subsequent nursing she remained dry, and so did I. I didn't treat her like a taxi service, she just decided not to drink, and I supported her by not rubbing her nose in it. Now we can pretty much take or leave alcohol alone altogether.

What a gent! I quit a month before our due date, just in case.
 
OP
OP
Black Sheep
Location
Rammy

Thanks for that, I'll hand it to the wife for her to read later :tongue:

incase anyone was wondering the reasons for this thread, our bathroom bin now seems to have 4 pregnancy tests in it each with two lines on it meaning that Mrs Black Sheep is at most, 4 weeks pregnant.
Family will be told at the 12 week stage.
It is normal when we visit her parents to go to the pub and have a drink or three and Mrs Black Sheep normally drinks anything from a glass of white wine through to a pint of proper ale.
We'd like to try and hide the news until 12 weeks as prior to then, all sorts of things may or may not happen.
I know you're not meant to tell people until then, but you friendly internet people don't know me in real life (yet, perhaps on a forum ride or something) and so the news won't get back to family members until the appropriate time.

Personally, reality is scheduled to check in in a few weeks time!
Best get on with finding a job.
 

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
Thanks for that, I'll hand it to the wife for her to read later :tongue:

incase anyone was wondering the reasons for this thread, our bathroom bin now seems to have 4 pregnancy tests in it each with two lines on it meaning that Mrs Black Sheep is at most, 4 weeks pregnant.
Family will be told at the 12 week stage.
It is normal when we visit her parents to go to the pub and have a drink or three and Mrs Black Sheep normally drinks anything from a glass of white wine through to a pint of proper ale.
We'd like to try and hide the news until 12 weeks as prior to then, all sorts of things may or may not happen.

Personally, reality is scheduled to check in in a few weeks time!
Best get on with finding a job.

Nice one!

Reality is little help with parenting - ignore reality and enjoy the ride!
 
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