Babble

Should pregnant women be allowed to have a drink or two while pregnant? Did you drink during your pregnancy? If so, how much?

There shouldn't be laws passed against it (duh). I don't think the articles that Babble has posted on this subject are particularly helpful. They just seem to scare the bejesus out of sensible moms. And some of the articles are out of date or the link is missing. There isn't any information here that hasn't already been on all the other baby websites (yawn). My initial impression of your approach to each topic on the "controversial" issues is that Babble is going to be very alarmist. If that's the case, I will stick to my Mothering magazine, as old-school hippie as it is.  

 

I don't see how the occasional glass of wine or beer is going to hurt anyone.  As long as you're not getting stumbling drunk every night (or at all during gestation, duh), you and your baby should be just fine. 

 SHOULD you?  Probably not.  But, as with just about everything else you do while pregnant, if you do it sensibly, you'll be fine.  I got pregnant the week before Thanksgiving.  My family came to visit over Thanksgiving and I hadn't yet discovered I was pregnant and so I proceeded to drink my face off but after the test came back positive, I had a glass of wine at Xmas, a couple of glasses of wine with dinner at New Year's along with one glass of champagne and maybe, MAYBE three or four glasses of wine for the rest of the pregnancy.  My baby is disturbingly normal and healthy.

 Common sense is a great guide, and I wish more pregnancy resources would recognize the fact that most women have it.

I'm not sure what you mean by "allowed." Of course they should be allowed. A pregnant woman has the same right as the rest of us to make decisions regarding her body.

Since we don't know for sure how much alcohol causes birth defects, fetal alcohol syndrome, etc., it's probably a good idea to abstain. But that's easy for me to say because I don't drink. I have several friends who had a glass of wine here or a beer there while pregnant and their children are healthy, well adjusted, and thriving.

As with many things, I believe the "right" way for society to treat the issue is to give women as much information as possible and then shut the hell up when they make their own informed decision.  

Should  they be allowed? Yes , they should be allowed to have a drink or two while pregnant. Unfortunatly in public it is really frowned upon. I don't think you should be allowed to get totally wasted at any point in the pregnancy. I also don't feel it should be an everyday thing. You can see by my name that my children are 30 and 28 years old, and yes I did drink when I was pregnant, with both of them. I drank  more mixed drinks with the first pregnancy, this was the early 70's.  Both of my girls were nomal weight and healthy.They were and still are very bright children/women. They were also breast fed, and I drank during that period of time too, although it was beer and not hard alcohol.No drinking was done in excess.

What do you mean 'allowed'? If (most) people were better informed on the risks of drinking while pregnant, they would not do it. (That is except for alcoholics and other addicts). It is easy to learn more about this; there is research on the effects of alcohol oon the fetus that has been going on for thorty or more years now, and the cause and effect evidence is very clear. It is a mater of education.

"Allowed" may not have been the best word choice. I just meant that most doctors and experts recommend not drinking at all during pregnancy, and what is your take on that recommendation?

I am a man and a happy drinker, so my opinion might not count, but... why if there could be a risk for one's child, take that risk?

I take it seriously. It is not worth the risk, and I drank not a drop during my pregnancies, it was not hard.

If you abstain from everything "they" tell you is potentially bad for your fetus, you'll be eating unflavored oatmeal and distilled water for 40 weeks and that would suck.  There are literally thousands of risky behaviors one can engage in during pregnancy, from wearing too-tight shoes to getting in a car to eating sushi to sleeping on one's back.  Where do you draw the line?

 As said above, it's a matter of getting all the available information and then making an informed decision that fits your life and your lifestyle, everyone else be damned.  Just like with parenting once the baby actually arrives: I am a reasonably intelligent woman and I am doing what I feel is best for my baby, myself, and my family. 

Hell I was actually drinking a beer as I took the pregnancy test that turned out to be my son! And I finished it to celebrate that little +.

I don't think it should be illegal to drink while pregnant, because what are they gonna do, make me pee on a stick before I can enter a bar?  Or just outlaw alcohol for all women of childbearing years unless we can whip out a hysterectomy certificate? Yeah...no.

But is it safe? Probably not. I did drink during while pregnant with both of my kids, here and there, maybe a glass of wine every week. I feel a bit guilty about it but no guiltier than the TV they watch. 

I don't think it should be illegal but with all we know how on earth could a mother do this?

The baby's liver doesn't develop until the third trimester and the brain is rapidly forming the whole time. Just because you're not drunk doesn't mean the baby isn't totally sloshed. I repeat they have no liver function for most of your pregnancy. Just because one child turns out OK doesn't mean it's not a dangerous gamble.

They day I realized I was pregnant I had a horrible hangover. My midwife said it was most likely fine but that I should avoid drinking. My baby girl was born in NY and the issue is very heated there... while my friends who were having babies back home were enjoying their ocassional drinks I was eoncouraged to stay away from bars......

The thing is, while pregnant I craved for only one thing: beer.

I did indulge. I drank a couple of half-half pints on the odd ocassion and I would do it again.

While i think it is wrong to encourage women to drink, i think it is wrong to judge them for doing so. Providing that we are talking about and to responsible adults I don't see why the need to lecture. One does what feels right .... and believe me, when one os pregnant one knows when something feels wrong.
 

This issue falls into a larger one:  somehow when a woman becomes pregnant, she stops having personal autonomy.  All of you who have been pregnant know what I mean.  How many office colleagues try to rub your tummy in greeting because they think you look cute?  This is something they would NEVER try sans bump!  And with this drinking question, I remember being at a dinner party when I was pregnant with my first and the host offered everyone present a glass of wine and when she saw me said loudly and didactically, "well of course, you won't be having any." 

 What happened to my choice?  When did I get thrown in the padded cell?  It is more about being able to continue functioning like the adults we are than having a drink per se.

This kind of treatment only increases once the babe is born. Complete strangers on the street tell you that your child is cold/crying/hungry/not wearing socks while you are rushing somewhere to give child warmth/hugs/milk/shoes for the nth time that morning.....

But to answer your first question: I am pregnant and at the moment feeling sick 'round the clock trumps any thoughts I might have had about having a drink...that holds for coffee as well, sorry Starbucks.