Drinking alcohol during pregnancy

iguana

Is it also recommended that a nursing mother not drink alcohol? I always assumed it was, but I've recently noticed a few new mothers who wouldn't drink while pregnant but would while breast-feeding?

Nevyn

There are a whole range of foods which may not besuitigle when breast feeding.
I remember having some wonder wonder dark chocolate truffles and they upset my milk for two days and the baby had a very runny bum as a result

Ickle Magoo

iguana wrote:

Is it also recommended that a nursing mother not drink alcohol? I always assumed it was, but I've recently noticed a few new mothers who wouldn't drink while pregnant but would while breast-feeding?

Well, you have the option to "pump & dump" after drinking when breastfeeding & use expressed milk cup or bottle fed for babs which isn't an option during pregnancy....

AnitaMcCluskey

I am currently 6 months pregnant and I haven't touched a drop because just the smell alone made me ill, however, my brother's wedding is coming up next month and I plan to have a couple of glasses. After reading the facts on the internet, i decided that I should speak with the doctor at the hospital who informed me that it would do no harm as it can relieve stress. I told him about what I had read on the internet and his response was that if we do everything that the internet advises a pregnant woman should sit in a bubble for the nine months and it was a wonder how anyone gave birth to healthly baby before the internet! I decided to take his advise and have a glass or two.

delly

I kind of see this topic as black and white. If there is any doubt or possible side effect of consuming alcohol while pregnant, then it shouldn’t be done. I just can’t see why you would take a risk even if there is a 1% chance of side effects. End of.

Now I know that your GP might say that the odd one here and there is ok to help with the stress or whatever, but seriously, why chance it?

As a side note, maybe my dependence on alcohol is not that high, as I’ll happily go on a night out and not touch a drink in order to drive home if it’s a convenient option.

RandomOne

mell61 wrote:

Sometimes its a wonder we got out of the womb alive with the drinking and smoking our mums managed, in the days before statistics and Google

You said it! And let's not forget that pregnant Mum's used to be prescribed stout not so very long ago.

AnitaMcCluskey wrote:

I told him about what I had read on the internet and his response was that if we do everything that the internet advises a pregnant woman should sit in a bubble for the nine months and it was a wonder how anyone gave birth to healthly baby before the internet!

Sounds like a far more sensible opinion than some on here!

In my personal experience, your body is best at letting you know what it does and doesn't want. IF it craves food or drink you normally consider vile, go with it. If you try and eat/drink something you normally like and it repulses you, avoid it. With alcohol, I'd have no issue with a pregnant friend/daughter deciding to have a glass or not - her choice, but as always I'd expect it to be limited/occasional, not the norm. I'm not Irish! - And I wonder what the stat's for French births are!

Nevyn

a glass or not

The difference is in a glass and getting drunk or worse fall down drunk while pregnant.

On my first I did have the odd glass of guiness I was not and still am not a guiness drinker and it wouldnot have been until at least 7 motnhs into my pregancy and then less the 5 over the last few months.
I did have a few glasses of red wine with my second again prolly arround 5 in total over the last 3 months.

I did get what midwifes call 'the goo" it is not uncommon for women in the run up to the last few days pregnancy to get 'the goo' for a few drinks.
The alchol acting as a relaxant and bringing on labour its was not that unsual for women to go into labour while having had a drink or two.

I certainly got "the goo" with both mine and had a glass of baileys ( again A glass, singular) and with in 48 hours was in labour.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is very very serious and the effect are horrible but it is for the most part due to heavy drinking during the end of the first trimester and the second trimester of pregnancy.

Pregnant women shoud not get drunk and should look after themselves and thier child to be as best as they can.

But we should not get into the hysteria like what there is in the usa with the policy on pre pregancy.
Yes Pre Pregnancy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/AR2006051500875.html

Forever Pregnant
Guidelines: Treat Nearly All Women as Pre-Pregnant

By January W. Payne
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 16, 2006; Page HE01

New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon.

luckat

What *is* all this stuff about alcohol reducing stress? The most stressed people I know are the ones who drink!

My own two cents, more from gut feeling than from any medical knowledge: you're going to have to do without a lot of things you enjoyed as a gay young thing once you're a mother. Might as well get a bit of practice by doing without alcohol while waiting for the baby!

But it's not just a question of steering clear of alcohol. You really need to start eating very well - plenty of fresh vegetables and grains, smallish amounts of lean meat and fish. You'll need to take plenty of gentle exercise. Get proper amounts of rest and sleep.

Once the baby's born, you need to eat milk-promoting foods if you're breastfeeding.

If you want to know about foetal alcohol syndrome (described in one of the following sites as being caused by "women having up to two drinks a day or occasional bingeing"), here you go:

http://www.faslink.org/

http://www.apas.org.uk/new_page_16.htm

Nevyn

Drinking and having and rearing children do not mix as far as I am concerned.
You need to be able to function and have the engery to look after your children and being hung over and children do not mix.

Children suffer from thier parents hangovers as well.

RandomOne

OP:

simu wrote:

I was looking at a discussion on the topic on another Irish parenting/pregnancy board based on last night's Prime Time (I didn't see that show but afaik it came out pretty strongly against the consumption of alcohol by pregnant women too) and was amazed that most of the posters were still convincing themselves that a glass or two of wine a week didn't matter. So, what's up with that?

Is what I answered.

Thaedydal wrote:

The difference is in a glass and getting drunk or worse fall down drunk while pregnant.

Absolutely, but no-one here's advocating excessive drinking.

Victor

I would strongly suggest staying off distilled alcohols.

mell61 wrote:

Sometimes its a wonder we got out of the womb alive with the drinking and smoking our mums managed, in the days before statistics and Google

Take a look at After Hours.

AnitaMcCluskey wrote:

however, my brother's wedding is coming up next month and I plan to have a couple of glasses.

Realise that a couple of drinks on one days is a lot more serious than the same number of drinks spread over a month. The problem with Irish people isn't so much the total litres of pure alcohol consumed, but that we consume them in relatively short periods over the weekend and then stay sober all week.

RandomOne wrote:

You said it! And let's not forget that pregnant Mum's used to be prescribed stout not so very long ago.

Persumably for it's iron content. We have better knowledge of iron sources these days.