Drinking while TTC?

[littlelysser]

I had a bit of wine last saturday night - after I got a BFN and was pretty sure I wasn't knocked up. I had like a glass. Got my BFP on Sunday.

Am I a bit worried? Yeah. BUT I am pretty sure that I wasn't sharing anything at that point...So I am trying not to worry. Also, I read in the Mayo Pregnancy book that anything you do in the first month won't really result in birth defects, but rather could cause a M/C because alcohol or drug use MAY make the uterus an unfavorable place for the baby to implant.

Now that I know, shoot...I definitely won't be drinking anything for a LONG TIME!

Our 1st anniversary is on September 1. and we got a great bottle of champagne as a wedding gift, to have on our first anniversary. Needless to say, I won't be drinking it.

For me, I just don't think it would be worth the worry. And if something were to go wrong, I don't think I could forgive myself.

ETA - My friend's OB actually recommends that women have a glass of wine every now and again during their third trimester...her theory is you need to relax, and you've earned it!

 

[curlygirl]

Date: 8/28/2008 7:20:25 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Kind of off topic but did you or would you drink AFTER you got preggo? I went out with friends last night and my preggo friend (14 weeks) had a glass and a half of wine. I remember her drinking with her son too. Granted I am sure she just has it once a week or so but still. I find it funny she is crazy about vacs and makes her doctor order special ones (so they can give them to her son one at a time) but would drink even the slightest. I didn''t drink any alcohol while preggo. Guess I didn''t want something to happen and me always think...maybe it was that glass of wine...

Tacori, I was much more hardcore about it the first time around. I had a few glasses of wine heavily diluted with club soda towards the very end of my first pregnancy. My doctor even said it was fine to help me relax. This time around, I will admit that I have had the occasional glass of wine at dinner. When we were on vacation in Puerto Rico, I had a couple mojitos but 2 or 3 drinks over 10 days certainly isn''t overindulgent in my opinion. I''ve had work dinners where I''ve sipped on one glass of wine for 3 hours! And in the dead of summer, DH made me a few very light spritzers (more like a glass of club soda with a splash of wine) because the heat was killing me and he was drinking beer and I was annoyed! Now that I''m in the final weeks of this pregnancy, I don''t think a glass of wine per week is a bad thing but I really don''t even think about it so it doesn''t happen that often.

Just a little story and I don''t want anyone to take this as medical advice or an endorsement to drink while pregnant! When my mom gave birth to my sister almost 40 years ago, my sister had jaundice and my parents were really freaked out and worried about it. Of course, everything turned out fine and nowadays jaundice is pretty common. Anyway, when she got pregnant with me 2 years later, she was really concerned about the jaundice thing so her doctor told her that in the last couple weeks of her pregnancy, she should have an ounce of booze every day to get the baby''s liver functioning and avoid jaundice! I was born without any issues and to this day, my parents say it was the alcohol that helped! Of course, take that with a grain of salt--it was the 70s!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I certainly wouldn''t judge anyone who chose to drink in moderation while preggo. I just think it is interesting what people CHOOSE to freak out about. KWIM?!? Kind of like someone who insists on driving the speed limit but doesn''t wear their seatbelt.

 

[diamondfan]

I feel, without judging anyone else, that there is such delicate stuff occurring inside one''s body while a baby is made. Even when things are perfect, things can go wrong along the way. I am the type who would have a hard time forgiving myself if I even thought my actions harmed my developing baby. To me, a drink, or the ability to have one, is not more important than being as careful as I can be for 9 months. Once I deliver and have stopped nursing I can have a drink again, and while I like a glass of wine here and there, it is not that vital to me.

Of course, most times a drink here and there causes no issues, but for me, with my personality, it is not something I would do. Everyone is different.

 

[MMMD]

When I was pregnant I was too embarrassed to order an alcoholic drink when I was out. I thought everyone would be staring at me and judging. Now I think it''s funny that I cared what strangers thought.

 

[snlee]

I would avoid alcohol, caffeine, and green tea (inhibits absorption of folic acid) if I were actively TTC. I would also start taking a good prenatal vitamin. There''s lots of debate about this and how in moderation alcohol and caffeine may have no affect on fetal development. I''d rather abstain and err on the side of caution. Ultimately, it''s up to you to decide for yourself what you''re comfortable with.

 

[purrfectpear]

For those of us who are of an older generation (born in the ''50''s), most of our moms drank, smoked, and imbimbed copious amounts of tea and coffee during the entire 9 months that we were developing. There were just as many healthy babies born then, as now. Maybe more (Baby Boom and all

) . It is a decision that everyone should make for themselves. I would not worry in the first 4 weeks whatsoever. From the time I knew I was PG (5-6 weeks) I avoided alcohol, never smoked anyway, and still drank soft drinks with caffeine. I still colored my hair. I think you have to decide what is OK for you

 

[ljmorgan]

I think I had one drink while we were TTC -- actually I got pregnant really fast and thought "hey I didn''t have time for a farewell cocktail!"

I only have a drink once or twice a month anyway, so I won''t miss out. Once I found out I was preggo I cut out soda as well (more because of the chemicals instead of the caffeine.) I am occasionally drinking iced tea, that''s about it.

 

[Gemma12]

I have a bit of a different perspective-in Australia and parts of Europe it is less of a big deal to drink when pregnant. That''s not to say the research is different-just societal expectations. For example, I have had maybe two half glasses of wine whilst out during my second trimester and no one has batted an eyelid. The wait staff usually leave a wine glass in front of me when I''m eating dinner in a restaurant, and most of the time when I''m at a party, people will still offer me alcoholic drinks.

The vast majority of my (mostly doctor!) friends and/or their wives drank in moderation whilst pg. None of their kids have any issues that I''m aware of.

As for me, the week before I found out I was pg (at about 3 weeks pregnant) we were at a week long wedding ''event''. Alcohol was consumed, not always in moderation. I can''t change it, so I don''t worry about it. As others have said, I wasn''t sharing a blood supply with the baby then anyway. Then during first trimester I was too sick to even consider alcohol and on the whole I don''t miss it (I thought I really would).

I''m going to weigh in on the side of it''s a personal decision. If it''s going to make you worry later on, give it a miss. If you drink in moderation anyway and are never drunk, you''re likely to be fine by the time you find out you''re pregnant.

 

[Girlrocks]

I''m sure that I drank while I was conceiving all 3 times because I never really was trying, it always just happened. My first were twins, and I went into early labor at 28 weeks 3 times and had to go on bedrest until 34 weeks. Of course, I got to 34 weeks, go off bedrest and all medication, and nothing happens. I went to my OB for my 36 week check, and I was telling her how frustrated I was, and she told me to go home, put my feet up, have a glass of wine and relax! I looked at her like she had 3 heads...drink while I was pregnant???!!! She said once everything is formed after the 1st trimester, the biggest risk of drinking is that you might fall down and hurt yourself, but the alcohol itself would not harm the fetus.

I still didn''t drink the wine...and 2 days later went into labor.