Pregnancy and alcohol - would you?

faceman · 10-06-2007 09:17PM #1

Was in the pub last night and a girl was out with her other half enjoying a drink. She's 7 months preggers.

whats your views on this?

Dave! · 10-06-2007 09:20PM

Scumbag

tallaght01 · 10-06-2007 09:21PM

old guidelines alway advised that a couple of units a week wouldn't harm a fetus. This is quite possibly true, but the current reccomendations are that alcohol is avoided altogether in pregnancy. If you've ever seen some of the kids with fetal alcohol syndrome you'd probably agree.

Mossy Monk · 10-06-2007 09:35PM

I would say no alcohol.

watsgone · 10-06-2007 09:42PM

Wouldnt do it

Thrill · 10-06-2007 09:47PM

It's irresponsible to be drinking that close to giving birth imo. I mean, she only has to stay off the drink for two more months and once she's recovered she can go and get pissed all she wants.

Wertz · 10-06-2007 09:51PM

If I found out I was pregnant I'd need more than a drink...

Seriously though, if I was a woman, yes, in moderation. Getting drunk or drinking regulalry is irresponsible but I can't see why a small amount should effect a fetus any more than something which could be prescribed by a doctor or any more than some over-the-counter medication.

chump · 10-06-2007 09:53PM

thrill wrote:

It's irresponsible to be drinking that close to giving birth imo. I mean, she only has to stay off the drink for two more months and once she's recovered she can go and get pissed all she wants.

Shows how much you know. It's in the early stages of a pregnancy where the damage is done - often before a mother even knows she's pregnant.

I voted for, in moderation - but I will put a disclaimer on that - very moderate.

10-06-2007 09:55PM

Women who drink during pregnancy are putting their children at risk. Men who offer pregnant women drinks are just as guilty.

FAS (Fetus Alcohol Syndrome) and the more frequent but less known FAE (Fetus Alcohol Effects) are one of the most preventable diseases affecting children (and later adults).

Links:
FAS in Ireland

tallaght01 · 10-06-2007 09:57PM

the problem is, Wertz, that we can't start advising pregnant women on the basis of somebody saying "i dont see why" a small amt of alcohol should be harmful. The reality is that there's a well established fetal alcohol syndrome, which can be pretty horrendous. The more u drink , the more likely your fetus is to have it. But nobody knows what a safe minimum is. There have been cases in babies who's mums say they drank next to nothing. Therfore it's reccomended to stay away from booze during pregnancy. However, it's down to individual choice what you do, obviously.PLus prescribing medication in pregnancy is done very carefully, and with a lot of thought, as it's a danerous business.

Thrill · 10-06-2007 10:00PM

chump wrote:

Shows how much you know. It's in the early stages of a pregnancy where the damage is done - often before a mother even knows she's pregnant.

I voted for, in moderation - but I will put a disclaimer on that - very moderate.

If you have to put in a disclaimer then you dont know for sure. Isnt it better to be safe than sorry?

After all, it is only a couple of months.

SligoBrewer · 10-06-2007 10:24PM

DaveMcG wrote:

Scumbag

my thoughts on the matter exactly..

its just irresponsable to be doing it when you know its not you who'll have to suffer the conseqences.

MooseJam · 10-06-2007 10:24PM

You have to be 18 to drink in this country, surely the barman is breaking some law by serving her

niamh1975 · 10-06-2007 10:40PM

I have no problem saying that I took the odd glass of Baileys while pregnant, and I mean the odd one, maybe two or three during the whole pregnancy. I cannot in all honesty believe that that amount of alcohol damaged my babies. However, it sickens me to see a pregnant mother drunk. My view is if it affects you what is it doing to your baby.

Chinafoot · 10-06-2007 10:47PM

Why bother risking it? You know it's not going to be good for the baby so why do it?

It's only 9 months. If you can't manage to stay off the drink for the sake of your baby then you have some serious problems.

Thrill · 10-06-2007 10:57PM

http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/preg/a/aa070997.htm

One thing is clear, if you are pregnant and take a drink -- a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail -- your unborn child takes the same drink. Whatever you eat or drink while pregnant goes directly through your bloodstream into the placenta.

If you're having a drink, baby is too.

That alone would be enough to make me to stop drinking while pregnant. I wouldnt risk
it, but then i'm not a woman. It's up them if they want to drink or not.

sonners · 10-06-2007 10:58PM

My twin sister was 6 and a half months pregnant when we turned 21. She had 2 maybe 3 bottles of smirnoff ice that night and that was the only drink/smoke/drug she took for the whole pregnancy. My niece was born on time, healthy, no problems, but a week later we found out she had serious heart problems, she had heart surgery at two weeks old and will need multiple heart operations through-out her life. And when my sister found out about all this all she thought was 'I should'nt have had those 2 bottles'

Doctors have assured us that the alcohol had absolutely nothing to do with the problem, it had developed prior to the alcohol intake. But if ever found myself pregnant i would stay away from all smoke/drink/drugs while pregnant, so that in the unfortunate case that something may go wrong I'll know that there's nothing I could have done to cause it.

I wonder if its guys or girls saying women should'nt drink when pregnant, and if its women, do they have children? It'd be interesting to know.

My view on it is, yeah its ****ty, guys dont have to do it an all that. But when your pregnant its not just your body, you've chosen to share it and you should respect that.

G&T · 10-06-2007 11:04PM

Think also it depends on the drink,

spirits,beer,alco pops big no no

Glass of the black stuff every now and then not so bad,imo.

Sorry to hear about your sisters baby,I hope she will be okay.

Dave! · 10-06-2007 11:10PM

sonners wrote:

My twin sister was 6 and a half months pregnant when we turned 21. She had 2 maybe 3 bottles of smirnoff ice that night and that was the only drink/smoke/drug she took for the whole pregnancy. My niece was born on time, healthy, no problems, but a week later we found out she had serious heart problems, she had heart surgery at two weeks old and will need multiple heart operations through-out her life. And when my sister found out about all this all she thought was 'I should'nt have had those 2 bottles'

Doctors have assured us that the alcohol had absolutely nothing to do with the problem, it had developed prior to the alcohol intake. But if ever found myself pregnant i would stay away from all smoke/drink/drugs while pregnant, so that in the unfortunate case that something may go wrong I'll know that there's nothing I could have done to cause it.

I wonder if its guys or girls saying women should'nt drink when pregnant, and if its women, do they have children? It'd be interesting to know.

My view on it is, yeah its ****ty, guys dont have to do it an all that. But when your pregnant its not just your body, you've chosen to share it and you should respect that.

I'm a bloke and don't think women should do it. If I had a spouse and she got pregnant I'd have no problem dropping the booze for 9 months to support her.

KTRIC · 10-06-2007 11:16PM

DaveMcG wrote:

I'm a bloke and don't think women should do it. If I had a spouse and she got pregnant I'd have no problem dropping the booze for 9 months to support her.

Very noble gesture, I totally agree. I wouldn't have a problem giving up the drink myself if she did, it would probably make it a lot easier on both of us.

6th · 10-06-2007 11:18PM

Wertz wrote:

I can't see why a small amount should effect a fetus any more than something which could be prescribed by a doctor or any more than some over-the-counter medication.

If you are pregnant then there's alot docs wont prescribe plus alot of over the counter stuff says not to take if pregnant.

Rabies · 11-06-2007 12:30AM

MooseJam wrote:

You have to be 18 to drink in this country, surely the barman is breaking some law by serving her

There is no law to stop a woman from having alcohol is she is pregnant.
Everyone knows the health risks involved.
It is start of bad parenting if the woman wants to drink frequently while pregnant.

There was a girl working with me up until last week. She fell pregnant two months ago. Told her b/f, they broke up. She started drinking most weekends and getting pissed. After a few weeks she decided she didn't want the baby and had it aborted.
We all said to her that she shouldn't be drinking while pregnant. Didn't matter to her. This was before she opted for a termination

Blush_01 · 11-06-2007 12:46AM

No way, personally. If you're pregnant and you choose to have one or two on a rare occasion, then that's your choice. I couldn't justify it to myself though. And unless my partner wanted to abstain too, I wouldn't really care one way or the other if they drank.

Oriel · 11-06-2007 12:51AM

Typically, she'll put a lot more harmful things into her body than a small amount of alcohol.

simu · 11-06-2007 01:40AM

No. I think it's wrong tbh. Why risk it? The thought of alcohol circulating in the fetus's bloodstream disgusts me.

CathyMoran · 11-06-2007 07:10AM

I think that women trying for a baby should also avoid alcohol - I would never drink during a pregnancy either, it just is not worth it.

cmurph · 11-06-2007 08:02AM

no alcohol at all for me...not alone the 9 months but also for the 6 months i breastfed both my kids too..

Femelade · 11-06-2007 09:00AM

when i was pregnant i had half a bottle of smirnoff ice when i was about 6 months pregnant. I started to drink it but just felt guily so i didnt finish it.

and for the poster who said "once the baby is born she can go out and get pissed all she wants"...eh...i think not!

Kaylee · 11-06-2007 09:16AM

sonners wrote:

My view on it is, yeah its ****ty, guys dont have to do it an all that. But when your pregnant its not just your body, you've chosen to share it and you should respect that.

I totally agree with sonners, I am eight months pregnant and haven't touched a drop since I found out. Believe me I used to enjoy a drop (or two) but I would never be able to have a drink while baby in in utero. My family were actually encouring me to drink - 'one drink won't matter' 'preggers women are out in pubs skulling pints and still having healthy babys' - that sort of mentality. My husband would go mad if he saw me having a drink and IMO it's horrible to see pregnant women drinking.

I know that it's entirely possible to have a baby with health problems even if you've just drank alpine spring water and eaten organic food throughout the nine months... but as you say, if you were drinking you'd always have that nagging guilt if something did go wrong.

This topic gets women very exited on baby sites like rollercoaster, many women have 'the odd drink' while pregant and resent being told what to do by other (especially the child-free/less, and men).

It bugs me though the drink mentality in this country... it's like we're obsessed.

sonners · 11-06-2007 10:08AM

Fair play to DaveMcG and KTRIC for offering to stay off the drink too, unfortunately I know a few guys who found out their girlfriends were pregnant and thought, 'nice one, now you can drive us to/from the pub coz YOU cant drink'. This obviuosly does'nt help matters!

EDIT: just to say that my niece is doing fine, you'd never know there was anything holding her back, thank god. Just proves to me that it does'nt matter whether you have a boy or a girl, all you REALLY want is a HEALTHY baby, unfortunately too many people forget this.

Kaylee · 11-06-2007 10:17AM

My husband also gave up drinking when we found out I was pregnant - which is a brilliant supportive gesture.

Glad to hear your niece is doing well sonners.

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