I will never drink while pregnant, but my fiance says its safe to drink

[asrai]

It may be safe, but we don't know when and how much. Read up on fetal alcohol syndrome and you will want to avoid any possible risks. Why take the chance for a small thrill?

 

[Ellee2]

There are some doctors who believe a glass of wine every now and then will not harm the baby. The problem is there is no way to research or test exactly how much is too much, or when during the pregnancy it would be okay.
It could be that one glass a day is fine, or it could be that one sip a week is harmful. And it likely also depends on when you drink and what part of the baby is developing at that time. There is no way for researchers or doctors to test this without harming babies, which is obviously unethical.
So that is why they say no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Basically, better safe than sorry.
In my personal opinion, I could never drink when pregnant, because you're right. Everything I take in, the baby does as well. So the effect I would feel on my relatively giant body would be terrible for a relative tiny baby, even if it wasn't dangerous to the baby's health.
My husband says the same thing. I just tell him that is why women get pregnant, and men don't!

 

[DreeszenC_712]

sometimes. Arguing his point? Everything you take in to your body, the baby does as well.
My mother drank and did drugs the entire pregnancy and I dont believe in even having a glass of wine a week.
My fiance says that it is safe to drink every so often as long as you dont over do it.
I really just wanna smack him and knock some sense into him.

But is he actually right?
My fiance doesnt tell me to drink. We were talking about the subject and he just says its safe to have a glass of wine or a beer every so often. He doesnt encourage me to drink. I have a mind of my own. I asked this question to see how many people would agree with who.

 

[Heather1]

No one knows how much alcohol it takes to affect a baby so it's safer to not drink AT ALL while pregnant. While most people who had a drink or so every day or once a week have healthy babies, not all do. I agree with you. From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I have not touched alcohol. My baby's health is much more important to me than drinking.

 

[babyGIRLdue2/24/11ttt]

I don't believe that for a second. Alcohol is considered a poison, hence why you get drunk if you drink too much, it cuts off oxygen to your brain. So, I would never drink alcohol while pregnant. I don't care what people say if they think it's ok, common sense tells me it's not.

 

[pippin]

There is no one 'right' answer here. Experts disagree, so it's fine that you and your fiance disagree too.

There is not a tube that runs directly from your mouth to your uterus, so it's not quite accurate to say that 'everything you take into your body, baby gets as well.' Alcohol is taken into your blood stream, and from there is gets to the fetus. If you have had one drink and have, say, a BAC of .03%, then your fetus also has a BAC of .03% --- it isn't like you gave your 2 ounce fetus an entire glass of beer.

While there is clear and compelling evidence that excessive alcohol use during pregnancy can be harmful to the fetus (especially binge drinking), the evidence for harm from light/occassional use is *very* minimal. We KNOW that a single drink doesn't cause FAS/FAE.

But because women differ in the way they metabolize alcohol, and because there is simply no way to ethically do scientific/statistical research on the effects of various levels of alcohol use, it's impossible to determine what the cut-off is between 'safe' and 'possibly unsafe' use.

So many experts (including the U.S. professional obstetrics board) prefer to err on the side of caution, and recommend that pregnant women drink no alcohol at all.

Other experts (including those in many other countries, and some individual doctors) believe that because there is no evidence of harm from light/occassional use, that there is no need to demand complete abstinence.

So... take your pick, either it's ok if you don't overdo it, or you must never touch a drop from the second you take your last birth control. Both options have legitimate support.

For your personal situation -- of course nobody, pregnant or not HAS to drink alcohol, so if you prefer to abstain completely, then by all means you should do so, and your fiance should stop pressuring you.

 

[InvisiblePink~RN]

Controversial subject!

Most Dr.'s say the occasional glass of beer or wine while pregnant won't cause no harm

American's say NO alcohol period when pregnant
European's say the occasional glass - Guinness esp. for the iron - its all fine and dandy

Its a matter of what risks you can live with

There aren't any controlled studies out as it would be unethical for such studies to be conducted -

In VERY light moderation I personally don't see no harm! My OB had me drink 3 glasses of red wine a week for my anemia

 

[Nani]

Actually, I was told by a physician that an occasional beer, or half a beer is actually good for a pregnant woman and poses no threat to her baby! He actually said that beer is better than wine as it is more nutritional.