Beer and Pregnant Mommies

My family is European so I guess I have a different take on this. The way I was raised it is absolutely socially and physically acceptable to have an occasional alcoholic beverage when pregnant. I have NEVER heard of a baby getting fetal alcohol syndrome from a couple of drinks throughout an entire pregnancy. I understand that US professionals are still unsure as to what a safe level of alcohol is but I have still yet to hear of someone, even through the grapevine, who's child has FAS or FAE from occasional, mild alcohol use. Overseas it is not unusual for women to drink a glass of wine with dinner at least once a week. So, I guess I really wouldn't worry about it. Eat well, drink lots of water, relax and have a blessed pregnancy!

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When I was conceived, my mother was advised to have a glass of wine a week while pregnant! Then, the experts leaned in another direction and said absolutely not! No one knows the exact amount of alcohol that causes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is the reason doctors are cautious. However, the one-drink-a-week rule still applies in much of Europe, and one recent study done in Europe found that the children of mothers who drank a glass of wine every couple of weeks when pregnant actually scored better on vocabulary tests than those of mothers who abstained completely. Weird, right? I wonder if anyone has been able to duplicate that study.

My OB told me a couple of sips - in moderation - was fine. Some friends' OBs told them absolutely not. I would talk to your doctor and do what is comfortable to you. However, I do think the general consensus is that you should abstain in the first trimester, and drinking in general is not good for the baby. Good luck.

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I wouldn't think one beer would hurt but who knows for sure? Is a beer or two worth the risk?

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As a student midwife, one of the things you learn is that when pregnant, red wine and dark ales are good for your uterus. They tone the muscle and calm them preventing you from going into early labor.

No alcohol in the first trimester, but after that, you may have one dark ale (hoppy type) or 4oz of red wine.

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My doctor said (and I've read numerous places) having a glass of wine or beer on occassion while in your last trimester is perfectly fine.

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So many different opinions.....
I personally think one beer VERY sparingly is okay towards the end. With that said, if it's the taste you miss, which would be the only reason to even have one at this point, go for a non-alcoholic beer. Still just have one though. I often find myself wanting a beer, just one. But always felt guilty so I never do it. I have had an O'douls though. And it was nice to sip on one, and not feel guilty.

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THe best advice is no !!! You don't want to harm the growing baby and it's development with is most inpartant in the begining!!!

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My first response would be yes, but then again I've never taken a drink during a pregnancy. However, pretty much everything isn't in the "safe" category during pregnancy but I know many women who drank during their entire pregnancy and had beautiful healthy babies.

I recently vacationed with my husband and after a long exhausting day was very tempted to down my husbands margarita, LOL, but I held off and knew it would only make me sleepy, which I'm already tired enough and knew the guilt would get to me more over the pleasure of the drink.

I'm sure you could ask your OB and get a direct answer, I think they would tell you an occasional drink will not hurt the baby and it's also better to wait until second trimester starts before taking or drinking anything.

P.S. I recently seen a lady walking into Albertsons who was at least 8 mnths pregnant finishing off her cigarette as she walked into the store. I was shocked that someone (this day and age) would so obviously smoke during pregnancy. That to me would be worst than an occasional drink but again, that's just my opinion and of course I'm no doctor but congrats to you and good luck!

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You'll probably get both answers here.
Personally, though I think the answer is no.
When pregnant you are growing a little person. There is not a safe level of alcohol for this little person. The little person is developing all the organs and brain functions that it needs for it's entire life. If you basically poison the little person for a few hours, due to the alcohol intake, you do not know what impact that has on the little person.
The risk you run may be small - but is it worth it? To me, the answer is no. Each mom-to-be can weigh this for themselves though.
I have known friends who have done this, and to them it was an acceptable risk. To me, it is not.

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I agree w/the response below, you'll get both sides on this matter. I hv seen children of "Fetal alcohol syndrome" and it is very disturbing. I kw I wouldn't wanna put my child thorough the tortures of other kids making fun or cracking jokes abt my child when I cld hv prevented it in the 1st plc. I'd hv to go with "NO" as my answer, I don't think it'd b safe to drink beer during pregnancy. Good luck & congrats, I'm sure you'll make the right decision on the matter. God bless

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My cousins both have severe fetal alcohol, and have a hard time getting by in life because of it. I would never risk it just to taste something I know i can have plenty of later, when I am not forcing it on my unborn child.

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I'd be interested to know why you are framing the question in the way of "once or twice during the whole pregnancy". You are just going to have opinions given here on this forum, S.. Why are the opinions here so important to you?

I didn't drink once I knew I was pregnant - partly because I didn't want to take the chance, and partly because I was sick so much and the idea of the taste was repugnant. (Not pregnant I enjoy the taste - pregnancy changes so much stuff about us!) I even bought O'Doul's when I found out that I was pregnant the second time, but ended up never even opening one because it turned I didn't want it at all.

No, one or two drinks will not hurt your pregnancy. That's not the same as one or two drinking binges, by the way. Different doctors will tell you different things, because yes, as Martha says, no one knows what a safe level of alcohol is. I had a friend who actually CHOSE her doctor because he allowed her to have one drink a day; that cocktail after she came home from work was that important to her. Her children were fine. Yet I have a friend who was a teetotaler who had a special needs child, and is still trying to figure out why her baby was born "not normal". She keeps asking herself what SHE did wrong.

So you have to figure this out with your doctor. Just as you want to eat and comport yourself in the most safe and prudent way to give your child the best possible outcome, you also want to understand that not everyone has the same way of looking at life. Those who stick their noses up in the air and look down at other's ways of doing things aren't necessarily right, and you shouldn't pay attention to them, and you shouldn't BE one of them, depending on why you are asking the question.

D.

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My vote is no, its not okay.

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I may be in the minority here, but I think it is fine. You are not going out and getting smashed every day (or even once while pregnant)! We are talking about 1 beer...I don't think you have anything to worry about. Once I got to the 3rd trimester I occasionally had a 1/2 glass of wine.

I like to have wine with dinner (when I'm not preggo), so when I am preggo I get sparkling water and drink it from a wine glass hahahaha! Maybe you can get some non alcoholic beer or some other type of drink and drink it from a frosty mug!

If you do decide to have that beer...sip it so you can savor every taste!

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The answer is that nobody knows of a safe level for alcohol while you are pregnant, and that limit may differ considerably from person to person, so the rule is, no alcohol is safe. Why would you risk it for a beer?

Anecdotal "my baby was fine" mean nothing to you. For every one of them, there is someone who fooled themselves into thinking that their babies issues were not because of what they drank. FAS and FAE are umong the very hardest developmental diagnosis, there is little that can be done for the children who have it, and progress is slower and more difficult than with simular disablities that are not caused by the brain damage of of pregnant Mom's alcohol consumption.

If you cannot wait out a few months without a beer, seek help.

M.

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yes, from what youve asked, once or twice in the WHOLE pregnancy is fine. id reccomend a non alcoholic beer if mommy is feeling left out, or 1/2 a glass of wine. Those warnings are put on the bottles for women who just dont care enough to abstain from getting drunk while pregnant.

My mother had a drink every night when i was in utero on the orders of her doctor(she otherwise hated drinking), but some women will just not stop. I knew a girl that actually thought it was ok to drink vodka cause it was "clear".....whatever that means.

A beer is fine, but not having a beer....better.

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Nope. Not at all. Alcohol is 100% bad for your baby. There is nothing good in it for your baby. Yes you could probably drink one beer and your baby would most likely turn out fine. I know woman who didn't know they were pregnant for a few months and drank from time to time and still had pretty healthy babies. But why take the chance for just one beer? Just drink a soda, water or juice.

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My OB (and the other 7 in the practice) said that 1 drink/week was fine and would have NO effect on the child. They recommended after the 1st trimester.

We're not big drinkers anyhow, so it wasn't hard not to have a drink during a pregnancy for me. But, I wouldn't have felt horribly if I'd had a glass of wine or a few sips of beer.

Whether it's this topic or anything else health related, I know I sound like a broken record, but after a year of pleading, I really wish people would ask their physicians more questions - Medical Associations are ALWAYS changing their opinions as new clinical/medical/scientific evidence emerges, and most of us are so far removed from pregnancies, we don't know what the current recommendations are.

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When I was pregnant, I didnt drink or anything, and i had a beautiful, perfect baby girl, so i wouldt take the chance. I mean, really, is ONE beer really that important? take your prenatals and eat healthy, thats my advise. Good luck! =)

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I know it's ok to have a glass of wine a day when you are pregnant, so I would think beer would be fine too. I, personally, wouldn't have one everyday, but occasionally, I think fine. My neighbors Dr. told her to have one at night to help her sleep better. Ask your Dr., just to be sure.

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If you think logically, and know that whatever goes into your body goes directly to your child... would you give your child a beer? I'd say no, never.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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When I was pregnant with my first, beer was one of things I craved. I didn't drink it though. All I could think about was getting done with the pregnancy so I could have a cold beer. Funny, after the birth of my child I no longer wanted to drink it. I just put it off as one of pregnancies wierd cravings.

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They say it is safe my Dr didnt agree and I personally couldnt do it. Just like smoking the day I found out I was pregnant I didnt touch a drink or a cigarette, didnt dare take a chance couldt deal withit if something went wrong.

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you will be fine if you do. The last week or two of my 2 pregnancy I was craving a cold beer and I had one. It was so nice. My daughter is fine.

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Yes, in fact, my midwife told me that if I thought I was in labor to go take a bath and have a glass of wine.

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Have a non-alcoholic beer. I did not have a drop when I was preggo, I am not really a drinker anyway so no biggie for me. But the girl I was working with did, we were pregnant at the same time. She went early and her her baby had defects and all sorts of things wrong. This child has been in a wheel chair her whole life. Was it the drinks she had.......who knows. But why chance it. Some Dr.s say its fine, some say wait.

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Technically, no. They don't know how much alcohol causes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Effect. But they do know anicdotally that no child with FAS was the product of a mother who only had two beers durring her entire pregnancy. The trouble is they don't know where the line is crossed so they say none but when I found out I was 13 weeks pregnant (I hadn't had a period becuase I was breastfeeding) and told my doctor that I had had dental x-rays and had a glass of wine on at least two occasions she said not to worry at all and she was right.

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Absolutely not. Haven't you heard or read the Surgeon General's Warning?

I think it is important to distinguish between wine, beer, and hard liquor (vodka, gin, tequila, rum...). One glass of wine a day is okay during pregnancy. Anything else is not. I decided not to drink at all during my pregnancy. It just wasn't worth the risk.

As good parents, it is our responsibility to seek attention for our
children if there is a deficit, but it is also our duty to prevent deficits
when possible. If your child is born with a hair out of place, you may
be left wondering if you could have prevented it. What if alcohol
afftects people in different ways? How do we know our child will not
be affected? I don't think there is real harm in the slightest amount
of alcohol during a pregnancy, but until we know..........
seems the price is too high. And maybe if you have an occassional
glass of wine, drink water with it or soon after so it will be deluted.
That first trimester should really be a consderation of abstaining, and
I'm no doc.
Best wishes.

I think it is fine to have a small amount occasionally. The studies say that it is when a pregnant Mom drinks more than 2 drinks a day that it causes, or could cause fetal alcohol syndrome. You will get dirty looks from know-it-all busy-bodies if you do it in public, though. I had an occasional drink when I was pregnant. Never more than 1, and I made sure I ate with it. Just think about the fact that if you feel buzzed, it is probably affecting your baby. It is especially harmful during the first month (when many women don't even know they are pregnant).

I found that while nursing, it helped to sip on a beer to help bring the "let-down reflex" and it makes your milk very rich and creamy. You will know when you store breast milk and the cream floats to the top. It sounds like you don't really drink anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it.