Pregnancy - San Clemente,CA

Many women don't know they are pregnant the first month or so, and do all kinds of things they shouldn't have or wouldn't have if they knew they were pregnant. A little bit of those things is ok, just be careful the rest of the time. Don't worry about it, the stress from over worrying will probably affect the baby more than those.

The first few weeks of pregnancy are the most crucial. That being said, nothing you have had is really terrible. Excedrin is often given to women who have clotting problems to take daily in pregnancy so while I wouldn't take it now that you know, it isn't likely to cause a problem. A few glasses of wine also not an issue. Because we don't know exactly how much alcohol causes complications the official recommendation is not to have any alcohol. However many women in other countries drink wine daily and have no issues. Lots of caffeine is linked with miscarriages but a normal intake of coffee is not likely to cause any problems.

Our babies are well protected inside of us and based on what you have said there is nothing of great concern. I would recommend seeing your OB or midwife as soon as possible to get an ultrasound for your due date since your dates are a little unsure- the earlier in pregnancy you get an ultrasound the more accurate it is.

Hi R.,

The most important thing is to reduce medication, alcohol, and stimulant usage from this point on, and your baby will probably be fine.

You did mention taking Excedrin nearly daily, though. For what purpose did you need it? You might want to look into a local acupuncturist or chiropractor to help with any pain considerations during pregnancy.

Unless you were perpetually inebriated for the last few weeks, you are most likely fine. :) Most doctor's will ask what you have had to drink and any medications you have taken since your last period so they can go from there, but you have not said anything alarming. While this time is crucial, I have never read anything to suggest that small amount of alcohol before you know you are pregnant could be harmful. (I'm one of those "bad" mommies who took sips of wine from my husband just to taste it...that is one thing I always missed, especially with pasta!)

Coffee is also fine in moderation. Your doctor will give you an idea based on your health of what is acceptable. I drank between 2 and 5 cups of coffee most days, trying to aim for 2. My doctor suggested no more than 3.

You will get a million "what is okay" answers on here (including mine), but go with your doctor for now and don't freak out about what you read online (or in books). Congratulations, by the way! :)

I did the same thing....except for the Exedrine part. Increase your folic acid intake and maybe take a good fish oil from Nordic Naturals, sicne they are lead free, mercury free, PCB free, etc. They have a Prenatal DHA.

If you are taking Excedrine for pain, you may want to try chiropractic, as it's natural and will also help keep the pelvis moving great, in trun making delivery much easier.

In the first five weeks or so they say its not that bad- we've adapted to not knowing right away so what happens is the baby survives off the yolk sak- not your nutrition at first.
Definitely bring it up to your doc, but don't worry too much. Just get ready for your main source of liquid to be water from here on out! :)

I have read some on aspirin consumption while prego. Because I get headaches and suffer debilitating migraines, this was especially important for me to know if I could use it during pregnancy. And it is my understanding that it is most harmful in the latter stages of pregnancy. But I do know you are NOT supposed to take aspirin at all during any part of pregnancy. So now that you know you are prego, stop taking the aspirin. I am not sure why it is, maybe something with clotting. Google it and Im sure you will find more than you want to know about it! It sounds like you have not been pregnant long, if your first test was negative and a few weeks later you got a positive. So that is good. With alcohol, FAS (fetal alcohol syndrom) occurs from excessive drinking in the late months of pregnancy. While yes, everything is forming in the fetus you'd think it was crucial you do everything right. But In the very beginning of pregnancy, when you cant even test yet, I think the baby is quite protected. Obviously things can go wrong in development, but usually that is just chance or genetics or hard core drugs or prescriptions. Most women do all sorts of things before they can even test. My sister in law went wine tasting and drinking with friends--she was in college--and not trying to get pregnant. I was riding roller-coasters, taking prescription ibuprofen for a knee injury and playing volleyball in 100 degree heat! And our babies are fine ;) I often joke the roller coaster was why I got pregnant with ID twins! Certainly you'd want to make the best choices if you think you are prego and once you find out, but don't beat yourself up over it. I know there are many moms who actually believe it is OK to drink a little during pregnancy. One of my friends is a doula, and she drinks while pregnant. It is not a choice I would be willing to make, but there are definitely different schools of thought on that topic. Congratulations and may you have a healthy happy pregnancy and baby! Peace.

coffee is fine to drink in moderation through you whole pregnancy and as far as the wine goes i think you will be ok with that to. Talk to you dr at your first appt. but with both my pregnancies i had drank early on and they were ok. some people still drink a glass of wine here and there though out thier pregnancy. I dont agree with that but my dr did say that the a little alcohol doesnt reach the baby till after 8 weeks. so i think you will be just fine. Congratulations!

I would make sure you let your OB know on your first appt. I am not going to say it is ok, b/c that is your OB's place to say. But, I just wanted to share that I am pregnant with my 3rd and I didn't know I was pregnant those first few weeks and my husband and I went out and celebrated his birthday. Now, we don't typically drink, but my mom happened to be in town that same week so we kind of were like wahoo, date night, and we went and had ourselves a good ol'time. Well, 3 days later when I still hadn't recovered from my hangover I realized I was late for my period and that I didn't have a hangover - I was pregnant. I was immediately worried b/c as I said we had ourselves a good ol'time a few nights before hand (and btw.. I only mean drinking and that is it). I spoke with my OB and she told me that our bodies know how to protect the baby those first few weeks and gave me the typicalyadvice of no more drinking and so forth. As I said, please don't take my advice on this, but speak with your OB, but just wanted to share that I don't think you are the only mom out there who has had a few drinks those first few weeks.

Congratulations on your new baby tho!!

Its a very common concern. But to relieve your fears, nothing is likely to be wrong with your baby. That being said, I just read that alcohol use in pregnancy is still the number 1 cause of mental retardation in this country. I have so many medical friends and family who think nothing of one drink during pregnancy. My husband who's an M.D. even told me I could have one. But there's a lot more than just Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to worry about. Alcohol can cause heart defects and also behavioral problems. I'm not trying to scare you, but I was misinformed by many a close personal medical professional telling me one drink was no big deal. You're probably fine, but if you are getting a lot of advice from people saying its not likely to cause FAS, just know that FAS isn't the only thing to worry about.

As for coffee, just don't drink anymore from here on out. FYI I went with standard medical advice in 2006 that said one cup of coffee/day is safe. They are trending away from that to no caffeine and let me tell you when I was far enough along to feel baby move, I was horrified at what that poor fetus was doing in my belly after "just one cup". Poor thing. Wish I hadn't had any after finding out I was prego.