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Strollerderby
I Drank While Pregnant, Did You?
Me, clowning around with an unlit cig and a beer at my baby shower.
Cecilia and I had been friends since childhood, so when she went to pour me a second glass of wine and I refused, the jig was up.
“Oh my God, you’re pregnant!” she exclaimed.
My face turned almost as red as the cabernet. “How did you know?” I asked, astonished.
“Because you never say no to a second glass of wine!” she replied.
It’s true — I love to drink — and I wasn’t going to let a little thing like pregnancy stand in the way of my joie de vino … I just knew I had to drink in moderation. I blushed and told her, yes, I was pregnant. Cecilia, beaming happily at me, poured me another tiny sip of red, just enough to swallow after a toast to the 9 months ahead.
Unlike my fellow blogger Monica Bielanko, I never got “the stink eye” for having a drink in public, and so I never felt guilty about it, either. If you’d like to read more about why I think it’s okay to enjoy a glass of beer or wine a day while pregnant, visit my Babble feature Joie de Vino. Then let me know how you feel about drinking while pregnant in the comments below!
Special Babble Issue: Alcohol and Pregnancy, looks at both sides of the argument.
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10 Comments
Andrea commented on May 23 11 at 6:15 pmI had occasional glasses of wine, too. Never had anyone give me the slightest bit of grief about it, but then, I’m not the sort of person people generally give grief to in the first place. And I started each labour with a glass of really great red wine, and ended with a champagne toast with my husband and my midwives and doula, holding a brand new little person. I had homebirths for my children, but I think it’s beyond absolutely ridiculous that hospitals (at least round here) will not let women drink wine during labour, but they will inject HEROIN directly into their spinal cords. Yeah, that’s SO MUCH BETTER than a really terrific montepulliciano d’abruzzo! Idiots.
carolyncastiglia commented on May 23 11 at 6:22 pmHahaha – thanks for the laugh, Andrea. Also, I didn’t know there was morphine in an epidural until now. So thanks for the info, too.
LogicalMama commented on May 23 11 at 6:56 pmActually, there isn’t morphine in an epidural! The epidural has narcotics from the lido/co/nova-caine family of drugs. It also has epinephrine so there are stimulant drugs, not sleepy drugs.
You can, however, get morphine while laboring if your labor is moving slow, you are on pitocin and need to sleep! :-/
Either way, it is crazy that hospitals and doctors will encourage (not just recommend) pain meds but caution against an occasional glass of wine or beer!
Only in America!!
Emm commented on May 23 11 at 11:59 pmI personally don’t think drinking during a pregnancy is a good thing but I don’t think an occasional glass of wine is bad either. I’ve been at weddings or other milestone type parties with champagne and thought the pregnant mom should allow herself a celebratory sip after a speech, so she wouldn’t feel left out but then again that sounds like peer pressure, which isn’t right either.
There is too much evidence that alcohol can do damage to a fetus but it’s usually for everyday drinking or alcoholics.
I would probably wait until the baby was older than 3 months because I wouldn’t want to risk anything. That said, I don’t think women should stop drinking coffee or tea completely either but I would keep it to very infrequently.
I think I would skip it all except the few cups of tea a week but I won’t know until I cross that bridge.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on May 24 11 at 12:30 amI drank wine during my late second and third trimesters. Just a glass, always with a meal.
bwsf commented on May 24 11 at 12:31 pmWhy is this topic posted 800 times a day by Babble? I’m tired of hearing about. Drink if you want, don’t if you don’t.
Jenna commented on May 24 11 at 11:28 pmThank you BWSF, agreed!
LindaTOO commented on May 24 11 at 11:42 pmNope. I never drank when I was pregnant. I enjoy a good glass of wine, but I don’t think it’s necessary or desirable to drink while pregnant.
Teresa commented on Jan 06 12 at 11:52 amI had a glass of wine at 41 weeks. I was freaking out and crying and pretty much ready to jump out the window. My momslapped me and poured me a glass of wine. haha.
Jennie commented on Jan 30 12 at 7:09 pmI CRAVED beer while prego with my 1st child. I tried the non-alcohal crap and it’s just not the same. GAG! It wasn’t just a matter of wanting a beer, I needed somthing in it. I got to the point I was physically sick from the cravings. I finally gave in and bought the tiny cans of Coors and then split it with the hubbs. Just a couple ounces a week did wonders for me. It’s amazing the effects of a craving!
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