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Pregnant Nicole Kidman drinking at Oscars?
Filed under: Bump Watch, Life & Style, Celeb Parents, Rumors, Behaving Badly
Sources--well, ok, source Cindy Adams of the NY Post, cited by Perez Hilton, are claiming that a pregnant Nicole Kidman was drinking alcoholic beverages at last Sunday's Oscars. The pregnant celebrity, who is expecting a child with country singer Keith Urban, was said to have requested white wine, which she was allegedly given.
What may seem scandalous to us in the states is actually very common in other parts of the world. Pregnant women in other countries drink--especially wine--frequently without anyone batting an eyelash. Here in the states the practice is quite the opposite. If a pregnant woman is seen drinking she generally gets in pretty big trouble.
Thoughts? Comments? Is the concept of not drinking while pregnant (in moderation of course) an antiquated notion, or does everybody else need to get on the wagon with the U.S.?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-27-2008 @ 9:21AM
Ethel said...If the rest of the world wants kids that they damaged themselves, I guess they're welcome to it. I personally don't think the risk is every acceptable for me. Having worked with kids with FAS and FAE, I would never ever drink while pregnant or trying to get pregnant, it just is that bad and sometimes that subtle with kids effected by gestational alcohol immersion, and we really don't know how much is too much.
But maybe I am a fanatic, in my opinion and fertile woman probably should not drink anyway. It's her choice, but for me the only safe time is while being absolutely celibate or menstruating, or just plain wait until menopause.
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2-27-2008 @ 2:03PM
Jessica said...It does seem fanatic to me, but hey, each his own and all that jazz.
2-27-2008 @ 10:15AM
isisaquaria said...Why consume alcohol at all? It does nothing for you except to add a unneeded subtance into your body and cost more than other beverages. I see no point at all in the existence of such products.
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2-27-2008 @ 10:41AM
mamaloo said...A glass of wine will not cause FAS! C'mon! Babies are far hardier than to succumb to a single glass of wine!
One of my jobs is as a food critic and I covered a big event that consisted primarily of wine and food tasting. I took my little wine glass and sampled a dozen single sips (or two). I got a tiny bit giggly and flush but I wasn't impaired and my son is incredibly healthy!
All things in moderation. A single glass of wine at a fancy party or a couple nights a week at home or out at dinner has been shown to be fine. The North American sanction on alcohol during pregnancy has more to do with how doctors view women: they think we are all too stupid to think for ourselves and be reasonable. They are also afraid that if they don't tell women to abstain from alcohol American women will sue the pants off them if any tiny genetic anomaly happens with their child.
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2-27-2008 @ 5:05PM
ame s said...I didn't drink coffee or alcohol while pregnant, but don't see it as a big deal if a pregnant woman has a glass of wine. I don't "feel" one glass and don't love the taste, so I wouldn't bother.
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2-27-2008 @ 11:07AM
Jenn D said...Honestly, people need to get a grip. I agree with Mamaloo, one glass of wine is not going to cause FAS. For crying out loud, if it did then nearly every baby born in France - or practically anywhere in Europe for that matter - would be FAS. People in our society need to quit judging everyone else around them to feel superior and look to themselves.
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2-27-2008 @ 11:07AM
April said...It surprises me only because she hasn't had a successful pregnancy yet, only miscarriages. I am surprised she would risk it in any way.
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2-27-2008 @ 12:17PM
mamaloo said...Yes, but the point is that Nicole was raised and still primarily resides in another country where it is likely their is no alcohol ban.
The Australian recommendations were updated in 2007 to read as follows:
"Guideline 11
If you are pregnant, or are planing to become pregnant.
* you should consider not drinking at all;
* most importantly, you should never become intoxicated;
* if you choose to drink, you should have less than 7 standard drinks over a week, AND no more than 2 standard drinks (spread over at least two hours) on any one day; and
* you should note that the risk in highest in the earlier stages of pregnancy, including the time from conception to the first missed period." http://www.alcohol.gov.au/internet/alcohol/publishing.nsf/Content/groups#guideline11
To me, a person who can research, use reason and logic and make decisions for my own body, that sound like a woman in her second trimester and beyond can safely have a glass or two of white wine once in a while.
2-27-2008 @ 12:48PM
Jennifer said..."* you should note that the risk in highest in the earlier stages of pregnancy, including the time from conception to the first missed period."
Darn it! I didn't even have a clue that I was pregnant at that time and I have 4 vodka & dt. cokes at a Christmas party... Am I supposed to worry for the rest of my pregnancy about that??!!??? (Actually my doctor told me that worrying would be a bigger issue than those 4 drinks.) I have nothing against a woman having an occasional drink. In fact, when I was a manager for a restaurant I had a pregnant woman come in and order a glass of red wine, my server balked so I served her myself, after all there is no law saying we cannot serve her. (I did however start to get mad when she proceeded to order a half carafe- equals 2 1/2 glasses- of wine after that first glass.)
I am pregnant and am sure I will have a glass of wine every once in a while. Why, you ask. Because it relaxes me and that is something that is seriously lacking in my life right now. And for all of you who suggest yoga or meditation or a nap... I suffer from ADD and insomnia and am un-medicated, the way I see it an occasional glass of wine when I have hit breaking point far outweighs the risk of taking meds every day.
Something else- if having a couple of drinks while you are pregnant leads to FAS and FAE then how the heck did society ever survive the middle ages when pretty much ALL they drank was ale cause the water wasn't clean?????? There is a HUGE difference between a few glasses of wine spread out over 9 months and tossing back a half litter of vodka or whiskey all the time.
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2-27-2008 @ 3:01PM
Ethel said...You ask how the middle ages went on with women drinking with every meal.... Well, it WAS relatively more healthy to drink since water that was available was contaminated. However, there is some evidence that some populations are more protected from the effects of alcohol then others, specifically European populations. And, I will submit that they didn't do that well, there are plenty of etchings of women drinking while pregnant with their toddlers running off over a precipice. What is the most dangerous are those innocent few drinks that turn into many and a hangover in early pregnancy (before one knows one is pregnant). Sure there are some women who metabolize alcohol rapidly and completely and their developing blastocyst does as well, but most of the world that is not the case.
The most insidious is FAE, as in Fetal Alcohol Effects, which means the child has no outward exhibition of fetal exposure of alcohol but has the brain and physiological markings of it. So, you suffer learning disabilities, skeletal muscle afflictions, insensitivity to cold and heat, and poor immune functioning but its not obvious. And yet we know that children exposed to alcohol have inhibited blink response (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_60768.html) , when we start testing for that I think we will see how effected our children are, and how much can be attributed to that early exposure.
Let me reiterate, I don't freaking care what you do. For me if I had a child with FAS or FAE becuase I decided to get drunk before I found out I was pregnant (or I got mildly tipsy), I would want to stop living. For me, it is not forgivable for myself. And since I do not regularly imbibe, even while I love eggnog, it would be far worse for me to have one drink then most women as my body is not used to processing that chemical.
2-27-2008 @ 3:26PM
Jennifer said...Ethel- I most certainly did not mean to get drunk. I did however end up a bit tipsy... If I am drinking (which is/was not all that often to begin with) I will usually only have 2 drinks (this time I had 3 drinks but they were strong which is why I said 4.) I was at a holiday party for my husband's job so I assure you that I was no where near drunk and I seriously take offense to your implication that I did not care if I got drunk while pregnant. It came as a surprise that I was pregnant and so the consumption of hard liquor while pregnant was completely accidental. I am going to trust my DOCTOR'S opinion of my actions over yours, thank you very much.
2-27-2008 @ 1:22PM
Christina said...A glass of wine here and there during pregnancy will likely cause no harm. The reasons American women are told not to drink alcohol while pregnant is because of the fear that we don't understand the meaning of moderation and because we are a litigation-happy country who would sue a doctor for any problem rather than accept that a defect might be genetic.
In France and Italy, some women are told it's fine to have a glass of wine daily while pregnant. Last I checked, Italy is still beating the US in average IQ, so I don't think it's doing them a lot of harm.
When I was pregnant, I asked my doctor about having a drink during the holidays. Her reply was: "Officially, I must state that we recommend not drinking at all while pregnant. But off the record? Have a glass of wine. It won't hurt anything."
As always, it's about moderation. A glass of wine for a special occasion? OK. Drinking several glasses at once? Not OK.
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2-27-2008 @ 3:28PM
Jill said...Stop being so judgmental!!! Let Nicole celebrate a big night with a small drink. Who cares? This is her decision and not for us to judge. Parent Dish is getting to me today. We've got to stop caring what other people do. We should be focusing on our own families and how to enjoy and improve them. What works for one person may not work for you. What works for you will not work for everyone. Let them be.
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3-04-2008 @ 3:35PM
debbi Blanche said...I am in my fourth month of pregnancy,with my fourth child and I am forty! I have extremely intelligent kids 15,12 and 10! (not to brag) but they are healthy and smart! I breast fed them all for two plus years! And wow, I drank wine! red, white and an occasional beer! It's all great with good food, its a beverage, better than Pepsi! It relaxes you and it is a personal choice, FAS is when women drink hard core and don't eat, not us relaxed cool moms! Calm down, do what you think is right for you, we're not pushing you to drink don't worry about Nicoles baby! Enjoy life!
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3-04-2008 @ 3:46PM
debbi Blanche said...I am with Debbi, enjoy your pregnancies, like Nicole is. Isn't life great!?
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3-15-2008 @ 3:22AM
toni said...good for Nicole for not letting the American judgement get to her. in her country, like most others, woman drink while pregnant. with my first pregnancy, my Dr. told me that i could have a glass of wine or beer every day or two, but no more than that, and it wouldnt be an issue. i had a couple of glasses of wine a week. and before i found out i was pregnant, i got REALLY drunk one night on vodka mixers.....my son is a highly intelligent gate student.
i am due April 27 and i have drank a glass of wine or a beer on average of once a week. when my husband asked my new Dr. if i could drink she said, "absolutely not. alcohol causes defects and that's been proven." then she went on to say "the FAS studies are based on 6+ drinks a day but i cant legally advise you that it's ok to drink." a week or so after that i read an article about how the Mediterranean diet creates healthy children. included in this diet is fish, pasta, garlic, olive oil and wine. imagine that.
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