An occasional drink - Safe during pregnancy?
Categories: Pregnancy & Birth
Is that glass of wine calling to you? Holding off because you're pregnant? Then you might want to ask your doctor if she thinks light drinking during pregnancy is safe. A recent study in the UK found that baby boys born to women who indulged in an occasional glass of wine scored better on test scores at age three. Neither boys or girls showed negative side effects from the odd glass of wine when they were tested at age 3 either.
When it comes to drinking, "light" translates to no more than one or two drinks a week. It's important to note that this is just one study and that it doesn't change current guidelines regarding pregnancy and alcohol use. In fact, critics of these findings say that the results are likely skewed by family background and socioeconomic class. This is definitely a decision to make together with your doctor.
My own OB always asked the question, "Is it worth it?" when it came to questionable practices. It never was. But some women believe that the increasing number of restrictions on pregnant women are unnecessary. What about you -- would you or did you drink during your pregnancy?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
c_rousseau05 11-05-2008 @ 6:48PM
I think that anytime some article or piece of media information that claims to have the chance to make your child smarter, in the womb or outside it, some Einstein out there is going to try it. I don't think any woman should drink any amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Just like some people can't handle even the tiniest amount of the stuff, it shouldn't be chanced on a developing fetus. You can't even take some cold medicines during pregnancy because of the alcohol content, and much of those are less than a glass of wine.
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Lisa 11-06-2008 @ 11:12AM
I find it fascinating that there are strict societal rules about what should be ingested during pregnancy and yet America ranks 29th in the world for infant mortality. Maybe, we should stop scolding the women who have an occasional drink etc. and start worrying about how to keep these kids alive outside of the womb. This maybe shocking to some- My daughter has tested as highly gifted and I ate sushi and consumed alcohol occasionally while pregnant. Amazing.
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c_rousseau05 11-07-2008 @ 2:36AM
That's probably more because you are a good parent with your daughters education in mind at all times. To me, smart kids come from parents who care enough about them to take every opportunity for education and making it fun. It's less about what's ingested during pregnancy and more about how much time the parent invests into their children and the education they receive.
Emily 11-06-2008 @ 1:03PM
If a person asked "is it worth it?" for everything during pregnancy (eating a piece of cheese, exercising, driving a car), some people would spend their pregnancy bedridden with some pretty boring food options.
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Alyssa 11-08-2008 @ 3:54AM
I saw this story on the news last week, and they also included comments from a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome expert. She said that some children don't display symptoms of being affected by the disease until 6-7 years old, and as this study ends at 3 years old, we can't tell if they'll remain unaffected.
She also said that some babies are more susceptible than others, so it's probably not worth the risk.
Me, I don't drink anyway, so not really applicable. But just thought that was interesting. :o)
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