Pregnant? A Little Wine Won't Hurt

   By drodriguez  Oct 12, 2010
28

If you follow health reports in the news than you probably have noticed that we are always being given changing and conflicting advice on what we should eat, how we should exercise, and what medicines to take.  This is especially true for women who are pregnant.  For years women were told to abstain entirely from drinking alcohol while pregnant, but a new study reveals that it may be perfectly fine to have a drink every now and again.

The study, reported about in Time magazine and published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, reveals that drinking one or two glasses of wine once a week while pregnant shows no ill effects on kindergarten age children whose mothers did this.  The study also found that this group of children actually had less behavioral problems and did slightly better on cognitive tests than children of mothers who abstained from drinking during pregnancy entirely.  

So is light drinking during pregnancy actually good for your unborn child?  Probably not..  Light drinkers involved with the study tended to be more highly educated and wealthier than those who abstained and who drank more.  When researchers took this into account the results were not as significant as they had been.  For example, before taking the mother’s income and education into account children born to light drinkers were 33 percent less likely to have behavioural issues, but after researchers factored this in the number dropped to 23 percent.

No matter the findings, American health officials still urge pregnant women to abstain from drinking alcohol while pregnant in an attempt to eliminate any chance of fetal alcohol syndrome.

What do you think of the latest study showing light drinking during pregnancy to be safe?

Would you consider having a glass of wine now and again while pregnant?

Make a Comment

 
SHARE
Comments
fishersonia by fishersonia | TEMECULA, CA
Oct 16, 2010

Better safe than sorry. Still not a good idea. If you wouldn't let your child drink it, then you shouldn't drink it when they are consuming your intakes.

mama89 by mama89 | Stone Mountain, GA
Oct 16, 2010

i still wouldn't consider doing it

joya08 by joya08 | MUNDELEIN, IL
Oct 15, 2010

i still think is not a good idea.

mina77 by mina77 | STONE MTN, GA
Oct 15, 2010

I don't condone drinking while preggers but I know you can have a perfectly healthy baby if you do. I have had too many relatives drink & smoke throughout their pregnancies and all of them had healthy babies.

ammienem by ammienem | fairmont, WV
Oct 15, 2010

My mother said that she had an occasional glass of wine while pregnant, and all of her children are perfectly normal. Moderation is key. I knew I was pregnant when I went out to drink with friends, and after 2 drinks I was sick. I think that the human body knows it's own limits. Also, you need to be honest with your doctor. If you are going to have a drink here or there that is fine, but let your doctor know so that they can look out for negative effects. I was a smoker when I found out I was pregnant (yes I did quit) and I had to honestly talk to my doctor about it so he would know what to look for.

josmommy by josmommy | toledo, OH
Oct 14, 2010

i think i am still more comfortable not drinking.after all i only have to sacrifice it for 9 months,better safe than sorry!

coolmomw2girls by coolmomw2girls | LEVITTOWN, PA
Oct 14, 2010

I still wouldn't feel comfortable doing it since I have been told it was a "don't" for so long, but that is just my opinion for myself.

MyEmptyCanvas by MyEmptyCanvas | KOSCIUSKO, MS
Oct 13, 2010

I know most people who drank wine or other alcohol during the 1st two months of pregnancy ... but in the same sentence I can also say that none of them knew they were pregnant as it wasn't intentional & was a shock to them. Nothing was wrong with their kids after birth, but the Moms did not continue drinking after they found out that they were pregnant from their doctors either. I will say that I do not think anyone who is knowingly trying to conceive should drink, but if it happens by surprise or if you are not using protection of any sort, you should stop because you do not want to go overboard and cause harm to the fetus if you end of up conceiving.

Twinkle-Lyn by Twinkle-Lyn | COUNCIL BLFS, IA
Oct 13, 2010

There's all these "do's" and "don'ts" anymore that are ridiculous when it comes to pregnancy. There is a big difference between over indulging and moderation...I don't think people understand that. Procreating has been happening for years without all these studies.

fajaer by fajaer | HOPEWELL, NY
Oct 13, 2010

Today it's safe, tomorrow they'll say it isn't. Just don't do it!! Anything that's bad for your liver would be detrimental to a babies developing one! That's common sense, no need for a study.

mardel by mardel | SCHAUMBURG, IL
Oct 13, 2010

Study's always change they always come out with different findings. We have seen the consequences of mothers who drink and/or smoke during pregnancy! Whether in a moderate way or excessive! Why get pregnant in the first place if you want to continue your old ways and not give them up for your baby's health?

MadHatter by MadHatter | Whitestone , NY
Oct 13, 2010

a little drinking is alright, but how much is too much? 1/2 a glass? 1/4 of the glass? I won't drink if i was pregnant. Now if only they would do a study on eatting sashimi when pregnant. I keep hearing people saying that its not good, but then how does the japanese do it?

brittish by brittish | Raeford, NC
Oct 13, 2010

I think the study was right to consider the educational and financial backgrounds of their test subjects. There are currently many, many more studies that show drinking while pregnant, of any amount, to at least NOT be beneficial, and most consider it to be harmful. I say better safe than sorry. I would never want to endanger or gamble with the health or future of my unborn child.