Mama You've Got This...

I want the truth about drinking

alcohol during pregnancy. Will one

glass of wine do any harm?

Back when my grandma was in her childbearing years, her tipple

of choice was a dry Manhattan with three olives. According to my

mum, she didn’t give up her cocktail habit much while she was

pregnant. It wasn’t that my grandma was being negligible, she

just wasn’t aware of the possible effects of alcohol on her unborn

baby. This was also back in the Wild West days before babies and

children were required to be in car seats. I’ll never really know

how my grandma’s drinking affected my mum (her neurotic

personality, perhaps?) but what I do know is that abstaining from

alcohol was just something I was committed to during pregnancy.

There’s a lot of information about the potential effects of alcohol on

the growing baby and none of it is good. Foetal alcohol syndrome

can have both debilitating physical and mental side effects on

your baby. While there’s been much debate about the safety of

allowing a bit of drinking during pregnancy, such as an occasional

glass of wine, the general consensus in the medical community

is that abstinence is the smartest way to go. Why take a chance?

As mamas-to-be, we go above and beyond to ensure the safety of

our growing babies. Avoiding sushi and the excruciating amount

of medical appointments, a glass of wine or a beer is not worth

the risk.

Take it from someone who got married whilst pregnant. I was the

only dry one at my own hen party. I had to look on while my

tipsy friends cheered on the gyrating stripper who was taking

great care with his bumping and grinding so as not to touch

my pregnant belly. (A little note to those who are pregnant and

engaged, let your friends know you’d much prefer a spa day than

a stripper).

If you look forward to your nightly glass of red as a way to unwind,

then find other ways to relax besides drinking. Whether it’s taking

a warm bath or creating Pinterest mood boards for your nursery,

there are plenty of alternatives for kicking back at the end of the

day. Once that healthy baby comes out of your belly, you can

pop open the champers.