When 'guidelines' are counter-productive

As someone who has just been working on guidelines [totally unrelated to pregnancy] they are just that - guidelines. It's up to you whether you follow them or not. In my current work the guidelines are based on law but under discussion are, it would seem, guidelines resulting from a mixture of suggestions and research ie with no definite outcome if they're not followed. Perhaps they're publicised to encourage common sense which seems to be lacking in so many areas these days - or perhaps I'm just a grumpy gran!

It's the same with peanuts or tree nuts, the guidelines were to not eat them through pregnancy. They those who sometimes think they know best but get it wrong a lot have changed their minds and now the advice is women who eat nuts are less likely to have babies with nut allergies.

The guidelines to eat low fat food have only changed in the last couple of years and vitamin D which wasn't considered important up to about five years ago is now considered very important.

Well, anya, what the two articles are saying is that the advice is unnecessarily restrictive and is not evidence-based.

There are no 'restrictions' on pregnant women - they are simply offered advice, and are free to take it or leave it.

Of course the foetus doesn't have any choice if the mother decides to overindulge.

Maggiemaybe my DD was born in 1980 & my GP's advice was the occasional drink didn't do any harm, I wasn't a smoker at that time.

My DD gave birth to DGS2 on Wednesday, both her & her OH were horrified at the number of pregnant women standing outside the entrance smoking.

My niece had fits when she was born which passed within a few weeks. My sister smoked heavily throughout her pregnancy and they said that was the cause.I agree with Ginny...

We had a child in our school with foetal alcohol syndrome. He had learning difficulties, a heart condition, needed a kidney transplant and had facial abnormalities. He was a poor wee soul, with no quality of life.

Maggiemaybe not only a guinness on the maternity ward ,my consultant used to give us a brandy if we did our exercises after a c section as a reward ....lol.Mind you he had us all on very strict diets all the way through our pregnancies ,I only put 15 pounds on with my 2nd and virtually nothing with my 1st because of bad sickness ,meant I came out oof hospital in size 10 jeans

I smoked and drank through my first pregnancy (though not heavily), without any ill effects to me or my baby - except for the first three months when I experienced a minimal amount of nausea and tiredness in the evenings

I stopped smoking during my second pregnancy but still had the odd drink, again without any ill effects to my baby or me - except tiredness in the first three months.

At the onset of my first pregnancy my doctor instructed me to take iron tablets, even though there was no indication that I needed them. At the onset of my second pregnancy a different, younger, doctor said she was not prescribing iron tablets. She said that research had indicated that taking iron tablets when they were not needed could be damaging.

I think most people would now agree that it would not be wise to drink like a fish or smoke during pregnancy but I also think some of the restrictions on pregnant women are far too prescriptive and alarmist.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome has severe effects on the individuals, their families/carers. It's only 9 months without alcohol and not worth the risk of inflicting FAS on anyone. I know one adopted child who has this condition and you wouldn't wish to be her or her parents. They live with this every day and it's heartbreaking to watch.

I believe that so many babies being adopted from some countries have FAS that some governments have declared they can take no more, because the cost of caring for them and provision for their special needs is overwhelming their support system.

My 1st baby was born in 1975 - I went in a few days early because there were complications, but was allowed to take a few hours out to have a bit of fresh air. We said I might call in for a bottle of Guinness and was told by my medical team that would be really good for me.

when i was pregnant with my daughter i continued to drink although i've never drunk a lot - just the normal bottle of wine with a meal at the weekends. i did the same when i was pregnant with my son.
i had morning sickness ony with my daughter for the first couple of months but i had all day sickness with my son - but only for the first few months.
however, i was finding it difficult sleeping when i was about 8 months pregnant with my daughter so my doctor prescribed mogadon!! now frowned upon for everyone.
and i also had to have a tooth out - which caused everyone to raise their hands in horror when i told them!
my daughter was 8.5 lb and she's now a very healthy 46 and my son was 9.8 lb [and a home birth as he arrived very quickly] and now is a 6'6" 43 year old!!
i don't want to be controversial but i really wonder if drinking in moderation isn't a bad thing in pregnancy - it did me and my children no harm.

We know much more now about drinking and smoking when your pregnant. I gave up when I got pregnant with my d, which was 46 years ago. I did occasionally have a drink but not very much I felt to guilty. My rotten dil smoked and drunk through all her pregnancies (2) my gd was very tiny when she was born, but she's a healthy 16 yrs old so I can't complain. Her older b is the same.

I was told to drink Mackeson when I was pregnant- hated the stuff but I drank it.They even told us to drink it in hospital when we were breastfeeding.
I had 2 babies over 10 lbs in weight so it obviously didn't do me any harm. Nor them as they are now 40 something fathers of 3 each.
I think it was something about the iron in it. I seem to remember I carried on drinking wine too.Never smoked.

I had morning sickness all the way through with my son!

Re morning sickness etc. I knew I was pregnant both times, both were boys. Sick with one, not the other.

For both the mother and father to lay off the booze and fags for a year* when planning to have a baby makes a lot of sense.

For us, as a result of our first pregnancy, we gave up smoking altogether.

And we now imbibe fewer than 2 units a month.

*three months before for better sperm.

My daughter and I both had girls (twins in her case!). No morning sickness at all.

Sometimes the gender of the expected baby can determine whether you are sick or not. My first baby, a girl, I had morning, noon and evening sickness throughout the nine months. Pregnancy number two, I was not sick at all not even queasy and it was a big bouncing boy.

I see what you mean, gillybob and I guess some of the symptoms may well be influenced by mind over matter. I conceived my second child when still breastfeeding the first, so I'd had no periods to miss, I was still pretty curvy and the boobs couldn't have ached any more than they already did! But there was absolutely no mistaking the violent heave my stomach gave when I caught the smell of a glass of single malt whisky my friend had just poured for me.

Yes I suppose that sums it up River thank you. Mind over matter.

I understand what you're saying gilly - mind over matter?

In my case I can honestly say that that didn't apply - with both pregnancies almost from the minute of conception I was overwhelmingly nauseous/vomiting on and off for most of the day and night, and this continued till about 16 weeks when it just disappeared. Entirely hormonal and out of my control.

Unfortunately my appetite and ability to eat came back with a vengeance and I put on loads of weight!

Going off thread a tiny bit and apologies for poor grammar but I really don't know how to put the question well. Anyway here goes.....

I am now wondering how much you can be tricked into suffering morning sickness etc, in pregnancy? How we can unknowingly let ourselves BE pregnant?

Not knowing I was pregnant with my son, I developed no symptoms at all. I did everything I shouldn't do (except smoking) and I suffered no sickness, no other symptoms and I had no baby bump. I wore my same clothes as I always did. Stood up on the crammed bus. He was born small but otherwise fine.

Knowing I was pregnant with my daughter I suffered sickness and horrible irritable legs. I had heartburn and quite a large bump together with extra fat. My boobs ached.

Is it possible that even just knowing you are pregnant can trick you into being unwell?

My mother says she was given stout on the postnatal ward when breastfeeding! How times change.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/18/pregnant-women-ban-drinking-facts-scientific-evidence?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+main+NEW+H+categories&ut
m_term=226701&subid=11289830&CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

Here's another article.
'Giving mothers-to-be advice with no scientific basis is patronising and coercive. Women have the right to see the evidence and make their own decisions'