Did you drink without knowing you were pregnant?

Have any of you met a baby born with alcohol dependency? I understand it’s pretty awful.

I was never much of a drinker but I can’t be sure I never had anything while pregnant I do know I smoked during two pregnancies by the third one I had read an article about small babies and as my first was small I was mortified and stopped immediately and that was 47 years ago

I was told by my midwife to have a half pint of Guinness a day with middle child............he hates Guinness ?

Oh, Husband, I've only had one ...

Just as a matter of interest Mokryna, my late husbands was a 14 pounder !! .

I did have the odd drink too, but wasn't much of a drinker when I was young.

Mokryna Ouch, that was a big baby!

This is at the consultation stage but I think it’s outrageous it’s even on the radar. Every year there are thousands of unplanned pregnancies and women drinking unawares. No one thinks binge drinking is fine but this suggestion of documenting even one drink is unacceptable. Institutionalised misogyny

I had the odd small drink when I was pregnant (my daughter and grandchildren seem fine). If it was today I'd be saying as little as possible.

I didn't drink when pregnant, because I knew it wasn't good for the baby, but oh how I did crave a gin and tonic, and I normally hated even the smell of gin.

I will have had a drink (or more!) before I knew I was pregnant, although I neither drank nor smoked once I realised.

I think that this is a dreadful idea. Who would want to have it on their records for ever? And why would it be there? It won't work as a way of researching the impact of alcohol on unborn babies, as I'm sure that significant numbers of women will deny it strenuously - the figures would be entirely unreliable. I can't think of another reason to record something like this that couldn't be used against the expectant mother at some point.

I would also be wary of the child using this against the mother in later life - 'I could have been a [insert dream of choice] if you hadn't spoilt my chances with that gin and tonic'!

I'm not advocating drinking whilst pregnant; but in my mother's day women were advised to drink a bottle of stout a day in order to 'feed' the baby. My mum remembers her father standing over her until she drank it, although she hated the taste.

Advice like this changes, and IMO people should be given the current information and advice, and left to make up their own minds. When people feel spied on they are much more likely to opt out of appointments with healthcare professionals.

The more I think about it, the more worrying it all seems - Gilead is getting closer by the day.

paddyanne I was 5 months, still having periods, on the pill, two negative pregnancy tests, so yes, I did drink and smoke and was dieting as I was putting on weight. When GP told me I confessed and he said it didn’t matter. She was 8lb 6oz, now 37 with two children of her own. The pregnancy wasn’t planned, I had to tell my boss I’d need time off!!

I couldn't have got through the first pregnancy without a drink before dinner on nights when I wasn't on call! It was not frowned on then, and I found that it relaxed me and helped to counter the sickness, which was not just in the morning. I don't remember alcohol being a thing to worry about in pregnancy for any of the DC, and they were all born intelligent, healthy and an appropriate weight.

I could almost tell the time and date I got pregnant, as so many things made me sick, so no alcohol for me.
DD was nearly 4 months before she realised she was pregnant, I guessed but got my head bitten off.
She had a few drinks and DGS was a big healthy baby. Now a healthy bright little boy.
So saying her Stepmother used to drink gin for breakfast, straight, and her half-brother has alcohol related disabilities.

I got pregnant twice while taking the pill ,I know I had alcohol during those first weeks I didn't know I was pregnant the GP test was negative ...I was admitted to hospital find out why I was was sick every 20 minutes ,still had periods Hospital said I wasn't pregnant !! I was over 4 months by the time they decided the tests were wrong ,one doctor advised a straight brandy to "settle my stomach" .How times change .

I wonder who would have been to blame if those straight brandies were on my records? They didn't stay down long enough to cause problems but I did drink them

What about the fathers. They say that before coming pregnant neither partner should drink as it can have an affect on the baby Will fathers agree to this being noted on the form?

How are they going to know? Are they going to ask the Chinese or Russians who are supposed to be spying on us?

I’m not a drinker unless you count the occasional brown ale and ginger beer shandy with my Sunday lunch.

Most people know that drinking whilst trying to conceive or being pregnant is a bad idea. Some don’t care and will just carry on regardless. I doubt that keeping a record will stop them though the statistics may be of some use.

A woman is a person not just a uterus!
That’s not to say that she shouldn’t take care of herself and her baby during pregnancy. A drink or ten over 3/4 of a year shouldn’t be bad... yes, it’s important not to drink or smoke or eat seafood or soft cheeses or... in excess, but goodness!

It’s a gross infringement of women’s freedom. Not is the proposition for recording it on women’s health records, it will be transferred to the baby’s records when they are born, therefore breAking confidentially.

I agree with Witzend, mothers just won’t admit to drinking.

As to the OP, I’m not a habitual drinker but I imagine in the couple of months prior to knowing I was pregnant I probably did have a drink at some point.

Once I knew I was pregnant, I did stop smoking but had the occasional drink, until we visited an elderly couple we were friendly with. They had offered a sherry which I accepted, but it tasted awful. I didn't say anything but managed to finish the drink before heading home. Whatever was in that drink put me right off alcohol until after the baby was born!!

Although I had the occasional innocent drink she was nearly a 10lb baby, I was only 8stone.

IMO this will just stop mothers telling the truth to midwives, or whoever is writing it down.

One of our nursing friends continued to smoke specifically because she wanted small babies - I found it really upsetting and shocking then- and now even more.

My body gave up on alcohol, smoking and coffee before I properly knew I was pregnant. I simply went off them, plus Heinz tomato soup, my favourite.

I've never been a drinker. I can't remember the last time I had alcohol.
I may have had a glass before I knew I was pregnant. I can't remember.
As for recording a womans intake without her consent, I think that's out of order.

I smoked through my two pregnancies, both D's are now coming up to 60 ! I probably had a drink or two as well. I knew the warnings back in the early 60's of having smaller babies, which was true of one of them but they had nothing wrong.