There is no amount of alcohol that is safe to drink during any trimester of pregnancy, advises a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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I thought that was always their position?
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However, the studies they rely on only look at a few indicators and don't differentiate between a drink or 2 over the course of the pregnancy, and drinking heavily. I say it's still the AAP just being overly cautious until more research can be done.
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I saw this yesterday and it kind of pissed me off. It's just starting to feel like anything that goes not perfectly with your kid is turning into moms fault while she was pregnant. What? Your 3 year old won't listen to you? It's probably that drink you had before you knew you were pregnant. Sullen teenager with a short attention span? Shouldn't have had that one glass of champagne 14 years ago!
I'm certainly not saying pregnant pregnant women should drink much, but I'd love to see them compare this study and the results with what is normal in Europe. From what I hear French and Italian women drink in moderation while pregnant more often than in the U.S.- do their kids have more behavioral problems and everything else?
I want what's best for my, and all, babies. But a pregnant woman also isn't just a baby growing vessel I usually agree with the aap but this article did annoy me.
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This is crap! I'll now forever wonder how 2 glasses of champagne during my TWW and and thimble size of Moscato sample in my first tri effected my kid.
What about all those studies that say red wine is ok?
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Ditto @red_seattle. Not differentiating between one glass of wine every few weeks in the third tri and admitted binge-drinking in the first is bananas.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Your kid will be fine.
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This is a decent article that talks about alcohol during pregnancy and what's known and not.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-alcohol-is-safe-for-expecting-mothers/The AAP statement made me irritated because I feel those kinds of things can be used in courts as evidence a kid was knowingly put in harms way. And every study that I've seen that looks at low levels of alcohol does not support their conclusion. It seems dishonest to put that out there without pointing out that studies have been done but they're worried about as of yet unmeasured side effects.
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So is the AAP not supposed to publish research and opinions because it might make someone feel badly? I don't stop drinking until I get a positive pregnancy test so I had a few drinks in the TWW with both my kids but given that there's no shared blood supply at that point I really don't stress about it. But once I know I'm pregnant I don't have a sip of alcohol. Do I miss having a glass of wine whenever I want? Of course. But, to me, it's really not that big of a sacrifice to make if there's even a slight risk that it will have negative effects for my child.
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@Truth Bombs: they should publish opinions based off of research, there's not research to support their statement though. What they're doing though is saying alcohol can be damaging to people so we'll say better safe than sorry despite numerous studies contradicting their claim. I think that responsibly they should have said more directly what they meant, which is that they must be worried about as of yet unstudied characteristics being affected.
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@Truth Bombs: everything you just said. Well not the kids part, just one for me.
I drank the night before I got my BFP, cause I knew it was ok (not sharing blood yet), and I figured I wouldn't be drinking for 9 months. I don't think it is that hard to not drink. Did I miss it, heck yeah. But off chance that it could affect my baby made it 100% easier to ignore the desire for a glass of wine.
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@Truth Bombs: if you think alcohol is bad during pregnancy whys it ok to drink till its pink? The first trimester is one of the worst times to drink according to studies.
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@Truth Bombs: @smurfette: The report specifically calls out pre-conception drinking and "unintentional prenatal alcohol exposure" that happens before a woman knows she's pregnant. So if you want follow AAP guidelines to reduce all risk, you shouldn't be drinking if there's even the slightest chance you are pregnant (and by their definition, that means sexually active).
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@Maysprout: As I said, because there's no shared blood supply at that point and because I don't believe in making life changes based on the possibility. Plus, my extremely conservative OB who said she "absolutely" doesn't support any alcohol consumption in pregnancy was ok with it and I trust her opinion. Research is pretty difficult on this topic because I don't know about you, but I don't know any women who would agree to drink regularly in pregnancy (even if moderately) for the sake of research. Regardless, I've just never really understood taking a stand over drinking in pregnancy. It's not like a medicine that the mom needs where you have to weigh the benefits to mom against the risks to baby. There is no benefit to drinking in pregnancy other than that the mom wants to. There are lots of things I like to do that I don't get to do any more because I'm a mother (like sleeping until noon), and I'm ok with that, that was the deal when I chose to be a mother. I see no reason to feel so strongly about not giving up drinking in pregnancy even if it might be "overly" cautious.
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@ms.line: If this study changed the recommendation of my OB, I probably would stop drinking in the TWW but I'm planning on this being my last child so it's a moot point for me.
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@Truth Bombs: studies are done retrospectively. Yes they aren't completely accurate but you'd expect women to underestimate or lie about how much they drank, so if anything the data would be more likely to be skewed conservatively. There's no evidence that says drink till its pink is OK either. The AAP says growth restriction is their concern, which could be issues with the developing placenta as well.
As for why make this an issue, part of it is it's just weird for me to see. My dads family is Italian my husbands family is french so drinking occasional glasses of wine seems normal and has for generations (not that all things passed down are good but it does make it seem normal). But as a scientist I spent lots of time pouring over data during pregnancy and I don't see their statement as accurate. I think effective science communication hinges on honesty. A lot of times the argument is well the concept is too complicated for the general public so we'll condense it to an inaccurate form but I'm of the opinion that that's not the way to do things and causes mistrust.
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@Maysprout: One of the researchers in the article to which you linked is quoted as saying, "[w]e will never, ever, ever know how much is safe for every individual.” That seems to be an accurate statement in light of the currently available data.
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Looks like my second kid is screwed. But really, i do not think a few glasses of wine a week in the second and third tri do any harm. Binge drinking is a totally different thing.
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What I don't understand is why the US has such vastly different recommendations than other countries. I think the discrepancies are what make people question the resulting statements
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I drank way more than I normally do during TWW b/c I was on vacation! But I didn't drink anything as soon as I new I was pregnant. I don't care what the reports say; for me, no matter what the reports say I'll probably rather be in the safe side!
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@blackbird: Let me put it to you this way, I wouldn't want to be sick in Italy, and I don't mean with a cold. They're years behind in terms of diagnosis and treatment, so I wouldn't necessarily feel comfortable with thier recommendations regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy. They're also still institutionalizing people with disabilities there, a practice that has long since dwindled in the US.
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@blackbird: yes, this more than anything. I realize there are no studies that can actually show how much is safe since it would be impossible or immoral to do them. But that's not what this explanation of the research is saying.
@Truth Bombs: I'm not totally disagreeing with you- obviously abstaining completely is the safest bet. But by that logic, we also should avoid all caffeine, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, desserts and sugar, non organic vegetables... My point is at some point you can start to be afraid to do anything for 9 months. And even if you do every single thing they recommend you STILL feel guilty about some recommendation they later change.
Sorry, I'm just so sick of being pregnant right now that this article pissed me off even more. I have had 4 or 5 half beer or glasses of wine this pregnancy and feel ok about it. I haven't had hard alcohol since October 2012 since I've been pregnant or breast feeding since then. I'm over it.
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Meh, still going to enjoy the occasional small glass of wine if I'm ever pregnant again. My doctor was fine with it, and if he's not bothered, I'm not going to be either.
With all the very real issues in this country surrounding prenatal care, I find it annoying that this one issue seems to dominate the conversation time and time again.
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@looch: Yeah i can see that. But there are a lot of countries, like the UK, that fare better than the US as far as pregnancy/delivery and infant mortality rates go: International-Guidelines-on-Drinking-and-Pregnancy This one hasn't been updated in about 5 years, but gives an idea
I just think it's food for thought, and can explain why people raise an eyebrow at some of the AAP's recommendations.
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This seems to me like the same thing they've always said - we don't know much about small amounts of alcohol in pregnancy, but we know large amounts are dangerous. So no amount can be considered safe.
I didn't read the study that goes along with this, but previous studies were of women who drank every single day. That seems a far cry from an occasional drink, to me. As moms we take calculated risks all the time. I had to make decisions about medications and whether to continue them. I chose to eat lunch meat almost every day, because with GD, finding food was HARD. I'm not a big drinker but I had wine at the end of pregnancy, hoping it would stimulate labor. And even after all of this, my son is perfect.
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There are a few problems with stating that occasional drinking in pregnancy is safe. There are known risk modifiers such as blood alcohol level achieved, level of consumption, frequency of consumption. But there are other risk modifiers too, such as maternal nutrition (impacts how alcohol is metabolized), alleles women inherit that determine how a particular person will metabolize alcohol (such as ADH (carries out the first step in alcohol metabolism-there are seven ADHs) and ALDH (oxidizes ADH enzymes to maintain non-toxic levels of acetaldehyde in the body)), and which alleles the baby inherited.
Alcohol (ethanol) and its teratogenic metabolite acetaldehyde freely cross the placenta, and accumulate in fetal blood at concentrations similar to those found in maternal blood. The time/duration of the baby's exposure to alcohol is entirely dependent on mama and her metabolism, which can vary significantly.
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I didn't realize FAS is a spectrum disorder. I knew there were potential physical birth defects associated with it, but didn't know about the behavioral aspect. I thought the Pediatrics publication was very interesting and the livescience article had great info, too.
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@pwnstar: you gave a very scientific explanation for what I was thinking. Thank you--I learned something this morning! In addition to the biology of it all, common sense sadly does not always prevail. One woman might have a glass of wine, while another person might hit up the harder liquor. If I were an organization having to put out these types of recommendations, I would be very cautious as well.
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To me this is common sense, yes, to make myself sound like a butthead. It was kind of "cool" on here for awhile to drink during pregnancy.... (obviously not in my opinion!)
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I think "pre-conception drinking" is a tough call. Our (HB) version means in the 8-10 days between O and testing. Many women wait what, 2 weeks after a missed period before even testing - so they could very well mean drinking when you're 8 weeks pregnant. I agree with others that before there's a shared blood supply, risk is nil, especially since in the first week following conception the thing is just traveling down toward your uterus and isn't even ATTACHED to you yet! As long as you REALLY know when you conceived, I'd still feel comfortable drinking during a TWW.
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I can't find it in either of the two links you shared but I'm almost certain that when I read an article about this yesterday it said that while it is a new report, it is not based on any new studies or research. Basically they're just putting out a report reiterating their position.
Yeah, here: "The report based its findings on the “large and growing body of research” that exists and did not include new original research." http://www.thestar.com/life/2015/10/19/no-amount-of-drinking-is-safe-during-pregnancy-new-report-warns.html
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Fearmongering is all I see.
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@MrsKoala: Just out of curiosity, what is it that you think is the AAP's motivation to "fearmonger" women out of drinking alcohol during pregnancy?
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I thought this study was useless. We already know large amounts of alcohol can have a negative effect. Like caffeine, what is way more important and relevant is how MUCH typically results in negative effects. They still don't know, so the recommendation hasn't changed.
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@Truth Bombs: I'd imagine that they believe that some of the articles that have come out about a more liberal attitude towards drinking while pregnant might induce someone to believe that drinking is okay and they want to counter this idea.
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@MrsKoala: That is exactly what the LS article states:
"One of the reasons for releasing the report, titled "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders," is because some recent research has been interpreted as suggesting that lower levels of alcohol use might be safe during pregnancy, said Dr. Janet F. Williams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and one of the report's lead authors.
But the pediatricians' group doesn't agree with this research interpretation, and says there's more evidence pointing to alcohol's dangers in pregnancy.
In fact, there's more than 30 years of research that clearly connects alcohol use during pregnancy with birth defects, Williams said. And as detection methods become increasingly more sensitive, recent studies have revealed the subtle effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, she said.
"Prenatal exposure to alcohol is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities," Williams said. These birth defects may affect the heart, kidneys or bones, as well as hearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy can put the fetus at risk of developing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, an umbrella term for a group of conditions that can cause physical, behavioral and learning problems in a child."
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@pwnstar: Right. Theres so much variation in individuals it wouldn't be fair to give a blanket alcohol is safe, but that can be said for lots of things.
As for acetaldehyde causing cancer, that seems to be the case in large doses, but it's present in milk and yogurt and fruits and breads. IVe never heard of a recommendation to avoid foods with acetaldehyde during pregnancy.
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@MrsKoala: So... they are "fearmongering" to protect unborn babies? Because there is literally no one else who benefits from a pregnant woman not drinking. It's not like when anti vaxxers claim the AAP is fearmongering people to vaccinate to benefit Pharmaceutical companies (also a ridiculous argument in my opinion, but at least they have a beneficiary). So, I just don't get people being upset over these recommendations. If you think drinking during pregnancy is fine, it's your body, so go ahead. But, the AAP is being cautious to protect against preventable negative effects on babies, call me crazy but I can't find any fault in taking that stance. Again, unless a woman is a legitimate alcoholic who is going through withdrawal, I personally just don't see how it's such a huge sacrifice to skip the glass of wine. Obviously others feel like it is too much to be asked to give it up.
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@Maysprout: I don't think I mentioned cancer, unless you are construing teratogenic to mean carcinogenic? (A teratogen is any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo/fetus, which could certainly include a carcinogen.)
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@Truth Bombs: In my opinion, fearmongering is used correctly according to the definition (using fear as a tactic to achieve a specific end). By saying, absolutely no amount of alcohol is safe and can lead to FASDs, they are certainly inciting fear to achieve a specific end and that is the lowering the amount of pregnant women who drink. You don't really need to be so defensive about my use of the word.
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