Hellobee Boards

@Truth Bombs: the AAP is not free from politics or corruption. I don't know what the motivation with this specific case could Potentially be, but I think understanding how the AAP works and where money comes from is important. I wouldn't say I take their recommendations with a grain of salt, but having dealt with similar organizations going through decision making processes like these recommendations, I have a critical eye always towards the organizations and motivations behind why they do what they do. I think it's more helpful to be an educated and critical consumer of research (at the source level going back to studies themselves) but I know the aap and the like can be helpful in creating guidelines for those who aren't fortunate enough to be able to be an educated consumer of literature for whatever reason. At the end of the day, aap recommendations should be just one of many tools that we use to make decisions, among reading literature and consulting with our physicians.

@pwnstar: I guess I was putting words in your mouth. But while its a carcinogen, the studies that I saw that look at ethanol and acetaldehyde seperately havent seen the same type of fetal effects from acetaldehyde as they do from ethanol. So that's why I assumed you just wrote it out wrong since its present in lots of food, it'd be bad if it had a sig impact on fetal development.

@Truth Bombs: I want to find something! I think the issue people are having with it might be that it kind of came out of the blue as a new recommendation, but it's just more of the same only now they're saying don't drink if there's a possibility you might become pregnant, which honestly just seems a bit much. Technically that means no woman of childbearing age having sex protected or otherwise should drink bc there's always a chance of becoming pregnant. It just doesn't really sit well with me. I think there's a really fine line between helpful recommendations that really matter and recommendations feeing controlling or even recommendation fatigue in general. I mean how manypre babies are we really protecting from harm with the new recommendation? I'm a data person so I have a natural inclination to want people to answer those questions for me. Is this recommendation really going to move the needle? I think it's fine to have it but at the end of the day, the people it's intended most for probably aren't paying attention. Let's put dollars into identifying those really at risk and intervening.

I really do wonder the motivation behind the new recommendation because I really only see it as a cover our asses policy. I'm just curious what sparked it.

lol at some commenters acting like giving up alcohol is just too much for "some" (read: selfish) women to give up. I assume such people adhere to the letter of the law regarding EVERY piece of advice/guideline given to pregnant women. Oh to be so perfect! Such an inspiration.

@meredithNYC: Since your comment was obviously directed at me, I'll respond. Yes, drinking alcohol in pregnancy is selfish, by the simple fact that no one benefits except the pregnant woman. Having caffeine in pregnancy is also selfish. I'm not willing to give up caffeine, I've researched and feel confident that as long as I stay within a certain limit it's unlikely to have a negative effect on my baby. But obviously, I can't know that FOR SURE and skipping caffeine all together would be the safest option. If someone calls me selfish for that, they are totally correct, no one else benefits from the choice but me. But if they call me selfish, I'm not going to get my panties in a wad over it, because I'm confident in the choice I made.

@Truth Bombs: I hope this doesn't come across like I'm just picking on you- just trying to explain from the other side why this annoys me.

Like @meredithNYC: points out, no one is perfect when it comes to every single guideline they issue to pregnant women. With my first pregnancy, I literally had a crying breakdown over taking Tylenol for a migraine- there's just so much crap out there saying what we should and should not do while we are pregnant. Obviously Tylenol isn't a great example because it is for health, but the same is true for so many things. I drink coffee- could I be messing up my baby's heart? I follow the dumb lunch meat rule and heat it up, but don't always make sure it's actually steaming. I don't like the taste, but some women have a diet coke now and then- what is the artificial sweetener doing to her baby? So to me, this feels like it's pointing fingers at pregnant women as being selfish for wanting something for themselves instead of only thinking about the baby 24/7.

No, drinking any alcohol isn't necessary. But having a very small glass of something you really like and feeling a little bit more like yourself can feel pretty good.

@Foodnerd81: Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings My employer certainly benefits from me being caffeinated.

I guess I thought this was the AAP stance already, but okay.

Like everything, as time goes on, we learn new things and understand old things better and so recommendations change. When my mom was pregnant with me, there weren't restrictions on lunch meat or how much caffeine she could have, and obviously most people turned out just fine! But now we know there's a chance that those things could harm a fetus, so there are recommendations about what we shouldn't eat and how much caffeine is okay, and now how much alcohol is safe (none apparently). When I told my mom about all the limits there are on pregnant women now that there weren't when she was having babies, she just said "Phew! I'm glad I'm done having kids! I wouldn't be able to manage it now." Things change. Such is life. It's like how car seat technology has changed and the recommendations for rear-facing have changed. Part of parenting is figuring out what recommendations are really important to you and your family and what you can and can't do to keep your children safe.

@meredithNYC: I'm with you. In fact, it seems like a straw man to me. The question is not whether I'm willing to risk my child's health so I can DRANK, but whether any risk exists in the first place. If I am drinking at such a moderate level that the risk does not exist, it's not a question of selfishness or unselfishness.

@Foodnerd81: i lobe you for that first post. Thank you.