The dreaded alcohol...

I'm going to stay away, not worth the risk IMO.

Plus, the smell of wine makes me

Stout / Guiness used to be prescribed to pregnant / nursing mothers to boost their iron levels.
I think far more is known about the adverse effects of alcohol now and therefore have stayed away.

I haven't read the new studies you're talking about, but since they're still pretty much in the dark about what safe levels are (if there is such a thing - what's safe for someone may not be for someone else) as far as I'm concerned, guarding against potential brain damage comes a lot higher up my list than having a slightly more settled baby!

Edited by Hopes

I was at my brother's wedding at the weekend and partook of a very small glass of bubbles for toasting purposes - apart from that I haven't touched any alcohol since finding out I was pregnant.
I think with dinner, a small glass occasionally is ok - but I think the media have to be so careful how they word it because for some women who are pregnant, its easy to turn that small glass into a larger one, and then think "another one wont hurt".
The concern is that there is no known safe level of alcohol cosumption when pregnant, and that's because it changes for each individual so it's better just to stay away from it altogether.

I don't reckon that the amounts you guys have mentioned (especially with a meal) are likely to be an issue at all. And that's a personal thing - I'd just rather avoid it altogether, mostly for my peace of mind (because I know as soon as I had anything, I'd convince myself that it was too much and I'd gone and broken my baby )

During my pregnancy I had a say 1/4 of a glass of wine with my dinner a few times and sometimes a sip of my husbands beer, but then I really beat myself up about it near the end of my pregnancy and was so upset with myself thinking I may have caused by baby damage, all in all at most I probably had 1 - 2 standard drinks during my entire pregnancy so in my mind nothing, but it was so not worth the worry that I caused myself (which in hindsight the stress and worry was probably worse than the alcohol) and I would not do it next time. Oh and my daughter is fine no problems at all.

Personally, I wasn't at all comfortable having any alcohol during both pregnancies. I'm so pleased I didn't have any, especially during my second pregnancy, as my son was born with some serious health issues. I think if I had drunk then I may have blamed myself for his illness. But thats just me.

At the end of the day, its only alcohol - I've never been a big drinker anyway.

Me too. I personally didnt have any alcohol during pregnancy. There is too much conflicting information and research which just put me off so I stayed away. It wasnt a big deal to me as I was never/not a drinker before pregnancy anyways

The research is pretty clear that the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome is due to alcohol in the first trimester, and the majority of cases are in mothers who consume a lot of alcohol on a daily basis i.e. alcoholics. The chromosomal changes happen early on, usually before most people know and there is not a higher incidence in those countries where alcohol is routinely consumed during pregnancy.

Personally i avoided alcohol during the first 12 weeks and then drank minimally thereafter as i felt like it or as social occasions dictated with no adverse effects in my 2 boys. I love wine and continue to enjoy it during breastfeeding too. Doesn't really seem to affect either boy either way.