Comments on: A bun in the oven and wine in the glass

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:17:07 +0000

I know this is a slightly warped reasoning for abstaining from alcohol but here goes.

Wife and I ran into this issue this past year while she was pregnant and hearing all of her friends say that it is ok. After taking time to think about it, we can to the conclusion that if we would never give our newborn (or 1 -2 year old) a sip or drink of wine so why should she drink while pregnant.

By: Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines

Good Reads Wednesday « Artisan Family of Wines — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:57:39 +0000

[...] A bun in the oven and wine in the glass [...]

By: Joseph Buchter

Joseph Buchter — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 14:58:27 +0000

I wonder in the study if there were different groups consuming different kinds of alcohol or if it was one alcohol across the board?

Would it be better to have a glass of wine diluted with a little water (no water?), a beer, a hard cider from normandy, a drink that’s one part absinthe to 3 to 5 parts water?

different drinks, like I would imagine different foods, could possibly affect development differently. Just a thought, no scientific basis.

By: Tina Anderson

Tina Anderson — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 13:23:40 +0000

Thank you, Dr. Vino! It seems America is an all-or-nothing sort or country, so I get why doctors counsel against drinking while pregnant. What I don’t get is the judging by the public that goes on for women who enjoy wine occasionally while pregnant. It’s certainly healthier than many foods, including soda, fast food, french fries, anything from the frozen section at your grocery…And of course, to worry about pesticides in the produce you buy at the store never comes up. I’d rather my baby-to-be gets tannins than High Fructose Corn Syrup OR trans fats OR chemically-processed foods, thank you!
P.S. I am not pregnant, nor have I been in past.

By: george kaplan

george kaplan — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 22:51:17 +0000

Unfortunately the devil is in the details. Statistics is one thing, the individual is another. Until we can know though DNA who is and is not at risk, prudence dictates the safest approach.
It’s probably Ok to smell the bouquet of a fine claret: boosts the endorphins.

By: Jordan Kaye

Jordan Kaye — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:56:32 +0000

My wife drank a glass here and there throughout 3 pregnancies. I thought it was much deserved after incredibly long days!
–Jordan
wineshoptalk.com

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:30:30 +0000

Late in her two pregnancies, my wife had a glass of wine with dinner on rare occasions. At first I wasn’t crazy about the idea, but most of the research seems to support the idea that light drinking is fine late in pregnancy.

I know this is purely anecdotal and not scientific at all, but we have two perfectly healthy boys.

I’m no doctor, but I believe a healthy liver metabolizes about one drink per hour. If you’re sipping on a glass of wine with dinner, I doubt much if any alcohol will even get to your bloodstream.

By: Sally

Sally — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 01:58:31 +0000

Wine Harlots (or Nannette)- All of the CDC studies on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and/or Effect have shown that the problem is in heavy drinking over numerous pregnancies. A fifth of Jack Daniels a day and you get FAE in the 3rd or 4th pregnancy and FAS in the 4th, 5th or 6th pregnancy. Consider that before 1985 or so, it was ok to drink during pregnancy and that for most women alcohol was nauseating during the first trimester when most of the brain functions are being formed. Or as my mother says, “It’s a good thing I drank while pregnant- what would the world have done with 3 more Einsteins?”

I am not trying to make light of this but,once again, we are making this an black/white situation when it is gray. I am still deeply offended by the overweight cigar smoker who found it necessary to comment on me having a glass of wine at a restaurant when I was 7 months pregnant. Actually, I had 2 that night. And a better part of a bottle of champagne this June when that baby graduated from Princeton magna cum laude- although, if I hadn’t had those 2 glasses of wine, would she have been summa cum laude?

By: gabe

gabe — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:57:41 +0000

my girlfriend is a midwife. she says that there is evidence that 5 drinks per day is dangerous to your baby. any less is inconclusive.

while some people are of the opinion that any alcohol consumption during pregnancy is dangerous, western medicine is based on science, which does not reach the same conclusion.

of course, if you want to be extra cautious, you should avoid all alcohol, fish, cheese, and most of all, avoid driving in cars, which cause thousands of deaths per year.

By: Weston

Weston — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:33:01 +0000

Hey Tyler shoudl read the latest article in World of Fine Wine argh cant remember what its called but has a lil blurp on wine n pregnancy.

I don’t see how one glass of wine is gonna cause problem on a child—Let alone having one sip!

By: Steve Howe

Steve Howe — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:47:34 +0000

While I love a glass of wine, if I were pregnant I would have to err on the side of caution and abstain from drinking. It’s just not worth the risk.

By: Wine Harlots

Wine Harlots — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:09:03 +0000

I’m all about getting your drink on, but this borders on recklessness. “A drink a day, and your baby will be ok” isn’t a message I’m terribly comfortable with. I also find it a bit odd that in the sample of 1600 children, not one of them was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect.

Nannette Eaton

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:32:56 +0000

Hi Bill – Here’s the third graf of the story linked to above:

“In Denmark a standard drink has 12g of alcohol, compared with the UK’s 7.9g.”

Also, here’s more from BJOG.org

By: RobinC

RobinC — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:31:14 +0000

I guess I’m old-fashioned, but I’d stay away from the alcohol. Maybe a glass of champagne on my birthday.

By: Lara Chapman

Lara Chapman — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:18:27 +0000

One of the things that studies such as these tell us is that everything is not black or white. But for liability concerns, etc, the medical community must say that ‘no drinking while pregnant’ is the only safe option. At the same time, if a pregnant woman wants to have a glass of wine it is advisable that she do that at home to avoid the “judgy judgy” types.