Pre conception and Alcohol

I drink from when AF arrives until my fertile time (approx 3 - 5 days prior to ovulation). After that I steer clear until AF has arrived again.

It's personal choice, but my motto is that it is better to be safe than sorry.

Good luck TTC and welcome to OhBaby!

I didn't know I was pregnant until AF didn't arrive and a week beforehand I went out and had a few drinks with friends. I worried about it for a little bit, but everything is absolutely fine in there and it happens to a lot of people I guess.

Good luck!

(Just realised that this doesn't really fit in with what you're talking about. Sorry.)

Edited by eomachine

I was never much of a drinker till after I had Olivia and now I really enjoy a nice glass of wine or a couple of beers on a night out. I actually have to remember I am TTC and not drink around O!!
I think the bottom line is that drinking prior to O is not going to hurt your unborn child (not unless you get really drunk and break yourself!), specifically because conception has not occured. Alcohol *can* interfere/inhibit with the zygote's and fetus' ability to correctly multiply and form. There is also another arguement that the baby isn't connected up to your blood supply till 6 weeks along (when the heart begins to pump) so up till then is not a biggie especially for those of us that didn't know till that far along.
I actually did drink when I was probably 3 weeks pregnant, I didn't know at the time, my midwife gave me that little bit of info. Scared the pants off me though and I wont be letting it happen if we manage to concieve sometime this year!

Its great to get other people's perspectives. Some of the books I have been reading have an overwhelming amount of information to take in.

To change the topic ever so slightly (sorry Sunny!).

Does anyone know if it's ok to use alcohol in cooking when you are pg? e.g. I sometimes cook risotto or spag bol which have wine in them. The quantities are only small at about 1/4 cup or something but will this have an effect? I guess what I'm asking is, does the alcohol "dissolve" during cooking? Anyone know?

A friend of mine who is a recovered alcoholic eats food that was made with alcohol (e.g. casserole, Christmas cake) as long as the food continued to be cooked thoroughly after the alcohol was added, as apparently the alcohol is 'burned off' just leaving the taste. Better safe than sorry tho'.

Drinkin in moderation while preg hasnt been proven to have effects so its totally a personal choice i know girls who have had one drink a week throughout their pregs and their kids are fine. Some midwives do say one-two drinks a week is ok.

Im TTC at the moment and i drink but not as much after O. I have noticed that i dont want to drink as much these days i use to have at least one drink every night but now only really drink if there is an occasion and even then i only have a few.

sunny wrote: I am wanting some advice please on drinking alcohol (moderately) prior to conception? How have others handled this? There is so much conflicting information out their it can get quite confusing. A colleague has mentioned that drinking moderate amounts prior to your ovulation time is ok?

Sorry catie, we are talking about TTC so pre-pregnancy. Good rant though...