Drinking for Two

In case you somehow missed the Rachel Weisz “drinking while pregnant” s**storm, a little while back there was a whole hullabaloo when the British-born actress said that she thought it was "fine" for expectant mothers to have a glass of wine after the first three months of pregnancy. She said, "I mean in Europe they drink it." And then everyone freaked out.

An article in today's newspaper picks up the topic again. “Many American obstetricians, skeptical about the need for total abstinence, quietly tell their patients that an occasional beer or glass of wine — no hard liquor — is fine…’If a patient tells me that she’s drinking two or three glasses of wine a week, I am personally comfortable with that after the first trimester,’ said Dr. Austin Chen, an obstetrician in TriBeCa…Americans’ complicated relationship with food and drink — in which everything desirable is also potentially dangerous — only becomes magnified in pregnancy."

The article goes on to suggest that light drinking during pregnancy is more accepted in Europe because there wine and beer are more equated with food, while here in the States alcoholic beverages are more equated with drugs.
There certainly seems to be a stigma that many Americans attach to even occasional drinking. See also: the recent impassioned debates about moms having cocktails while their kids play together.

On the June 2007 Expecting Club board, cutenewmommy2007 posts: “Prior to my pregnancy I was a social drinker. My fiance and our friends (mostly guys) went to parties and bars and I used to drink quite a bit and go out to have a good time. Now I'm at a point where I'm watching everyone else drink and have a good time while I sit and drink club soda…I know I'm going to have a bad time at a bar. The only reason you go to a bar is to drink!”

shermanthree: “First of all, in some countries (like France) it is normal that a mother is ‘allowed’ a drink (a glass of wine) a week without harming the baby. I would look into the research that says you can't drink at all and see the statistics of what is harmful to the baby. As far as I understand they are not sure how much is harmful to the fetus, but they do know that drinking excessively is definitely harmful…It may be a cultural thing though because here people don't drink to get drunk, so there is more of an open mindset about going out to a bar or pub and not drinking. I know that American culture is not the same. I have a lot of fun with my friends even when they drink and I don't.”

Did you, or would you drink occasionally while pregnant? Now don’t get all crazy here, you know I’m not talking about binge-drinking every night. I’m talking the one or two glass a week plan, like the Frenchies do. What do you think?