Drinking while pregnant--- child abuse?

[HelenePA]

And, when it comes to beer and wine--- if you need it to relax even when you know it could cause lifelong damage to your unborn baby, that is called--- ALCOHOLISM.....

.

my mom died of alcoholism. Well the affects of it including liver and kidney failure.. 3 yrs ago today (21st) at 11pm she took her last gasping breaths.. I have NO idea if its because she was exposed to it so early in life but I really dont want to see my children like I saw my mom.. I really dont know why anyone would take that chance..

 

[Aidensmom]

We clearly have a long way to go in our public health messaging, since science has demonstrated that there is NO safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.

While I agree that excessive drinking is not good to do during pregnancy, and that it is a sign of alcoholism, science has NOT demonstrated that there is "NO safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant." That is just a CYA statement that gets made because no one has (or is going to) actually conducted a study on pregnant women by giving them varying amounts of alcohol to determine that "safe" point.

 

["Got Disney"]

An occ glass of wine is fine ..but I must add that after working 22 years as a Labor and Delivery nurse I saw plenty of problems related to Moms that drank and smoked to much....

Drinking glass of wine on special occ. is fine...puffing on cigs is definatly a no no !!!

To be safe do neither...why take the chance with someone elses life because you feel the need to smoke and drink. Lay low for 9 months....i'ts only 9 months.

and remember if you feel the need to have a drink than theres something wrong there to begin with. There should be no NEED when your pregnant.

And if you are a smoker just stop before getting pregnant. And we all know that smoking around children is bad news.

jusy My opinion

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Less than 10 years ago, my doctor actually recommended a glass of red wine a couple times a week. He felt it was far less invasive than some of the meds out there.

Also, Doesn't red wine help you if you need some help in the blood dept? (iron or something?, not much of a whine guy)(I know, spelling intentional!)

DIL had some problems with Grandson number 2, and her Dr. recommended a glass of red every few days or so, plus the last month and a half, total bed rest! DW helped her through it. It drove DIL nuts because she is a physical trainer and just lying in bed was not her style! Also she trys and avoid any kind of meds unless absoutely necessary! Luckly everything was fine!!

 

[DisneyFreak72]

Anyone who cares about the wellbeing of their child simply wouldn't risk it.

And the evidence against drinking during pregnancy only continues to mount. It used to be believed that drinking moderate amounts (a drink a day) was relatively safe. But it's only recently been discovered that children of women who drank during pregnancy — even those who had as little as one drink a day — were experiencing developmental problems throughout their childhood and even into adolescence. A 2002 study by the University of Pittsburgh found that children of mothers who drank at least one drink a day during their first trimester weighed, on average, 16 pounds less at the age of 14 than those with no exposure to alcohol in the womb.

The message is clear: Pregnant women should not be drinking at all. If you're pregnant and find yourself unable to stop drinking, don't be ashamed to talk with your obstetrician. She can recommend ways for you to find the help and support you need to stop drinking for your sake, and for your precious baby's sake.
Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

A mother’s alcohol use during pregnancy is one of the top preventable causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. There is no time during pregnancy when it is safe to drink. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, her baby does too.
Source: Centers for Disease Control, Surgeon General of the United States

Is there any safe amount of alcohol to drink?
There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to consume during pregnancy, but the more you drink, the more you raise your baby's chances of having problems.
Source: American Pregnancy Association

Language Skills Damage Easily from Light Social Drinking

Neurobehavioral Toxicology & Teratology, 6:13-17, 1984

Lower verbal comprehension and spoken language scores were found among 84 children at 13 months of age whose mothers drank an average of .24 ounces of absolute alcohol per day (about one-half drink per day). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development was used to test language and comprehension. Test criteria included the following:

Says da-da or equivalent, Jabbers expressively, Imitates words, Says 2 words, Names 1 object, Vocalizes 4 different syllables, Listens selectively to familiar words, Responds to verbal request, Inhibits on command, Shows shoes or other clothing or own toy.

Testing was given by a trained professional who was not aware of the mothers’ drinking habits. The researchers adjusted for known confounding variables such as social class, educational level, use of other drugs, etc. Results were considered significant at the p<0.05 level.
Drs. Joanne L. Gusella and P.A. Fried
Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Neurobehavioral Toxicology and Teratology, Vol. 6:13-17, 1984

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Anyone who cares about the wellbeing of their child simply wouldn't risk it.

And the evidence against drinking during pregnancy only continues to mount. It used to be believed that drinking moderate amounts (a drink a day) was relatively safe. But it's only recently been discovered that children of women who drank during pregnancy — even those who had as little as one drink a day — were experiencing developmental problems throughout their childhood and even into adolescence. A 2002 study by the University of Pittsburgh found that children of mothers who drank at least one drink a day during their first trimester weighed, on average, 16 pounds less at the age of 14 than those with no exposure to alcohol in the womb.

The message is clear: Pregnant women should not be drinking at all. If you're pregnant and find yourself unable to stop drinking, don't be ashamed to talk with your obstetrician. She can recommend ways for you to find the help and support you need to stop drinking for your sake, and for your precious baby's sake.
Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

A mother’s alcohol use during pregnancy is one of the top preventable causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. There is no time during pregnancy when it is safe to drink. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, her baby does too.
Source: Centers for Disease Control, Surgeon General of the United States

Is there any safe amount of alcohol to drink?
There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to consume during pregnancy, but the more you drink, the more you raise your baby's chances of having problems.
Source: American Pregnancy Association

Language Skills Damage Easily from Light Social Drinking

Neurobehavioral Toxicology & Teratology, 6:13-17, 1984

Lower verbal comprehension and spoken language scores were found among 84 children at 13 months of age whose mothers drank an average of .24 ounces of absolute alcohol per day (about one-half drink per day). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development was used to test language and comprehension. Test criteria included the following:

Says da-da or equivalent, Jabbers expressively, Imitates words, Says 2 words, Names 1 object, Vocalizes 4 different syllables, Listens selectively to familiar words, Responds to verbal request, Inhibits on command, Shows shoes or other clothing or own toy.

Testing was given by a trained professional who was not aware of the mothers’ drinking habits. The researchers adjusted for known confounding variables such as social class, educational level, use of other drugs, etc. Results were considered significant at the p<0.05 level.
Drs. Joanne L. Gusella and P.A. Fried
Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Neurobehavioral Toxicology and Teratology, Vol. 6:13-17, 1984

Wow, thats a lot of googling (googl-lie?)

I don't see anything wrong with drinking during pregnancy! I did for our two kids and they are fine, and I even drank before and after our six grandkids were born.. of course, I'm a guy!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

I didn't drink during my pregnancies, but my doctor did say that 1-2 glasses of wine a week would be fine. It really is between a woman and her doctor.

I swear, these days everything is child abuse.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I didn't drink during my pregnancies, but my doctor did say that 1-2 glasses of wine a week would be fine. It really is between a woman and her doctor.

I swear, these days everything is child abuse.

Lets reserve the "child abuse" tag for those kids that ARE truely abused!

(I also see your "abused" kids in the background! )

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Lets reserve the "child abuse" tag for those kids that ARE truely abused!

(I also see your "abused" kids in the background! )

I know, don't they look so sad and dejected? Little goofballs.

 

[darlak]

I am a smoker and have been for all of my adult life, except during my 3 pregnancies. My OB told me that it would be fine to smoke as long as I smoked less than 1/2 pack per day. He recommended that I not drink at all since there is no definitive proof regarding what is absolutely considered to be a safe amount. My choice was to not smoke or drink for the duration of my pregnancy. However, I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that doing either is child abuse.

I often work with mothers who are routinely testing positive for crack or meth while they are pregnant. There is nothing we can do about it until the birth of the child. However, CPS is usually there at the hospital with a pickup order before the child or mother is discharged. You can't file a dependent petition seeking custody of a child until you have a live child. My state used to routinely do a drug screen on all children immediately following birth. That testing was deemed to violate the mother's rights. We now can only do such testing with the mother's consent. Guess which mother's won't sign a consent?

 

[DisneyFreak72]

I am a smoker and have been for all of my adult life, except during my 3 pregnancies. My OB told me that it would be fine to smoke as long as I smoked less than 1/2 pack per day. He recommended that I not drink at all since there is no definitive proof regarding what is absolutely considered to be a safe amount. My choice was to not smoke or drink for the duration of my pregnancy. However, I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that doing either is child abuse.

I often work with mothers who are routinely testing positive for crack or meth while they are pregnant. There is nothing we can do about it until the birth of the child. However, CPS is usually there at the hospital with a pickup order before the child or mother is discharged. You can't file a dependent petition seeking custody of a child until you have a live child. My state used to routinely do a drug screen on all children immediately following birth. That testing was deemed to violate the mother's rights. We now can only do such testing with the mother's consent. Guess which mother's won't sign a consent?

Your post makes the point that it is about what we accept culturally. We know that the long term impact on a child of alcohol is much more severe than crack, cocaine, marijuana, or meth. We know that alcohol damages more children every year than drugs. We have protective orders for women whose babies test positive for drugs, but we all smile, nod and chuckle at the idea of consuming alcohol.

Would you consider putting a beer a day in the bottle of an infant?
What about 2-3 glasses of wine per week fed to a newborn through a bottle?

Alcohol cuts directly across the placenta. It is exactly the same thing. If it is wrong to do it to the fully developed born infant, why on earth would it be okay to dump alcohol directly into the system of a still forming fetus??

 

[DisneyFreak72]

I know, don't they look so sad and dejected? Little goofballs.

Are they wearing seatbelts?

Are you photographing yourself while driving?

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Are they wearing seatbelts?

Are you photographing yourself while driving?

Are you freaking kidding me?!

We're parked in a driveway! Can't you see another driveway directly behind me, Miss Observant?

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

Edited:

Not feeding a troll

 

[rie'smom]

Anyone who cares about the wellbeing of their child simply wouldn't risk it.

This is way presumptious. If you choose ( chose) not to drink during your pregnancy, fine. However, if a doctor tells a pregnant woman that it's ok to have an occasional glass of wine, don't you think that should be between the woman and her doctor? The OP is not talking about a sloshy drunk but a glass of wine.
I know women who took drugs out the wazoo who had perfectly healthy babies and women who were the "perfect" pregnant people who had sick babies. I'm not advocating drinking but I am saying that it's not anyone else's business what a woman and her ob decide.

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

Are they wearing seatbelts?

Are you photographing yourself while driving?

And this is your business how?? Unbelievable

ChrisandSteph - your kids are adorable!

 

[LotsOfQuestions]

Never mind.

Since our OP is such a good googler, I googled his/her screen name. It seems we have a troll. OP has started threads on fat children, mocking people who pay for fertility treatment, his/her 'moment' with dental floss, etc along with several other inflammatory posts in other threads.

Either a troll or a teen/tween looking for attention.

Let's not feed the troll!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

And this is your business how?? Unbelievable

ChrisandSteph - your kids are adorable!

Thank you! We were waiting in the car for my dd to take care of some business at a friends house, and I told the boys they could go ahead and unbuckle their carseats. They were being goofballs in the back so I snapped a picture of them on my camera. It turned out to be a pretty funny pic and I laugh everytime I see it!

You know what's really funny is when I was putting it in my siggy, it briefly crossed my mind how many Dis'ers would point out that the boys aren't wearing seatbelts! Maybe I should add a disclaimer!

 

[DISUNC]

You know what's really funny is when I was putting it in my siggy, it briefly crossed my mind how many Dis'ers would point out that the boys aren't wearing seatbelts! Maybe I should add a disclaimer!

But since they have green shirts on...all will be forgiven!
great pic!

 

[Teacher03]

While I don't think drinking and smoking during pregnancy is child abuse, I think it is irresponsible. Geez, give it up for 9-10 months. And my mother did smoke during pregnancy, I was premature and weighed under 4 pounds. My sisters both were under 5 pounds. Why take the chance?