Drinking alcohol?

[Anonymous]

How do people cope with not drinking post ovulation? I don't mind stopping, but since we've been trying for a year now it's really hard to come up with good excuses.... And it is harder to not drink when everybody else is having a glass of wine or you go to happy hour etc.

And I really don't want to tell too many people we're trying, it's just increasing the pressure and questions on me.

Also, have people cut down on caffeine and other things while TTC?

[Anonymous]

The literature says there is no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy, but FAS is more related to chronic long-term use. I also expressed this concern to my OB and she said that 1 to 2 drinks, now and then would be fine. It is extremely difficult during the in between phase. I had total of 6 drinks (spread out) during the in between phase. Yes, it can be difficult, especially around friends and family, but never feel pressure to drink if you don't want to!

[Anonymous]

If you really, really need to, I would get a glass of something and then take only like two sips so that no one gets suspicious. I wouldnt want my family figuring out I am TTC because it is hard enough waiting and hoping on my own. With everyone else knowing and asking i would die.

[Anonymous]

My old gyn told me that, while he wouldn't advise it, one could smoke crack during the ovulation to finding out your period is late stage b/c the fetus is not yet developing (in other words, you shouldn't worry at all about drinking during that time). I think he was a bit extreme, but you get the picture. After I was pregnant, my OB said there was no harm with having a glass or two of wine a couple of times a week. Anyway, I really think you're fine to drink before finding out you're pregnant. I can't tell you how many people I know worried b/c they went to a bachlorette party/vacation, etc. and drank themselves silly only to find out they were pregnany a week later. All their babies turned out perfectly fine. Since you're trying, you won't be one of those people who finds out halfway through the first trimester that you're pregnant. You'll probably know right away and then you can stop drinking.

I think that you're more likely to do harm worrying yourself sick about what you can and can't do than having a drink or two when you're out with friends.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of those people -- had no idea I was pregnant with my first and was definitely drinking before I found out. My OB said that in this early stage it would have increased miscarriage chances, but not cause any deformity or anything. (I was worried about that!) My daughter is now 6 mos. and perfect

[Anonymous]

I drank after ovulation for the few months that we were trying, up until the point at which I got my positive. My OB said it was fine, as long as not in excess, and that any complication would be a MC rather than fetal alcohol syndrome, etc.

In the very early stages of pregnancy before we were telling anyone, I always accepted a glass of whatever was being poured and then just carried it around with me, etc. If someone commented, I'd usually claim that I had just refilled my glass and offer to pour them another glass (on the theory that the more tipsy they were, the less likely they were to notice how un-tipsy I was). Every now and again, my husband would discreetly take a drink or two from my glass, and eventually as the evening wore on I'd set it down somewhere and not pick it back up. Nobody ever noticed that I wasn't actually drinking anything.

[Anonymous]

I stopped drinking when the line turned blue. My ob told me wine helped thin the blood and could help me get pregnant. Sort of like the baby asprin theroy. I don't know if it works, but I have two healthy children. First one really had exposure, I ovulated at Christmas and did not know I was pregnant until mid Jan. New years was fun that year.

[Anonymous]

I'll drinkup to the pos. preg test. According to my MayoClinic Pregnancy Book (which I really think is the best format out there) you really have to be careful those few weeks right after your preg. test if you are taking one around your period. Those weeks are key development weeks and risk of birth deffects relative to alchohol use is noted.

Having been trying for 5 months, with one MC, I have started to drink less while we are trying to see if that helps. I know stories of people trying and alchohol and caffeine were crossed of the list first by their OB's (pre recent caffeine scare) as a start to improve conception.