Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
A Glass of Wine When Pregnant | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
My coworker is nine months pregnant and wanted a glass of wine when we went we out to dinner. Most of us were concerned (especially since she was already one week past her due date), but she said she read in an article that a glass of wine wouldn't hurt anything. Is that true? Is there an exception to drinking wine that I'm unaware of? I thought once you were pregnant, that it’s no wine for nine months. — Confused Coworker in Virginia | | | ANSWER |
July 18, 2001 | | | Dear Confused Coworker,
I can certainly understand your concern for your coworker, and, as a general rule, women shouldn't drink alcohol while they're pregnant. The birth defects resulting from fetal alcohol syndrome are too high a price to pay. Furthermore, since we don't know exactly how much alcohol triggers these defects, it's best to err on the side of caution and just not drink at all.
That said, if your co-worker only drinks one glass of wine a few times during her pregnancy, she probably won't hurt her baby. Most of the research on alcohol consumption during pregnancy shows that problems develop when the fetus is exposed to two to three drinks per day or when the mother-to-be engages in intermittent binge drinking. Maybe that's what your coworker was thinking of when she referred to an article indicating it was OK to drink a glass of wine.
In any case, your friend is ready to deliver her baby and probably wouldn't welcome a lecture on the evils of drinking--pregnant women are subjected to all sorts of unsolicited advice and admonitions, and, understandably, they can resent them even when they're offered with the best of intentions. However, if some of your concern arises from confusion about whether or not it's OK to drink when you become pregnant, play it safe and wait to enjoy your glass of merlot or chardonnay after your baby has been born.— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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