1. Eiyee! We don't know how much alcohol is "safe", but we do know that alcohol in the last months of pregnancy seems to be worse for the fetus then previous months... What is wrong with celebrities? Why does it seem to be a celebrity you have to dispose of common sense and brain power?

Posted at 2:34PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Ethel

2. Actually, what "we know" is different in the US than in Britain. My understanding is that British pediatricians say that it's okay for pregnant women to have a small amount of alcohol (maybe, half a drink, a few times a week; something like that). Doesn't anyone remember Catherine Zeta Jones's character drinking while pregnant in that movie a few years ago? She made some comment about, "I'm European; we think differently about these things."

I've heard this in the US, too. We are such Puritans here in the US--we're either drunks or total abstainers, in some people's minds. A half a beer isn't going to hurt Gwyneth's baby.

Posted at 2:51PM on Mar 30th 2006 by daisy

3. Actually, my midwife (with my first pregnancy) and my midwife with my second pregnancy (different one, and this one was a nun!) both suggested "high iron" beer (usually a stout or dark, dark lager) as a way to increase my iron content, too. I passed, I don't much like beer, my husband brews his own and I have to smell it all the time... makes me hungry for bread but not beer - he drinks my share for me! But, every midwife and or obgyn I've known has said a glass now and again while pregnant doesn't not adversely affect the fetus. Having said that, though, I think what some consider a drink "now and again" could be a whole lot more than my "now and again" (ie.: once or twice every 2 or 3 months.)

Posted at 2:52PM on Mar 30th 2006 by rebecca

4. Ethel -- you've got that backwards, I think. Everything I've seen suggests that the _first_ trimester is the most dangerous.

And, Guiness is a relatively low-alcohol beer, and if imbibed slowly over the course of the meal, unlikely to have any discernible effect whatsoever. Our midwife told us during the last trimester of pregancy that she'd rather see Karen (my wife; not a celebrity) relax with an occasional glass of wine than be all stressed out -- which is also not good for the baby.

Posted at 2:59PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Matthew Miller

5. Here's an idea, eat some iron fortified vegetables or take an iron supplement for the extra iron that is needed during pregnancy. And for stress while pregnant, how about a day at a spa or a back rub and a nap. Always worked for me...

Posted at 3:05PM on Mar 30th 2006 by cee

6. I know there's a lot of difference of opinion on this, and I respect that, but I gotta tell you, I am raising a boy with fetal alcohol effects, and though I love him like crazy and he is a unique and special fellow, the damage done to his brain by alcohol is significant, and affects his life in many ways from trivial to tragic. I don't know why anyone would want take even the tiniest chance of doing that to their child, even the teensiest, most inconsequential, most unlikely chance. There are plenty of risks that can't be avoided or predicted, but this one can, in spades. It baffles me when pregnant women or their doctors find ways to rationalize drinking anyway.

Posted at 3:12PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Terri Mauro

7. I think it comes down to the facts that (1)there are other ways to ease stress, (2)it's better to not drink any alcohol at all than to hope that a little here and there won't hurt the baby, and (3)there are other, better ways to get iron into your system.

Posted at 3:15PM on Mar 30th 2006 by melinda

8. I think the big problem with FAS is that doctors (at least in the U.S.) don't know how much alcohol causes it. The evidence suggests that even a modest amount of alcohol can cause it, though it is worst in alcoholic mothers or those who don't drink in moderation.

That said, I do know that Europeans have a different view on the subject than we do here in the U.S.

Posted at 4:42PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Missy

9. Am I the only one wondering why she can't go nine months without alcohol? Call me puritanical if you want, but if you can't go nine freakin' months without drinking, don't get pregnant! This is not rocket science....

Posted at 5:32PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Lauren

10. The people who are completely against a drop of alcohol during pregnancy might be singing a different tune if you were born overseas. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but culture does come into play.

Do a search on which country has the highest FAS rate. I think most americans will be surprised.

Posted at 5:42PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Kellie

11. Kellie, I totally agree with you. I think US has things so assbackwards. I had a few glasses of wine at the end of my pregnancy, and yes Ethel you do have that wrong, it is the FIRST trimester that women should be careful and sometimes the woman doesn't (like me) even realize she is pregnant.
Getting tanked while pregnant is NOT a good thing, but having a beer or a glass of wine towards the end, not a bad thing at all.
Our midwives gave us all sorts of information about how FAS is much more of a problem HERE than in other countries and how drinking very moderatly towards the end (last trimester) is fine.
I love how Gwenyth's person made that comment about the sushi. HAH! I drank a glass of Chardonney at a restaurant that is owned by a very nice man from Europe and he didn't blink an eye, now I can't say that for the rest of the customers, but the last few weeks I really didn't give a crap.

Posted at 9:27PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Bunsmom

12. I chose to forgo alcohol and caffeine while I was pregnant - and when my daughter was born with a disability,at least I knew that there was absolutely nothing that I had done that had contributed to it, it truly was an accident of nature. That knowledge has saved me from a lifetime of doubts and second guessing, and made me really glad that I had made the choice to abstain. Nine months of decaf sobriety was a small price to pay for a lifetime of clear conscience.

Posted at 9:56PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Connie

13. My Mom drank guinness during pregnancy.And I've been drinking it since I could hold a glass.About 41 years now.I'm 44.

Posted at 9:57PM on Mar 30th 2006 by danny boy

14. My oldest daughter is in graduate school at UF/Shands for her PhD in Audiology. She has/is being taught that ADD/ADHD is being linked to first trimester drinking. What is sad is that many women/girls will party weekends UNTIL they realize they are pregnant, then they cease the drinking. In many cases, the damage is already done. FAS is usually attributed to heavy drinking/daily drinking. Now, both my eldest children - this daughter included, were conceived during holiday partying! The daughter was in every gifted program public schools had to offer and has been on scholarships since she first began college. Her older brother although not classifed as gifted, was an excellent student during his academic career and is also a college graduate. I feel most fortunate for this considering what *we* know now.

Just a side: Back in the 1970's, OB/GYN's were prescribing a pill called Bendectin for nauseau associated with pregnancy. My doctor prescribed this for me. I've always felt uneasy about taking *manmade* pills so I never took them, just consumed saltines by the case.. Three months after my son was born, Bendectin was taken off the market because it became known that it caused birth defects in utero... we live in a world where no science is exact. I was never told I could drink with pregnancies but I was told to have a beer before nursing to "allow a better flow of the milk". My breasts overflowed as it was so there was no need---I also had a pediatrician (still in practice and very reputable) that suggested a hit of pot prior to breastfeeding if "I didn't like beer" !!

Rule of thought will be different where ever one goes....

Tess

Posted at 10:35PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Terri Menendez

15. i allowed myself a half a glass of merlot once or twice per month the last 4 months of a very stressful pregnancy. i checked with my doctor first and he said that a small amount of red wine certainly would not hurt my baby. my daughter, now 4 1/2 is fine! that being said, i don't recommend going out on a bender while pregnant or smoking a pack a day of cigarettes but moderation is key.

Posted at 10:38PM on Mar 30th 2006 by becky

16. I'm a long time employee of an OB/GYN office in Pennsylvania. Ms. Gwyneth sickens me. Why would you risk harming your unborn child to indulge yourself? I don't care if "a few drinks doesn't hurt". It's wrong. It's not necessary. You're only pregnant for 40 weeks. Get over it.

Posted at 10:40PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Linda

17. Re: Terri Menendez's comments about alcohol and ADD/ADHD. The way you worded that statement, it could be constued that any and every child with ADD/ADHD is evidence that a mother drank during pregnancy. Bad statement, should it be constued/misconstrued, whatever. My son is autistic, and seriously ADD and I swear I drank at no time during my pregnancy or breastfeeding. I got my iron from molasses, raisins and other nutritional sources, because the supplements made me sick. Anyway, I'm seriously ADD and my father and one of my son's kids are autistic(AS). I also can swear that my mother, my father's mother and my sister-in-law drank no alcohol while pregnant. My mother's first taste of alcohol was sometime in her 40s when my brother gave her a shot of brandy. We've talked her into a small glass of wine at Thanksgiving a few times over the follwing 30 yrs. I should add that my younger brother has Asperger's Syndrome (a high functioning autism)like my nephew, so it is epidemic in my family. My grandmother never drank and my sister-in-law was as fussy as I was about nutrition and avoiding toxins. For anyone to assume that we drank on the sly is beyond insult. It's disgusting. I'm sure you just didn't word that right, but people can walk away with a huge misperception.

Posted at 11:14PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Carole

18. You assssssume "sushi" means she was eating uncooked fish. The word "Sushi" just means "fresh".. doesn't Have to mean "raw". Sashimi,however, Is raw. So. She tossed back a brew, and she did it in public. I'd be worried if she hid a massive drinking habit which was conducted in private. At least she was out in the open. Eat'in sush' and drinkin' a stout.... Sounds good to Me!

Posted at 11:29PM on Mar 30th 2006 by Paati

19. Terri, LOL about the pot doctor! Heh!

It appears that Gwyneth is a vegetarian and Guinness is high in iron. Perhaps that was her reasoning.

Well, isn't Spinach high in iron, too?

Posted at 12:42AM on Mar 31st 2006 by Missy

20. I am appalled at the pervasive judgemental attitude that society has about everyone, the way they live and the choices they make. Go back and read the Bill of Rights, The Preamble to the Constitution and Lincoln's Emancipation Prclamation...
We are free by right to live as we chose as long as we bring no harm to another or another persons property.

If, as the Western Medical community wants us to believe, that smoking and drinking will seriously harm an unborn child, then all of us baby boomers should be dead, dying or suffering untold health problems, because our parents sure smoked and drank their way through their lives.

Do what you feel is right for you, your family and community. But don't force that on me. I will live my life as I see fit and praise my neighbor for doing the same....
That's the beauty of being an American.

Posted at 12:47AM on Mar 31st 2006 by Janie