Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

[emwv712]

I am in desperate need of advice/thoughts/support. . .anything. I took a pregnancy test on Monday, February 4, just to ease my mind, and it was positive. (My last period began on January 4.) I have been in absolute hell since then due to the amount I had to drink in the month of January and those first few days in February, leading up to the pregnancy test.

I have always considered myself a "social drinker," with the occasional tendency to go all-out. In a given week, I would drink about five times on occasion, ranging from 1 to 3 drinks, maybe more. At times (at least once in early January), I drink an entire bottle of wine on my own, without batting an eye.

However, I went overboard at the end of January. At the time, as I was drinking, I did not think much of it, other than "maybe I should cut back." I'm 27, I work in a stressful field with long hours, etc., so the drinking is nothing new.

From what I've put together, here is the drinking timeline, before the positive pregnancy test:

February 1 (4 weeks from first day of last period on January 4): Drinking with friends. On my own, I had almost 2 bottles of wine (minus 1 glass) and one beer, from about 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM-ish (about 5 hours).

February 2 (4 weeks, 1 day): One beer, two glasses of wine in the evening

February 3 (4 weeks, 2 days): Four, maybe five, beers at a Super Bowl party, from 4:00 PM to 9:00/10:00 PM

February 4 (4 weeks, 3 days): Positive pregnancy test

Has anyone found themselves in this situation? I am seeing a OBGYN today and feel like I should keep all options on the table. I am financially stable, in a solid relationship with the father, and if it were not for the drinking, this baby would be absolutely wanted and loved. But the idea of having recklessly harmed someone and forcing them to pay for my mistake their whole life is killing me.

Either way, I am just wondering whether this has happened before. I've seen a few posts online about people having a drink or two before a positive pregnancy test, but nothing near where I was (2 whole bottles of wine, 1 beer, in 1 night), etc.

[patrice]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Hi 712,

Please let me put your mind at rest.. I also was drinking ( and drugging.. not class A's but still..) when I found out I was pregnant - was a shock because I was 41 yrs old. Looking at what you were drinking,I was drinking twice that... I was in hysterics when I found out but there ws no harm done to my unborn child.. I stopped everything immediately and now have a healthy 7 year old
Stop Now and you will be fine
Enjoy your pregnancy sweetheart
Patrice

[Kradle123]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Good Morning EM and Welcome :welcome:

You're post was Complete D?J? VU!! I am going to try to post this link to a young woman who was in exactly the same spoit you are findingyourself in and you can read about her journey...okay here goes..

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f7...tat-65273.html

Sound familiar ? :l
Yiggie was also upset and concerned about her drinking when she found out she was pregnant. She had some idiot doctor scare e crap out of her talking about deformities and such. We all basically
Told her to get a second opinion...which she did and she had the baby last December, happy and healthy.

Please have a read of her posts. If you can't get ahold of them, post back or PM me and I'll try to get you the thread- But I think the link will work...cross fingers ray:

:h

Sound familiar ? :l

[patrice]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

X post Kradle !! How are you?

[Kradle123]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Hi Patrice ,

I'm having the ups and the downs but all in all, more in the up direction. . Still struggling somewhat...but nowhere near where I was back in May. Not even close thanks to all of you on this Site. I swear RJ should win the Nobel Peace prize. She has really provided a great tool here to bring peace into a lot of our hearts. :h

Hope you're good. :l

[patrice]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Kradle it's the same for me.. much better than where I was but not yet where I want to be.. yes this site is amazing, the warmth that emulates from here is amazing.. Far out.. were we ever taught at school that sometimes life would be SO hard.. no!!

[Kradle123]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

patrice;1462784 wrote: Kradle it's the same for me.. much better than where I was but not yet where I want to be.. yes this site is amazing, the warmth that emulates from here is amazing.. Far out.. were we ever taught at school that sometimes life would be SO hard.. no!!

I sure missed That memo!
:H

[FlyAway]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Thanks for posting that Kradle. I know that there have been other posts like this one and I know that the outcome was a happy one.

To the original poster, if you read the post Kradle linked you'll notice that I responded in that one too about someone I knew who drank and used drugs the first 2 months of her pregnancy and now has a beautiful and incredibly intelligent son. I know this because that little boy is my grandson.

Everything is going to be okay. Just stop drinking now. :l

[Supercrew]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

I'm not a doctor, but just to ease your mind, I have heard of women drinking much more and much later into their pregnancies with no ill effects. Most of our mothers...I'm in my 40's, drank and smoked their way through pregnancies in the 50's 60's and 70's. I wouldn't be too worried about a couple of days of drinking in the first trimester, I would just try to stay sober, healthy and happy for the rest of the pregnancy.

[Kradle123]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

FlyAway;1462793 wrote: Thanks for posting that Kradle. I know that there have been other posts like this one and I know that the outcome was a happy one.

To the original poster, if you read the post Kradle linked you'll notice that I responded in that one too about someone I knew who drank and used drugs the first 2 months of her pregnancy and now has a beautiful and incredibly intelligent son. I know this because that little boy is my grandson.

Everything is going to be okay. Just stop drinking now. :l

Wow, Fly,

Your post made me cry. That is such a miracle ending...and miraculous beginning :l

[emwv712]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Thank you, Kradle. Does anyone know what happened with Yiggie's baby?

I feel like I am at a critical point. I have not been able to sleep well since I found out- maybe three hours at a time, but then I wake up in a panic. I'm absolutely going to ask questions from a doctor (am going to do that later today), but hearing more about other outcomes, from people who chose to continue the pregnancy, would be helpful.

Although abortion is an option for me (especially at this early stage), it is NOT for my husband, who is very pro life. I am really struggling with this. I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong, but I've always wanted children and would love to have a family. I just can't bear the idea that there is a substantial risk that I have permanently harmed someone, in a way that will shape their whole lives, if I continue the pregnancy.

In any event, I am giving up drinking for good, regardless of the outcome. I feel like I have lost something that I can never get back, regardless of what happens next.

[Catbuddy]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Hi Em,

I drank some before knowing I was pregnant, and again, my baby was fine. Please do stop now; this is a fantastic forum to provide you help. So many mothers, so many women who have stressful jobs and made the transition. Embrace this little miracle and we can help you give your baby the best possible home for the next nine months!

Cat

[Cinders]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

emwv712;1462813 wrote: Thank you, Kradle. Does anyone know what happened with Yiggie's baby?

I feel like I am at a critical point. I have not been able to sleep well since I found out- maybe three hours at a time, but then I wake up in a panic. I'm absolutely going to ask questions from a doctor (am going to do that later today), but hearing more about other outcomes, from people who chose to continue the pregnancy, would be helpful.

Although abortion is an option for me (especially at this early stage), it is NOT for my husband, who is very pro life. I am really struggling with this. I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong, but I've always wanted children and would love to have a family. I just can't bear the idea that there is a substantial risk that I have permanently harmed someone, in a way that will shape their whole lives, if I continue the pregnancy.

In any event, I am giving up drinking for good, regardless of the outcome. I feel like I have lost something that I can never get back, regardless of what happens next.

Instead of what what worring about what comes next, just worries about what comes after.

You will have a beautiful child.

Look at life in the "marrow>". You can

[Siren136]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

emwv712;1462813 wrote: Although abortion is an option for me (especially at this early stage), it is NOT for my husband, who is very pro life. I am really struggling with this. I cannot shake the feeling that something is wrong, but I've always wanted children and would love to have a family. I just can't bear the idea that there is a substantial risk that I have permanently harmed someone, in a way that will shape their whole lives, if I continue the pregnancy.

Hi Em,

I'm not opening up the whole abortion debate, for the record, I am pro-choice so I will respect whatever decision you make.

I just want to point out an inconsistency here. I cannot think of a way to permanently harm someone worse than to kill them. (Again, no judgement). There are no guarantees in this life. If the reason for considering abortion is that the child may not be perfectly healthy, then consider this: My sister is a non-smoking, non-drinking marathon runner whose first child has primordial dwarfism and severe eating issues. She found out about 7 months ago that she was pregnant with her second and the child had a 1 in 4 chance of having the same condition. From amnio they found out he is going to be tiny just like his brother. You can do everything right and have a child with challenges. You will love the child regardless and that's what children need.

[emwv712]

Heavy Drinking During First Month of Pregnancy

Thank you, Siren. If this were a matter of a potential genetic birth defect, I do not think I would be so tortured. There is nothing that can be done to prevent that happening to a child.

I could, however, have prevented the drinking and the risk that this child could have a life filled with pain and frustration that is due solely to my recklessness. I am frankly having trouble living with myself and am concerned about my ability to be an effective parent and person, either way.

I saw the doctor today, and he confirmed that I am now 5 weeks and 5 days along. I was drinking heaviest right at the 4 week mark (counting from the first date of my last period on January 4.)

According to the doctor, I am not in a "high risk" category of fetal alcohol damage, but I am also not in the category where he could safely say "you didn't drink that much, it was too early, don't worry about it." He said that it is more probable than not that the baby would be fine, but that there is still an un-quantifiable risk that the alcohol caused damage that is irreversible and could manifest in any unknown number of ways.

It was too early to see a heartbeat, and I will go back for the viability check in two weeks.

I want to have faith, but I have added an unknown degree to risk into this equation. Has anyone else gone through this?