I just heard about a study that was first published at the end of last year that bothers me. It says that light drinking during pregnancy might be OK. What?? Go here to check it out. There are lots of things about pregnancy that can be confusing. People will flood you with advice that you have to weed through. Some people say don’t eat too much of something because it can lead to allergies, while other studies say the opposite. But, one thing I thought the whole world agreed on was that drinking during pregnancy is an absolute “No-No”. I guess not.
While the debate is a hot one, and not all experts agree with this latest study, I can’t help but think of myself when pregnant. I was so careful about everything. I don’t drink, so the abstaining from alcohol was not a difficult thing for me. However, there were about a million other things that I worried about ingesting, and how it would affect my baby. Like, Diet Coke, for example. There are also studies out there that indicate that more than 2 cups of caffeine can be harmful to your baby. So what’s an expecting Mom to do?
I think that you should always weigh the risks. Is a little bit of a risk OK? I don’t know. I have a strong opinion that expecting mothers have the responsibility of doing everything in their power to help reduce the risks of everything they can for their newborn. Yet, let’s face it, there is a study coming out every other week about how one thing or another is harmful to your baby.
However, we still see women smoking and drinking during pregnancy, so it is easier to justify doing something a little less risky like drinking a Diet Coke every once in a while. However, your baby is just an innocent bystander while in the womb. That baby has no say over what the mother is putting into her body. I don’t necessarily have the answer, but I would say that there is a lot of research that disputes this latest study. Just because the latest study is new, doesn’t mean that it is right. Thinking of your unborn child first is probably a good way to start parenting. Because after your child arrives, it is no different. Their needs and wants should always come first. Why should it be any different during pregnancy?
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