Possible Pregnancy and Drinking

No second pregnancies here (sadly because I HAVEN'T had the chance to even SEE a man since I got pregnant nearly 5 years ago)!

About the drinking...I wouldn't worry too much about it.

When I was in utero, my mother's physician said to drink a glass of wine whenever she wanted AND told her it is okay to smoke for nauseau.

I came out ok!!!

My advice to you: STOP drinking now!! If you need to seek professional help, do it!! This is so unhealthy, especially if you are pregnant. I would also take a pregnancy test at the earliest opportunity!!

OK hun, well first of all...dont beat yourself up many women drink and dont even know yet that they are pregnant! Usually it takes for them to miss a period to know they have a bun in the oven and then the drinking, smoking, ect. stops. And most of the time the baby turns out just fine. My best advice to you is: If you suspect that you might be pregnant, just treat your body as if you are until you know for sure. Stop drinking and eat healthy, take prenatals even. (That is if you plan to keep the child, I assume you are ???) And just wait. When we get preggers it happens about 2 weeks before the next expected period. This seems like a long time to wait for a result when you REALLY want to know! But its not that long. I am 13 weeks pg now, I just "knew" I was though...the going going going to the bathroom, sleepiness and increase in appetite and cravings (yes that early!) So I tested about 5 or 6 days before my period was expected and got a positive. I was very happy, we had been trying for a year! In your case this baby is a "suprise", just stay healthy, treat your body as if you are preggo and you will be in the clear.

BTW; If the "pull out" methosd has worked for you in the past, good but its not a safe and effective method (IMO) if you really dont necessarily want more children just yet. Semen can still enter the vagina during intercourse and it only take one little swimmer, it doesnt take the whole "bunch" of it to make a baby. Pulling out is helpful when used with other methods of BC. I would suggest (and this is totally up to you) getting an IUD (Intra uterine device) which is very small, inserted by a Dr into your uterus. It can stay in place for up to 5 years I believe (could be longer for certain types). The "Merena IUD" is great its safe, small and you can have it removed anytime you want a baby.

Basically...Just do some research of your own and find a good method of BC, that works for you and hubby. In my opinion (no judgment here) I wouldnt count on the pull-out method 100%, and especially if your lifestyle involves drinking for fun and things that aren't safe for a pregnancy add some more birth control methods that have proven to be reliable and are safe for you and hubby.

my 2nd pregnancy showed up MUCH earlier than the first, I knew I was preg 2 weeks in .

as for the drinking, I dont think a couple of drinks a week is going to hurt. getting drunk on a regular basis is prob not a good idea.

From what I have been told it USUALLY doesn't hurt the baby if it's before your able to test positive. With my last one, (not planned) I was working at sabastians as a waitress and well half of the tips are in free shots...I was taking in an average of 10 shots every thurs.-sun. When my period was late,by one day..(I'm like clockwork) I started freaking out, knowing that I had been drinking, smoking, and breathing in lots of 2nd hand smoke. And like yours my husband was oblivious, "oh just give it a week or two" 3 days later I went out and got a test without telling him and took it, wow, # 3 was on the way. Now unlike you we did plan on having a 3rd child but had it planned for 6 mo. later, that was half the reason of my 2nd job at the bar, making some extra money. But after the shock we made an apt. the next day and the Dr. told me that "usually" any thing you do (unless it's excessive everyday) does not hurt the baby at that stage, or at least there was no evidence that it did. So I was still worried, but was relieved also. And for us all turned out well, my 3rd child was very healthy at birth, and is at the top of her headstart class! Hope this helps.

Personally, I would go ahead and take the test. This will atleast give you piece of mind and you'll know either way. There are some new ones out there that can tell you if you're pregnant before you miss your period. As for the drinking and possible pregnancy, I did not know I was pregnant for 7 weeks and was drinking quit a bit. Once I found out, the doctor told me as long as I did not continue everything would be fine. My son was born healthy and is now 8 months and has reached all his developmental milestones. Just remember that the sooner you stop drinking in your pregnancy, the less risk there will be.

I'm guessing I'm a little older than you.
Every pregnancy is different. If I ever missed my period, I KNEW I pregnant. I think you should take a pregnancy test and found out, that way it will stop driving you crazy.

I think you should stop ALL drink until you find out if you are pregnant or not; you would feel awful bad if you are and something were to happen to your unborn child.

If you suspect you're pregnant I say better to know one way or the other. Most at home test can detect pregnancy within 10 days of conception, long before you have a missed period. I can tell you what the Dr will tell you if you are pregnant that drinking during the 1st trimester is not recommended however the likelyhood that the amount of drinking you're discribing has done any damage is very slim. My daughter is now 4 months old. When I went to the Dr at 8 weeks complaining of mood swings, irregular bleeding, some nausea (which I blamed on a respitory infection and the meds I was on to fight it) I ASSUMED he did a pregnancy test when he requested a urine sample. He didn't and wrote a new Rx for birth control. 3-4 weeks later I still didn't feel quite right starting having some pelvic pain. Ended up at Kennestones ER learned I had a UTI and was in fact 12 weeks pregnant! Imagine our surprise. My first thought was to the Cinco De Mayo party I hosted just two weeks before where I had endulged in a number of Corona's. Thankfully Miss Bailey is just fine. I also switched OB's after we found out the news. My new Dr was great and they encouraged me that she would be fine, typically FAS is caused by prolonged or excessive drinking during pregnancy. Many women in European countries enjoy a glass of wine a day and have healthy babies all the time if that helps put things in prospective. Hope this was helpful...

Dear C.,
The best piece of advice I can offer you is to stop all alcohol ASAP! If you are having a hard time with that, then please seek professional assistance ASAP. If you are this early on in your pregnancy, your baby is probably still okay, but you must stop immediately (at least until you find out you aren't pregnant). I'm a nurse, and I have seen first-hand what alcohol can to do a baby. I know you love your baby more than your personal desire to drink, so go do the best thing for both of you!
As for the early pregnancy symptoms... I have been pregnant four times, and three of the times, I had no symptoms until after I had missed my period and knew I was pregnant. The fourth time, I suddenly got very nauseous one day, and knew I was pregnant because it was a different type of nausea than when you just don't feel well.
I wish you the very best!

You should be okay. WIth my first child. I was craving lobster and wine. I didn't know I was pregnant until my 7th week. Right after I found out I stopped. But I was definitely enjoying my wine and lobster during that time. Which was wierd because I am not a heavy drinker or fish eater.

Good evening,
For the money situation, don't worry about it. The Dollar Store, (Kroger shopping ctr, Cherokee St) has them and they do work. I used one for my first pregnancy and I am buying one tomorrow. I also have been drinking a lot lately, Sunday actually. Anyway I think you should discontinue the drinking until you find out for sure and I am going to listen to my own advice. LOL

Good Luck
T.

Those can also be sypmptoms from drinking. :)

But go to the Dollar Tree and buy some $1 tests. And don't worry, before a preganancy can show up there is very little possibility that any drinking you have done in the first two weeks from conception (2 weeks before your period starts) will harm a fetus. The critical time is from about week 4 (two weeks after conception) through week 13- the end of the first trimester. :)

Don't worry about the drinking you've already done. You can't change it, so don't worry about it. Beside, organs are not forming yet (if you are pregnant). I didn't drink during pregnancy, but I went on a cruise and the Europeans at my table couldn't believe that Americans don't have any wine while pregnant.
You've only got another week or so until your period, so I would hold off on drinking any more until then. After you get your period, be sure to celebrate! (and maybe look for another method of BC, so you don't have to worry about this anymore)

Is there some reason you're not using some type of valid birth control if you don't want to get pregnant? I don't understand why you wouldn't use condoms, the pill, a diaphragm -something if you don't want to be pregnant again. The pull-out method rarely works for very long. I hope you've stopped drinking until you take a pregnancy test, but don't worry about prior drinks if you are pregnant. I love to drink -wine and beer mainly, but when I drink wine I usually have at least a bottle. My first child is perfectly normal and healthy and very smart -and the two weeks before I found out I was pregnant with him, I PARTIED! It was 4th of July weekend and then the next weekend was our 5th anniversary where on Friday I had vodka shots, champagne, beer, and wine and on Saturday we had a party and I drank lots of tropical cocktails and beer. When I told my doctor she said if she had a dollar for every woman who told her they drank before finding out they were pregnant, she would have retired long ago. The key is -when you suspect you may be pregnant or know that you are -you DO NOT drink anymore! I'm not saying it's good to drink at all when pregnant, but in the super-early stages before you even know -and if you've only had drinks on a few occasions and you're not hitting the bottle on a daily basis -your baby should be fine. The night before my current pregnancy test came back positive I shared two bottles of wine with my husband, and I had wine or beer a time or two before I knew I was pregnant. I'm not worried. I have lots of friends who have done much worse -pot, coke, xtc and shrooms before finding out they were pregnant -and they have beautiful, healthy, smart kids too. One friend literally "drank like a fish" in Europe for TWO MONTHS before she found out she was pregnant (wasn't expecting it or trying at all) -and her little girl is far above average at age 8.

I have three boys 7, 6 and a 15 month old. I wasn't planning to get Pregnant with number three. As a matter of fact I was only off birth control for two weeks and had an appointment to see the Dr. for an IUD. Well Valentines Day came and we had a LOT of champagne!! I also indulged in a few full wine glasses previous days prior. Our third is a jOY and we all love him soooo much. So happy he is here and thus far he seems just normal for a little boy his age. If your are pregnant good luck and I'm sure all the alcohol is out of your system by now.

If you test positive, mention it to the doctor, of course, but I wouldn't worry too much. Just do the rest of your pregnancy the way you know you should.

And maybe your aren't. I've had a few times of thinking, "my body's acting like it's pregnant" and not been.

Good luck to you regardless!

your symptoms could be a combo of stress and drinking.... i too will go through little "stints" where i will drink more than usual for a few weeks sometimes, and my body just does not handle it the same anymore. i went through this about a million times freaking out thinking i was preggers again, finally i got on bc last month. you should do it just for the peace of mind. the pull out method always worked for me too.... until i got pregnant with my son! just take a test and get on bc so you will have 1 less thing to stress about

Sorry that I don't have time to write more or address more of your concerns but I have to make lunch for my son. I wanted to write real quick to say that most "dollar stores" wether dollar tree, dollar general etc. carry pregnancy tests. They range from $1-$5 ($5 at the dollar general) and work just as well as the expensive tests I have been told by l&d nurses etc. I am pregnant with my second now and used one $1 test to confirm this pregnancy. Gotta run but God bless and hope things work out. K.

As terrible as this is to admit and as much as I have hated myself for it, I drank the first 5 weeks I was pregnant with my daughter. I had no idea that I was pregnant and she was a COMPLETE surprise (I was on the NUVARING) but I did and on a few occasions, it was drinking in excess. I was horrified when I found out I was pregnant and cried to my doctor about my drinking binges and he almost LAUGHED at me. He said if he had a quarter for everytime he had a crying young mother that drank with an unplanned pregnancy in his office he'd no longer have to deliver babies! He told me that I needed to, of course, STOP DRINKING and that he would monitor my pregnancy closely for the first trimester, but that most birth defects caused by alcohol were caused by mother's who continuously drank throughout their pregnancies. My daughter is 10 months old and very advanced and extremely healthy. My advice? Find out if you're pregnant and STOP DRIKING if you are! ; )

Good luck!

Unfortunately, any alcohol you have early in your pregnancy (before you even know you are pregnant) is MANY times worse than alcohol late in the pregnancy, although by that time, most women are used to abstaining and it's no big deal. The March of Dimes says that there is NO level of alcohol consumption has been proven safe during pregnancy, due to the significant long-term effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

http://search.marchofdimes.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=...+

The drugstore pregnancy tests can give you an answer before your period is due. Can't remember exactly how much, maybe a week earlier. I get the store brand, and I think 3 tests are under $15. While you're there, you can try a spermicial film or gel or something, if you don't like condoms.

Please be a little paranoid.

You should go ahead and take the test now- they can detect that early- that way you'll know and you can start taking care of your body...as far as the drinking- I wouldn't worry about it - for one you can't take it back now...and there is no placenta at this point-I know many many people ( I am one of them) who have drank or had some wild nights then found out weekd later they were pregnant - they key is to stop once you find out and take care of your body and the precious baby it holds....Those do sound like early pregnancy signs Ihave three boys and I knew immediately once the signs were present....so I would go ahead and take the test - EPT works best...
Best of luck

I wouldn't worry about the drinking affecting the pregnancy but if you really think you are pregnant, then you should stop drinking until you can confirm. I'm not a big drinker but the first few weeks of my pregnancy (when I didn't know I was pregnant) I was out of town for work and we drank every night - then it was my wedding anniversary and I drank a bottle of wine plus cocktails. I felt guilty once I learned I was pregnant but the babies (I had twins) turned out just fine.

If you aren't pregnant and don't want to become pregnant, I would suggest talking to your doctor about a birth control method that suits your lifestyle. The pull out method may have worked in the past but it's not fool proof especially if alcohol is involved. At least if you are using something, that's one less thing you have to worry about!

Good luck!

Hunny, first of all you need to get a pregnancy test to see if you are even pregnant. There are a variety of tests out there and I believe there is one you could take whether you've missed a period or not. Remember, even if you have a period you could still be pregnant. But knowing is half the battle. And for you if you aren't it'll be a sigh of relief for now anyway.
Also, I work with Special Needs children and Adults and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome usually stems from excessive drinking during the 1st tri-mester. Now, it could happen during any time of the pregnancy but the 1st tri-mester is a very crucial time for the baby. So until you find out if you are pregnant or not I'd put the drinks away for the time being.
Every woman is different. Some experience morning sickness, eating more or less, restlessness, and irratibility. Depends on the woman's body. So the things you are experiencing may be signs of being pregnant but they could also be signs of you drinking more. That's my own personal opinion.
Regardless of what I hope that all is well and if you aren't pregnant it would probably be better for you to get started on a birth control pill or shot or something. I see now where they make condoms in all sorts of varieties. They come with vibrating rings, different shapes, and even have some that are edible! Check them out at any local SuperCenter. Good luck to you!

C.,

You already have tons of great advice in the previous responses. Just wanted to say a little more about the dollar tree pregnancy tests, they are so underrated. I too used one and it is how I found out my first little one (baby boy, four months old) was on the way. I also wanted to say, don't worry about the alchohol, we've all made mistakes before we found out we were pregnant, (even if some women count a mistake as not eating organic for the first 6 weeks, lord knows I was never that disciplined.) Every thing I've heard about FAS concurs with what your other responses stated (heavy daily drinking poses much more of a risk). Also, I know that every month since I've had my first, I've thought I felt pregnant. The more you worry about it, the more signs you'll see; so go ahead and take the test. Whether you are or whether you're not, it'll be sure to ease your mind.

C.,
My friend C.'s Sister In law, drank and smoked weed for 6mo of preganacy, I am not kidding you. Somehow this little girl who is now 4yrs, is just fine. She never had any complications at birth and is learning things just fine. I know it is hard to believe, but it is true. For piece of mind, i would take the test. I have been pregnant 2x. the 2ed time I knew I was bc i was sick and tired. My period was not due for another 2weeks, but I knew i was because of how I was feeling.

Hi, C.!

Before I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I drank and partied a lot with my friends--having no idea I was pregnant at the time! I was 21 yrs. old and drank mixed drinks all the time for the first 3 wks. I was pregnant. All that to say, I now have a very healthy and happy 15 yr. old son! I wouldn't worry too much about it. There are SO many people out there who drink before they find out they're pregnant and go on to have healthy babies. Now, of course, I would not advise drinking during pregnancy, although there are some others out there who say it's o.k. in the third trimester--I just wouldn't take the chance myself!

As far as the pregnancy symptoms, I just had my third baby in December and experienced tiredness, a little queasiness and more hunger during the first couple of weeks I was pregnant and didn't know it. We were not planning a third child either (HA!), and I was very upset the first week, but quickly got over it once we went to the doctor and heard that little heartbeat. So our sweet boy was a BIG surprise, but, he is the BEST baby ever and I just love him to pieces and absolutely cannot imagine life without him! He even looks like me, which I was thrilled about because the other two look like their dad! It's tough with a 21 month old plus a newborn, but the first hard weeks have flown by--mainly because I'm so busy, I think. Anyway, if you are pregnant, don't sweat it. I believe with all my heart that God does not give us more than we can handle without His help, if we ask for it. And, if you are, congratulations!! :)

If you know you don't want to get pregnant then you have to be on some form of birth control or abstain from intercourse. There are so many options out there these days (pills, shots, iud's, patches, etc.) that you should be able to find something that works for you. If you don't have insurance, birth control will still be cheaper than having another baby.

As for the drinking, don't beat yourself up over it, but do stop until you know for sure.

My OB/GYN always said not to beat yourself up over anything you did prior to knowing you were pregnant. I had drinks while pregnant with all 3 kids and they are fine. Don't worry yourself and Congrats if Congrats are due.

Hey there,
I do not think that the drinks will harm a baby. I am in the same boat, we do not use birthcontrol and I like wine. If you had 3 or more a day I would think that would matter. Plus, God made that uterus as a sheild for that baby. I drank a little too when I found out I was pregnant with my 2 girls. Oh yeah!! Go to the Dollar Tree,thay have tests and they work!! With my first and second I felt sick to my stomache when I was hungry. Hope this helps, thake care!!

Most people do something that they would not have done if they knew they were pregnant. So don't beat yourself up and fret too much. My best advice is to stop drinking until you get your period. Don't freak out, there's no need for panic. Make sure you're taking vitamins with at least 400mcg folic acid to help prevent birth defects should your withdrawal method fail at some point. Worrying about pregnancy can cause stress which may postpone your period, so stop sweating it. Wait until your period is a week late, pick up a test and take it.
I had a couple glasses of wine before I knew I was pregnant and my daughter is fine. But I'd recommend having alcohol in moderation after you do get your period. Since you don't use condoms and don't want to get pregnant in the next 10 years, you might consider an IUD. You're doctor can insert it and take it out in 5 yrs. It will release hormone and prevent pregnancy. It'll help alleviate future pregnancy scares, which seem to take a good emotional toll on us gals.

You might calm any self-blame by eating a pregnancy safe diet in case you find out you are pregnant. I hope things turn out how you'd like them to. And if you find out you're not pregnant I urge you to get on a birthcontrol, withdrawal method is the most likely to cause unplanned pregnancy.(I used to work with teen parents, I know.)

Hi C.,

I have two kids also but unlike u I have two girls. I read ur message and thought I should write back. I think you should just wait on your next period to take a test. You mentioned u a drinking, which is cool but since drinking is new to u, it is also new to your body as well. I am no expert on how the human body works but I am a woman just like u and know as a female our bodies go through hormonal changes. So im thinking maybe it’s the alcohol that is making u feel this way.

However, if it is pregnancy CONGRATS!! As I mentioned earlier I have two girls one 3 and the other is going on 7 months, and I couldn’t explain to you in words on the kind of pregnancy I had with both girls! It was rough, for the whole 9 months of my pregnancy I did nothing but throw- up everything I ate, smelled, or drank. I was very dehydrated and weak. But to make a long story short they both were healthy babies and my point is their are moments in life that u cant plan or prepare for u just have to take it how it is and thank God for everything because in the end it will be alright.