Baby Blase

There is a debate - well, can you call a bunch of internet chatter a debate? - about wine drinking during pregnancy and breastfeeding. There are the close-minded-know-it-all-old-school-folks and then there are people who I choose to listen to. During the second and third trimesters of Harrison’s life in-womb I enjoyed probably a glass of wine a week with dinner. Not even close to enough for me or the precious cargo I was carrying to feel, but, just enough for me to feel human again. I love food - I think I’ve established that. But, more than just food - it’s the experience of dining that I really enjoy. And dining for me often times includes a wine accompaniment. The glass of wine a week was such a special occasion maker for me that it helped pass the uncountable weeks of pregnancy. I also decided that I was not going to give up drinking wine because I am breastfeeding. There are some pretty clear guidelines to help a mother know when and when not to share with the little one post-drink: it takes approximately 15 minutes for alcohol to get into your breast milk and 2 hours to get out. But, I believe that a small glass of wine in a two hour period is not going to harm either of us, so, I’ll go ahead and feed him without worrying about it and I will pump before if I am going to indulge in multiple glasses of wine or coffee. Now, having said all of that, I am in no position, as I have no medical training whatsoever, to give advice on the subject. But, when I first learned of Harrison’s burgeoning life inside of me, all I could think about was what I was having to give up. And I felt a little bit saved when I learned that a friend who had just given birth to a gorgeous baby enjoyed 1 or more glasses of wine a week in her second and third trimesters. I did a a bunch of “research” (aka reading through the internet chatter) to find both sides of the debate. The “even a drop could harm your baby” side or the “occasional wine with food, though not recommended by doctors, is probably fine for you and baby, and can help relax the mom-to-be”. I am not swayed by fear-based opinions so, I stuck with my girls on the relaxed side.

Recently I passed on my experience with a friend who has entered her second trimester and was feeling a little down, a little not-herself, with a little case of writers block - makes sense as she is a wine-blogger. I’ve been missing her writing so, I thought it might help. And hooray - she’s back!

Listening: Spoon