this is surprising to me...regarding smoking and drinking while pregnant....?

Question

First off I am not placing judgment on anyone for their personal choices. I am just confused by the responses people get. When asking a question regarding smoking while pregnant, women get slammed by people for not quitting. If a question regarding drinking while pregnant gets asked, most of the responses are either in favor of or indifferent to drinking moderately while pregnant, just not going hog wild.

That really confuses me, both substances can be harmful, one can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, the other to low birth weight, heart problems and much more...both seem equally risky to me, so the polar opposite responses really confuse me.

Am i the only one who is confused by this?

I am appreciative of every persons answers, but I feel I need to make it clear, i am not making a case for or against anything...I am just simply confused by the different responses people get when asking questions about the two substances. Like I said, i refuse to pass judgment on another woman for making her choice.

Answer 1

The stuff about 'any amount of booze is harmful' is an outdated lie, really.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAlcoholSyndrome.html
http://dovercanyon.typepad.com/women_wine_critics_board/2006/01/wine_and_pregna.html

I resent being told garbage like 'even one drink can cause FAS' when that's so clearly not true. I'm too nauseated to drink these days, but if I wanted a glass of wine, I'd have it. There's no need for the 'establishment' to propagate nonsense just for the purpose of scaring a few idiots who might think 'if one drink is okay, then seven can't be that bad.'

And, the 'never drink a drop' hysterics are mostly American. The British gov't, for example, suggests no more than two units of alcohol per week for pregnant women. Not 'none.'

The 'ooh, drinking while pregnant is child abuse; you're a horrible person' crowd bothers me when it comes to those questions. There're still plenty of nasty and ignorant people answering those...

But, with the smoking, there really isn't anything good to say about it. I'm bothered by the judgemental and nasty answers that show up with those questions, too -- but, the reason for the opposite sorts of answers is just that simple: a small amount of alcohol isn't a problem, and a few studies even have good things to say about light alcohol consumption during pregnancy -- but that's just not true with smoking. Very, very light smoking is a fairly low-risk activity, but still risky -- unlike with light drinking.

Edited to add: yes, there are studies.

"The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently conducted a large study including 400,000 American women, all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of fetal alcohol syndrome occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 8.5 drinks per week."
(Wilkie, S. Global overview of drinking recommendations and guidelines. AIM Digest (Supplement), June, 1997, 2-4, p. 4.)

Answer 2

As far as drinking and smoking go in pregnancy. I feel the reason why smoking is looked more severely on is because it has no redeeming value what so ever! The birth effects/defects are very evident, that it causes all kinds of problems to the fetus as well as to the human body, male or female, pregnant or not!

While drinking, can have beneficial effects... Notice I said CAN have beneficial effects. I quit drinking completely while pregnant. Others I know have had a few drinks here & there, very moderately throughout their pregnancies with NO effect what so ever. They have shown that, alcohol can reduce stress. That can be a huge benefit to the fetus. It also should be noted that alcohol is not the only way to reduce stress or the best way. Personally, my opinion is that using alcohol for anything other than pure recreation (because you like it) is abuse of the substance, and that "moderation" is key!

In my opinion it is BEST to stay away from both, drinking alcohol & smoking during pregnancy & even after. However having a glass of Champagne to celebrate should not be harmful, where they is no benefit of having a cigar to celebrate.

Also why is everyone so concerned with passing judgment, on others... I do not a judge people. I judge their decision-making ability. And there is a clear distinction between the TRUTH & opinion. I try to speak the TRUTH, & that is not being judgmental... even if it offends someone! If they chose to let MY opinion bother them, that is their problem...

Answer 3

Uh no. Drinking is bad, but it is a lot less harmful in small amounts that cigarettes are. Ask an OB or a pediatrician and most will tell you that. Smoking not only leads to low birth weight and "heart problems", but worse.....it can harden the child's arteries, cause brain defects, chemical imbalances, stunted growth, digestive problems, ear infections (as a child)...and most of that's AFTER the child is born. There is still the effects like miscarriage, 2 vessel umbilical cords and low amniotic fluid rates. More women smoke through out their pregnancies with no regard than women who drink also. So people tend to fight the larger fight than the smaller one. Also, some women have been TOLD to drink 4-6 ounces of wine a day for relaxing the uterus to aviod complications (just last year my friend was and she got a second opinion who agreed with the orginal doctor!). FAS is very, very rare in women who has the recommended amounts or less of alcohol (4-6 oz of beverages with less than4% alcohol) and the incidences of complications and health problems in women who smoked even 5-10 cigs a day is rather high. Think of the babies with mothers who smoked 1-2 PACKS. That's the difference!

Answer 4

well i think that they are both bad and in general peoples responses to these questions usually say that it's bad. I think the difference is smoking is addictive and usually it is not a social cig, it's a few cigarettes a day everyday where as with alcohol most people only drink it socially and not daily. Absolutely alcohol is just as dangerous i just think people and drs are implying that alcohol is not usually used daily and some pregnant women for whatever reason want to have a small glass of wine or a sip on a special occasion that there is not enough study to say how much alcohol can affect a baby where as there is tons of studies about smoking becuase like i already mentioned most people who smoke while pregnant are smoking daily. Just a though i dont by any means agree with either.

Answer 5

I am not going to pass judgment on anyone b/c NO ONE is perfect. I smoked a few cigarettes a day w/ several of my children since I didnt have the abilty to quit completely, and I think the most I ever drank was one or two b/c I was more terrified of the effects that alcohol can have than the smoking.....HOWEVER....both are harmful. I did a research paper when I was in college on this very topic, and neither one is good for a developing baby. BUT in all the research I did, it says that FOR SURE alcohol is by far the WORST!! There is NO KNOWN safe amount of alcohol. Yes smoking causes low birth weight, premature birth, misscarriage and other various problems, alcohol causes physical and mental retardation and malformations in a baby. FAS and FAE are things that cannot be reversed. A baby can gain weight, and alot of babies can survive these days being born early....and I am in NO WAY making lighter of smoking than drinking, but the facts are that alcohol is the most destructive of the 2.

Either way, I will tell you this much, I can see a difference in my 3 children that I smoked only a few cigarettes a day and the 3 that I did not smoke with at all. I am SOOOOOO glad that I woke up and used my pregnancy(s) as a reason to quit!!! I am better off w/ out the smoking as are the kids....and I tell you what, I know quitting is hard because I have smoked on and off since I was 9 (nearly 30 years now) so I KNOW people can quit if I did. It may be hard to quit....or quit drinking, BUT what is more important???? Your wants or your child's life. Do you want your child to pay for the rest of his/her life for decisions that you made for him/her? They didnt choose to smoke or drink or be effected by it.....for me the answer was clear, I didnt want any more of my kids to suffer, even a little, for my pleasures.....period!!

Based on what I know, have read, researched etc....HECK YEAH it confuses me too, so you are not alone!!!!!

Answer 6

There is no real excuse for being angry, judgmental, or rude, especially if it is a simple honest question.

That said, what I think you are observing is just good old prejudice. People who don't use tobacco may have a hard time comprehending just how powerful nicotine addiction is. This is not helped by anti-tobacco campaigns that attempt to "scare", or "shock" users into quitting. I believe these adds may do more harm than good, as, paradoxically, the feelings of guilt involved in tobacco use may just feed addiction. These adds also do not help to increase sympathy for all the damage and suffering nicotene addiction causes to society.

Of course, personally, this writer does not advocate smoking or drinking in any form while pregnant; but I am not an expert, and if someone does choose to do so it does not make them evil or a bad person. Their choices are not my choices, and who knows? I might have done the same things, given the situation.

Answer 7

You are not the only one confused. First off let me tell you that while not smoking or drinking doesn't guarantee you will have no problems at all with the baby, it does lower the chances. For all of you who have said well I smoked and no problems. Count yourselves lucky. I didn't smoke or drink while my sister did. I have the child with Cerebral Palsy, not her. The doctor told her she was damn lucky. Her daughter was full term and weighed 6 lbs even. My daughter was full term and weighed 8-10. The girls are 9 days apart. Oh and the fathers of the babies are brothers. So there shouldn't have been much difference. Her daughter is however having some difficulties and has had some genetic issues that I cannot go into. The doctors think her drinking had some effect on this. So yeah you may have done it with no problems, but others haven't been so lucky. (not to the asker btw) I think that some people are just so wrapped up in themselves that they cannot think of anything but them and they don't realize that they are not only hurting themselves but someone without a voice and choice in the matter.

Answer 8

no, I was thinking about that also and the irony behind it. I guess in today's society it is better to be an alcoholic than a druggy. People ask if the baby will be okay because they had drinks for new year's and the following days. but then if they say they were smoking on new years and up through now and they know they are pregnant it is like they are a horrible evil person. I don't know, but there are so many things people contradict themselves on...

Answer 9

I personally think it's equally disgusting to do either while pregnant. I lose ALL respect for women who do that. I smoked and drank alot before I got pregnant with my first. I quit immediately after I found out I was pregnant. I feel that if I was able to, anyone can if they REALLY want to. It's selfish to think of your needs while you are carrying a human being in your body. It's called sacrificing. I now have 3 children and don't touch cigarettes and I rarely ever drink ...only on special occasions. Not only did it benefit them but I also helped myself...because I would probably still be drinking and smoking if I hadn't gotten pregnant. I have no clue why anyone would think that any alcoholic drink is safe during pregnancy. If I ever aquired the taste of a beer I drank O douhls which is Non Alcoholic..

Answer 10

Drinking is more socially accepted, and therefore, is accepted by those people.

One humble opinion would suggest parents should protect their children from harm, both in and out of the womb. Smoking and drinking are self-destructive vices that are abused to "better the human condition" or whatever psychological relief they provide to the users. To cause this harm to your children is unconscionable, and should be prevented to a reasonable degree.

Parents shouldn't smoke with children nearby either - at home, outside, anywhere. In the womb, children are more vulnerable, as they are clearly in developing stages and the cells or organs are not always self-defending.

Smoking is more damaging to the body from drinking. You can be a moderate drinker in life and not have any serious health defects; especially wine. However, moderate smokers will always incurr lung disease over time. They will always die by the smoking itself, if nothing else first.

To the purist, it is confusing: both things are harmful when abused, and are unnecessary as a matter of diet and lifestyle. However, they should both be avoided.

I like to follow the mantra "If it's bad for pregnant women, it's bad for you."