Question: I had went out partying with my friends last weekend and drank a lot. Then today, my pregnancy test turned up positive! Since I drank before I found out I was pregnant, I’m freaked out! Could I have hurt my baby?
Answer: Having couple of drinks before you knew you were pregnant isn’t ideal, but it’s pretty common. Surveys have shown that half of all pregnancies aren’t planned, and half of the women in the U.S. drink alcohol, so that means lots of women drank before they knew they were pregnant. Even though it may be hard for you to stop worrying, it’s best to not stress. The simple and obvious solution is to stop drinking once you know you’re pregnant.
Make sure to tell your doctor that you drank before you knew you were pregnant. You won’t be the first patient with this story. You won’t even be the first one that day! Your doctor will likely assure you that everything’s probably going to be OK. If there’s something wrong in this very early stage of your pregnancy, you might have a miscarriage. Or you might not. If you don’t miscarry, chances are that your baby will be fine.
Think of it this way: there aren’t any guarantees that even if you’d never drank a smidge of alcohol that you’ll have a “flawless” baby. Every time a woman gets pregnant there are risks. So, do your best. Make sure to eat healthy foods and be active and chances are good that you baby will be fine!