Kate Hudson's comments on Letterman Show

Kate Hudson appeared on the Late Show tonight and is pregnant. Dave
commented about her health and about not drinking while pregnant...
she said 'no, that she doesn't drink while pregnant --- oh, except for
wine--that's OKAY'... ??? Does she not know that wine, beer, liquor
are all the same? It's all alcohol and it's all harmful. Actually
she's consuming more alcohol with wine than she would with a beer,
generally. The latest studies conclude that there are NO safe levels
of alcohol to consume while pregnant. I hope that there is a
backlash toward in her regard to this; she did a great disservice to
women out there who are pregnant and may be uninformed.

I had a friend who told me that she heard wine was ok. I dont drink,but I
wonder. How are the stats on birth defects in countries liek Frane and Italy
where wine consumption is a part of daily life??

"Dutch" wrote in message
om...
Kate Hudson appeared on the Late Show tonight and is pregnant. Dave
commented about her health and about not drinking while pregnant...
she said 'no, that she doesn't drink while pregnant --- oh, except for
wine--that's OKAY'... ??? Does she not know that wine, beer, liquor
are all the same? It's all alcohol and it's all harmful. Actually
she's consuming more alcohol with wine than she would with a beer,
generally. The latest studies conclude that there are NO safe levels
of alcohol to consume while pregnant. I hope that there is a
backlash toward in her regard to this; she did a great disservice to
women out there who are pregnant and may be uninformed.

Dutch wrote:
The latest studies conclude that there are NO safe levels
of alcohol to consume while pregnant.

We've BTDT ad nauseam... If you make statements like this, at
least include the reference to the studies so people can read
up on them. How else would you expect people to educate themselves
about alcohol during pregnancy?

--
-- Ilse
mom to Olaf (07/15/2002)
TTC #2
"What's the use of brains if you are a girl?"
Aletta Jacobs, first Dutch woman to receive a PhD

(Dutch) wrote in message . com...
Kate Hudson appeared on the Late Show tonight and is pregnant. Dave
commented about her health and about not drinking while pregnant...
she said 'no, that she doesn't drink while pregnant --- oh, except for
wine--that's OKAY'... ??? Does she not know that wine, beer, liquor
are all the same? It's all alcohol and it's all harmful. Actually
she's consuming more alcohol with wine than she would with a beer,
generally. The latest studies conclude that there are NO safe levels
of alcohol to consume while pregnant. I hope that there is a
backlash toward in her regard to this; she did a great disservice to
women out there who are pregnant and may be uninformed.


The amount of alcohol in a single drink of wine is about the same as
the amount of alcohol in a single drink of beer or hard liquor. (Of
course the total quantity of liquid consumed is different, since 'a
beer' is larger than 'a shot of whiskey' or 'a glass of wine.')

However, alcohol in small amounts is not likely to be harmful to the
baby. I don't know how much Kate Moss drinks, but if she is imbibing
in moderation, (a drink or two on occassion -- NOT a bottle of wine
with dinner every night) her baby will almost certainly be fine. It's
a pity that the American medical establishment has gone so far
overboard on this one.


Naomi

"Naomi" wrote in message
om...
The amount of alcohol in a single drink of wine is about the same as
the amount of alcohol in a single drink of beer or hard liquor. (Of
course the total quantity of liquid consumed is different, since 'a
beer' is larger than 'a shot of whiskey' or 'a glass of wine.')

However, alcohol in small amounts is not likely to be harmful to the
baby. I don't know how much Kate Moss drinks, but if she is imbibing
in moderation, (a drink or two on occassion -- NOT a bottle of wine
with dinner every night) her baby will almost certainly be fine. It's
a pity that the American medical establishment has gone so far
overboard on this one.


Naomi


It isn't just the "American medical establishment" most European Countries
(and others) are coming around and CHANGING their position on
alcohol...recognizing that more and more evidence is showing that there is a
*real* possibility of small amounts doing harm to the fetus.

(reposted)
here are several articles that suggest small quantities *are* a concern.

...." Even pregnant women who stick rigidly to government advice on how much
is safe to drink may be damaging their unborn children, researchers in
*Belfast* have said.
Official advice is that pregnant women can safely drink up to four units of
alcohol a week.
But researchers at Queen's University have said their tests on babies in the
womb have revealed that even drinking the equivalent of four glasses of wine
a week can affect development. The government is being urged to re-consider
its advice in light of the new findings.
...Research fellow Dr Jennifer Little, who conducted the study, said: "The
results show that even **low levels** of alcohol may have an effect on the
central nervous system functioning. "We don't want to concern women, but
until we can absolutely say that a certain level of alcohol will have no
effect, I would urge caution." American women are advised not to drink at
all during pregnancy but more than two-thirds of British mothers-to-be do
not totally give up. The Royal College of Midwives had previously said up to
eight units was a safe limit. ..."
http://news6.thdo.bbc.co.uk/hi/engli...000/620552.stm

-----------

"NEW YORK (Reuters Health) By Keith Mulvihill - Children whose mother
consumed even a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy may be at increased
risk of behavioral problems later in life, according to the results of a new
study.
Compared with teetotalers, women who drank the equivalent of **one cocktail
a week** during pregnancy were three times more likely to have a child
diagnosed
with behavioral problems, researchers report.
"This study shows that adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on
childhood behavior are seen at lower levels of exposure than previously
reported," said co-author Dr. Virginia Delaney-Black, of Children's Hospital
of Michigan, in an interview with Reuters Health.

article snipped..."Significantly, children with low levels of prenatal
alcohol exposure--equivalent to an average of one cocktail per week across
pregnancy--were three times as likely to have delinquent behavior scores in
the clinical range," Delaney-Black told Reuters Health. This was true after
the researchers took into account other factors that can influence a child's
behavior.

snipped Most studies in humans to date have reported adverse effects of
prenatal alcohol exposure on childhood behavior at higher levels of exposure
than reported in this study. Recently, there has been a suggestion that
children exposed to even ***small amounts*** of alcohol prenatally may have
significant problems, Delaney-Black explained.
Both Sood and Delaney-Black recommend that women avoid any amount of
alcohol, even a few sips of wine, for the duration of pregnancy, "as we do
not know the 'safe' dose of alcohol exposure, if one exists," they told
Reuters Health. (SOURCE: Pediatrics 2001;108)
http://www.come-over.to/FAS/delaney.htm

"(July, 2001). The **NZ*** Alcohol Advisory Committee and the national
college of
gynae's.....up until last month, their official stance was that up to 15
drinks a week was fine. As a result of the [...] meeting they are now
recommending to women ****zero***** consumption."

"newfy" wrote in message
...

"

This topic has been debated here over and over again. I personally don't
drink while pregnant, but I don't really drink when NOT pregnant so why
would I start? I see nothing wrong with a glass of wine here or there. I
know many, many people who do and have had absolutely no problems
--
JennP.
mom to matthew 10/11/00
EDD 4/4/04

SIGH....that's like me saying I see many, many people who do drive with
their baby/child in their laps down the road..."and they have absolutely no
problems...so why the heck shouldn't we all do it once in a while, it can't
hurt, and their child turned out "just fine" so how can it be a problem"???
Those people who advocate for using a carseat **all the time** are
overreacting! "Most trips will turn out just fine"! The question is...can
you be sure which trip will?

"BabyBlues" wrote in message
. ca...
SIGH....that's like me saying I see many, many people who do drive with
their baby/child in their laps down the road..."and they have absolutely
no
problems...so why the heck shouldn't we all do it once in a while, it
can't
hurt, and their child turned out "just fine" so how can it be a
problem"???
Those people who advocate for using a carseat **all the time** are
overreacting! "Most trips will turn out just fine"! The question is...can
you be sure which trip will?

Hardly a good analogy.
--
JennP.
mom to matthew 10/11/00
EDD 4/4/04

But we DO know that there is range (say... oh... [don't take this as gospel,
I'm just pulling a number out of my hat], no more than 2 drinks at a time, no
more than three days a week) where there is no evidence of harm. So.... instead
of telling women, essentially "The only way to guarantee that your baby will
not have FAS is to never drink from the moment you decide to try and conceive"
[and yes, I've seen books that say just that], why can't doctors say something
like "Of course you don't have to drink alcohol while pregnant, and it may be
that the safest course is to abstain completely. But if you enjoy alcohol, it
appears to be safe to drink no more than X amount of alcohol." (And they
should, of course, make sure the woman understands what 'a drink' is -- that
it's NOT a six pack, or a bottle of wine, but an ounce of hard liquor, 5 ounces
of wine or 12 ounces of beer.)

it's
ultimately up to the mother on what amount risk she's willing to
except to expose her unborn fetus to.


I agree. Except women aren't given this information in a reasonable manner.
They are not told "occassional alcohol use exposes your baby to a real but
miniscule risk." They are told "If you touch alcohol your baby will have FAS."

And so far as I know, no one has done a study about women who have,
say, one drink a month while pregnant. All the descriptions I've seen
describe moderate or light drinkers as 1 drink a day or 4 drinks a
week, or something similar. Which is a far cry from occasionally
having a drink at a very special occasion. (FWIW, I had a few sips of
wine occasionally while I was pregnant, once I knew, but never more
than a half a glass at a time, IIRC). So, no one really knows if that
is harmful. I suppose it would be hard to organize a study for that.

Irene

"newfy" wrote in message
...

"BabyBlues" wrote in message
. ca...
SIGH....that's like me saying I see many, many people who do drive with
their baby/child in their laps down the road..."and they have absolutely
no
problems...so why the heck shouldn't we all do it once in a while, it
can't
hurt, and their child turned out "just fine" so how can it be a
problem"???
Those people who advocate for using a carseat **all the time** are
overreacting! "Most trips will turn out just fine"! The question
is...can
you be sure which trip will?

Hardly a good analogy.
--
JennP.
mom to matthew 10/11/00
EDD 4/4/04


Hmmmm...why's that? Seems to me it is right on. We *Know* at some point an
accident will likely happen to someone (oh but never *me* right/always
someone else)...we don't know how serious it will be...it could be a minor
bump or it could be much more serious. So why on earth do people still
drive with their children on their laps? Or two children in one adult
seatbelt etc...??? why?...cause "oh it won't hurt....I can hold her/him,
they are in *a* seatbelt...or it's only a trip around the block this one
time"... And that to you is not a good analogy to ..."it's only a small
little amount of alcohol...it is *only* this once, or once in a while...I
KNOW *this* amount is safe (how?) my mother drank all the time and *I*
turned out ok, or I had a few drinks when *I* was pregnant with little
so-and so...and HE IS PERFECTLY HEALTHY etc....".

We *KNOW* for a FACT that alcohol at ome level *is* very damaging to a
growing fetus. That is a *fact* that *has* been proven. What is still in
debate is how much (IF ANY) is "safe". I suppose that all those women who
*CHOOSE* to drink *know* for a fact just *how much* is safe. I guess that
would be about the same likelihood as a parent knowing which trip with an
unsecured child will result in an accident (and to not go on that particular
trip)....Seems absolutely ridiculous to me.

Would you give a on week old baby a "small sip", or "only" half a glass of
wine? Hmmmm why not? Why do people think that if it is in utero it is
somehow "different" than giving it to an unborn?

In article , BabyBlues wrote:

We *KNOW* for a FACT that alcohol at ome level *is* very damaging to a
growing fetus. That is a *fact* that *has* been proven. What is still in
debate is how much (IF ANY) is "safe". I suppose that all those women who
*CHOOSE* to drink *know* for a fact just *how much* is safe. I guess that
would be about the same likelihood as a parent knowing which trip with an
unsecured child will result in an accident (and to not go on that particular
trip)....Seems absolutely ridiculous to me.

We KNOW for a FACT that Water at some level is very damaging to a
growing fetus. No one knows exactly where that level is, probably
because it varies from mother to mother. There's been quite a bit
of debate about how much water is too much water. I guess that
everyone who chooses to drink water knows for a fact just *how
much* is safe.


Would you give a on week old baby a "small sip", or "only" half a glass of
wine? Hmmmm why not? Why do people think that if it is in utero it is
somehow "different" than giving it to an unborn?

Actually, if you adjust for body weight, in some cultures you would
give a young baby somewhere beteen a sip and a half a glass of wine.
A half glass of wine is 2 oz. If the mother weighs 185lb, the baby-
equivilent dose would be about 1/3 teaspoon. During a bris, it
is traditional to give the baby a few drops of wine. As far as I
know, no studies have found ill effects on the babies.

At some point, the amount of alcohol becomes negligable. Otherwise
pregnant women wouldn't be allowed anything with vanilla extract,
or natural flavors (which are commonly in an alcohol carrier).
Obviously there is a safe lower range, but no one knows what it is.

(And no, all of the alcohol is *not* cooked out. If you'd like -
I'd be happy to provide the studies.)

Elaine