Drinking for Two: putting the wine where your mouth is
Firstly, check out the full article at: http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/NewsRoundupDec2006.pdf
The article I am referencing here is entitled, 'The Weighty Responsibility of Drinking for Two'
In short, the article discusses the issue of consming alcohol during pregnancy. It's culturally taboo in the US, but common practice in other countries. Blah, blah, blah, the US is uptight. We know this. Moderation in all things. Permission to drink the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy is not what I took away from the article. The fact is, I already knew that drinking the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy is not dangerous. Did I drink during my (very) recent pregnancy though? Hell no.
And in the end, I needed this article and a wise friend to help me put it together. No matter how much of a free thinking person I think I am, I could not put my money where my mouth is on this one. I was too afraid I was wrong, (which I knew I wasn't,) and too afraid of what others would think, (which I never am.) So, although I allowed myself the occasional sip, it was always 'naughty' of me. I was made to feel shame about something I don't even believe in... and THAT is a first for me. After all of my sins, which at this point include a child out of wedlock (!) it took a sip of wine to make me feel shame.
The wise friend in question highlighted the following sentence from the article:
"And the public seems to seriously doubt whether pregnant women can be trusted to make responsible decisions on their own."
So, let me set the record straight... I am not ashamed about the wine anymore. I am ashamed that I was made to not trust myself, my instincts and my intellect. And so, I am pouring myself a glass of wine and making a toast to women- a promise to trust women, even when that woman is myself.
Firstly, check out the full article at: http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/NewsRoundupDec2006.pdf
The article I am referencing here is entitled, 'The Weighty Responsibility of Drinking for Two'
In short, the article discusses the issue of consming alcohol during pregnancy. It's culturally taboo in the US, but common practice in other countries. Blah, blah, blah, the US is uptight. We know this. Moderation in all things. Permission to drink the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy is not what I took away from the article. The fact is, I already knew that drinking the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy is not dangerous. Did I drink during my (very) recent pregnancy though? Hell no.
And in the end, I needed this article and a wise friend to help me put it together. No matter how much of a free thinking person I think I am, I could not put my money where my mouth is on this one. I was too afraid I was wrong, (which I knew I wasn't,) and too afraid of what others would think, (which I never am.) So, although I allowed myself the occasional sip, it was always 'naughty' of me. I was made to feel shame about something I don't even believe in... and THAT is a first for me. After all of my sins, which at this point include a child out of wedlock (!) it took a sip of wine to make me feel shame.
The wise friend in question highlighted the following sentence from the article:
"And the public seems to seriously doubt whether pregnant women can be trusted to make responsible decisions on their own."
So, let me set the record straight... I am not ashamed about the wine anymore. I am ashamed that I was made to not trust myself, my instincts and my intellect. And so, I am pouring myself a glass of wine and making a toast to women- a promise to trust women, even when that woman is myself.
posted by christy at 11:56 AM
1 Comments:
I was about to send you a link to a recent article I had read and realized it was the same one. I must be drunk already.
My stance is that it's only nine months of diet adjustment. Just as there are certain foods I'm avoiding and other foods I have introduced for the duration of this stint. I don't believe that in later gestation it could do any damge but for me, as my own woman, it feels good to have something to look forward to after delivery. To abstain and then have it introduced back into my life with moderation ( lord knows that was not our previous relationship).
Thanks for the shame-busting. It does good in the world. Now if we could just tackle the breastfeeding bullseye......
Post a Comment
<< Home