Now that we've spoken about nutrition and smoking I'd like to talk to you about alcohol,
umm it's something that I talk to all clients about. Is this something you've thought about
and have you made any decisions about alcohol in pregnancy?
Well I haven't drank since I found out at that I was pregnant. But I'm sort of concerned
that I may have already harmed the baby.
hmm why are you concerned?
Well I didn't know I was pregnant and I went on my friend's hen's night and I just got
really drunk. I had no idea that I could be pregnant so I just didn't know. And since
then I've been read and I found out that it could cause brain damage for the baby.
I understand you concerns and although we can't say what impact that alcohol consumption
has had, we do know that the risk is probably very small. So I'd like to talk to you now
about your alcohol consumption before pregnancy, if that's ok?
Ok Before you were pregnant how often did you drink, was it more than 4 times a week,
two to three times a week, a couple of times a month, monthly or less?
Ah two to three times a week probably, but it was only ever with friends and on weekends.
So when you were drinking how many standard drinks did you have? This poster shows you
what a standard drink is.
Umm maybe one or two.
Great, and were there ever times where you had five or more standard drinks in one sitting?
Oh only ever on those big occasions like my friend's hen's night.
And how often they happen?
Oh at the moment once every couple of months.
Wonderful and you said before that since you found out that you were pregnant you haven't
been drinking, is that correct?
Yeah, ever since the Doctor told me I was pregnant I haven't touched a drink since.
That's great, because our alcohol guidelines tell us that it's the safest thing for you
and your baby, not to drink in pregnancy.
But what about that one time, I thought you said that it was ok.
Yes I understand your concern umm but this is a very common thing for women to come to
me in pregnancy and talk about. We do know that the effects of that one night are probably
very small. So the important thing from now on is to focus on the rest of your pregnancy,
that you're happy and healthy, and you look towards a pregnancy without alcohol. The other
important thing is that you think about your health and your baby's health. How do you
feel about these things?
I guess I'm not sure what to say in those situations, where everybody else is drinking.
I'm not ready to tell anybody about the pregnancy yet though either.
Yes it can be difficult when everyone around you is drinking. But perhaps you could tell
one person who is close to you about your situation and you can discuss what to say
together. Also when you do decide to tell people that you're pregnant you can you tell
them that you're looking forward to having the healthiest baby possible and that you've
got all the information from your health care providers about what the best thing to do
is.
Yeah ok thanks.
No worries I'll also give you some information on drinking alcohol in pregnancy and why it's
important to stay away umm and it tells you some tips on what to do in those social situations.
And of course if you need to talk to me at any time in the future you can come back and
have another visit.
Thank you.
No worries.
It's important to open with a question like 'what do you know about' or 'how do you feel
about drinking alcohol in pregnancy.' These open questions allow the woman the opportunity
to talk about her knowledge and feelings. Rather than tell the woman the health consequences
of alcohol consumption, this approach, known as 'Motivational interviewing' aims to find
out the patient's level of knowledge and provide relevant information. There is no assumption
that: 'if she just had the correct information, she would change'.
So it's good to make some general statements such as "a lot of women mention this as an
issue" and "sometimes women receive mixed messages about alcohol and pregnancy." This
helps the woman realise that they're not alone and that it is normal for a health professional
to talk about alcohol.