A storefront in the East Village in New York City at Fifth Street and Avenue A is proclaiming itself as the "First Bar For Pregnant Women." I drank while I was pregnant. All three times. The occasional glass of wine. A cold beer on a hot summer day. I was told by my OB-GYN that the occasional drink would not harm my unborn children, and it wasn't like I was pounding shots of Jägermeister or anything hardcore. I believe that the choice to engage in moderate alcohol consumption while gestating is between a woman and her doctor. I would never advocate for a woman getting shitfaced while she was with child, but I refuse to get all pearl-clutchy over a pregnant woman having a nice glass of wine to help her relax. It's my personal opinion that stress is worse for a fetus than a cocktail once a week.
Which is why I can't quite be amused by the whole prank this company is pulling, and some news outlets have speculated it's for a new bar app. The new "bar" showed up on Thursday, along with a Facebook page that states cheeky messages like:
And yeah, it's ridiculous and a big conversation-starter and I'm sure it's just a publicity stunt. But the thing is, pregnant women get enough scrutiny and being the butt of jokes in the world. We are criticized for weight gain during pregnancy, whether or not we work out and how we choose to do so, if we plan a natural childbirth or not, if we plan on breastfeeding or not. Pregnant women are sort of low-hanging fruit, and women feel especially vulnerable at times during pregnancy. Why not go pick on dudes or something? Plus, as I stated above, fetal alcohol syndrome is a very serious thing that can affect the quality of life for infants through adulthood.
I love having a sense of humor about things and I think it's amazingly healthy to laugh during pregnancy, but this "joke" leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Now I need to go wash it down with some delicious wine.
More drinking while pregnant
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Don't booze shame pregnant women
Drinking while pregnant: Safe or risky?