My 7 months pregnant friend visited New Orleans on a babymoon with her husband. It was supposed to be their last hurrah before entering parenthood and all the responsibilities that come with it. Like many other pregnant women today, she believes that a few glasses of wine a week is just fine. After a long day of tourist attractions, they sat down in a quiet, casual restaurant. She ordered a Chardonnay. The waitress's response: "We don't serve pregnant women here."
Is this OK?
When she told me this, I couldn't believe it. What gives that server the right to refuse a grown woman alcohol? It's her body.
Some may argue that there is an innocent life at stake. In this case, her unborn baby can't speak for itself. But what about mothers who feed their obese children fast food? Or let them buy violent video games? Is anyone refusing them service? It's not like my friend was drunk. She wanted one glass of wine.
It seems that when women are pregnant, they become public property. I'm not condoning pregnant women getting drunk, but I don't think that waitress should be allowed to make that decision for anyone but herself.
Am I alone here?
Image via Remko van Dokkum/Flickr
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Comments 209
Wow. This is a tricky one. I have never really heard of anyone I know drinking alcohol while pregnant, but I would think that if a mother feels it is OK to have a glass of wine, then they should be allowed to and not have that decision made FOR them in a restaurant.
The waitres should have presented her with her medical degree before making that call.
Hello, third trimester? It's fine to have a glass of wine.
My ob said the same thing. Third trimester, glass of wine? No problem.
And it's not the restaurant's call to make.
you should never get all out drunk while pregnant at any time but third trimester you can have a glass of wine. my midwife as well as a lot of friends doctors all agreed that a glass of wine is not going to do a thing to the baby.
Also, my cousin who went out for dinner several weeks after having a baby was reprimanded by a waiter for drinking while pregnant! Ummm akward! LOL
at least someone had the common sense to stick up for the baby! i think it's fine, if she wanted it that bad she could have went somewhere else. their bar, their rules.
Can't really blame a bar-maid or waitress for not knowing at what stage of pregnancy alcohol is OK (and how much).
When our society actually holds people accountable for their own choices, that's when I'll join the fight against people who try to interfere with those choices.
I think its totally fine (and have been told this by multiple medical professionals) to have an occassional glass or half glass of wine after six months, closer to your due date. My sister (whom I am nothing like!) drank white wine quite often throughout her pregnancy, and my niece is perfectly fine. There is a difference between getting drunk, drinking every day, and sipping a little wine once every month or something. That being said, I personally would not do it, because we do know what the 'research' says. However, the waitress isn't qualified to make that judgment call; in fact, the entire restaurant isn't, unless it's owned by the leading researcher in alcohol abuse and pregnancy, or something. If this woman was demanding shots and drinking beers and hard alcohol, ok. I could see THAT. But a simple glass of wine? Come on.
Crazy...having a glass of wine while pregnant is fine. I do remember being past my due date and going to a restaurant and brewery with my husband, mom and brother. My mom got a beer and thought it was really good, so she wanted me to take a sip. I wouldn't, not because I was afraid that one sip of beer would cause a problem, but because I was afraid some random person would come over and chastise me. : /
People have no problem giving you a hard time when you're pregnant... unfortunately it continues after you have your baby, too.
It shouldn't matter what or how much she was drinking. Either they have a right to deny her service, or they don't. You can't expect the wait staff of every alcohol-vending establishment to be an expert in fetal health. And besides, the server has no way of knowing whether this is your 1st or 10th drink.
Hmm. I'm not very keen on drinking while pregnant, so I'm gonna have to side with the restaurant on this one. They have the right to refuse service to anyone, pregnant women included. Even if it wasn't her intent to get drunk, and doctors say one glass is fine, I assume the restaurant was refusing her alcohol because they felt it was the right thing to do.