Expectant parents often have mixed messages about whether it’s OK to drink alcohol whilst pregnant. Is it safe to have ‘just the one’?
When raising the topic of alcohol with expectant parents you may want to spark a general conversation. Perhaps you’d like to ask a group how difficult they found it to give up alcohol whilst pregnant? Or, a discussion around what helps them deal with stressful situations when they need to avoid alcohol as a coping mechanism?
Below is a suggested script of how you can introduce this course to expectant parents. Feel free to use as is, or adapt for your own purposes:
“Pregnancy can feel overwhelming at times, and this may affect close relationships - like arguing more or feeling unheard by your partner. Most of us are tempted to have 'just the one' drink when we’re feeling stressed but it’s important to avoid this during pregnancy.
OnePlusOne is a charity specialising in relationship skills. They have created a free online course to help pregnant women and their partners understand why it is important to avoid alcohol during pregnancy. The course also offers some useful tips about how to manage stress without feeling the need to take the ‘edge off’ with a drink.
On the course, you will learn how to cope with stress, how to be supportive to one another during pregnancy and how to communicate better to avoid feeling so overwhelmed. It’s useful to do the course together as a couple, or you can do the course on your own.
It can help both you and baby to stay happy and healthy through pregnancy, and you will learn valuable communication skills that will help throughout your whole parenting journey.”
View course overview Download flyer
