Join Emily Oster, author of Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong-and What You Really Need to Know, for a Q&A about questioning the "rules" pregnant moms are often told to abide by. Learn what her research taught her about pregnancy and everything from caffeine to bed rest, and more!
Loved your book, the only one I read while pregnant! My question for you - What does the research actually indicate about drinking alchocol (day a glass of wine) while breastfeeding?
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Emily O.
I am glad you asked since people seem to have a lot of thoughts about this. It will be in book #2 but ... |
Thank you for such thoughtful and informative answers, Emily! Check out Emily's book, Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong-and What You Really Need to Know, here: https://www.amazon.com/Expecting-Better-Conventional-Pregnancy-Wrong/dp/0143125702/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
It's a great Mother's Day gift! We will be selecting five winners to receive a free copy of the book and will reach out via email this week. Thank you to all attendees for coming!
Hi Emily! I know your book says coffee is okay, but how much is really okay? I'm having two cups a day and my mother in law is giving me a hard time. I'm wondering what I can tell her to make her feel better. Thank you!
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Emily O.
Ah, coffee. It's the best. The big worry with coffee - or, really, any kind of caffeine - is the possible link with miscarriage. When researchers look at pregnant women, they see that women who drink a lot of coffee - we're talking five, six, seven cups a day - are more likely to miscarry early on than others. This is the evidence that leads to some caution with coffee. |
Hi Emily! Loved the book and your matrix on fish was especially helpful to me. Many of the sources I am reading say to limit all fish consumption to 12 oz or less a week--does it still make sense to do that even when you're mostly eating salmon and cod? Thank you!
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Emily O.
Hm...I cannot see why. Fish is good. This sounds made up. |
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Sara Thank you! It's funny, after reading the Slate article you linked, I see now that I was definitely interpreting the 12oz as a limit instead of as a goal. Our brains become so limit-focused during pregnancy that it's hard not to see it that way. Thanks again! |
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Emily O.
You're welcome! I totally agree. It's hard to step out of the "what are they telling me not to do now" mindset! |
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Emily O.
Thanks!! I am very happy to hear this... |
Emily,
We’re big fans of expecting better - any news on the release date of your next book? Also curious if there’s any twin-centric pregnancy research you can point us to. Finally, any studies showing music or other “interactive” interventions in the womb makes any difference one way or the other?
Thanks,
Ed + Julia
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Emily O.
Congratulations! |
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Edward Thank you! April will give us ~ 6 months under our belts so it will be a welcome resource. |
Loved the book! Any significant risks with cough drops?
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Emily O.
Thanks! |
Hi Emily! Also loved the book. Based on everything I have read, it seems like a cup of coffee a day is no problem. I stuck with that for the first ~22 weeks of my pregnancy. But now that I can feel the baby kick, I have noticed that when I drink any caffeine the baby starts kicking like crazy! Do you know if there is any reason to be concerned by this? Should we be trying to pay attention to what the baby responds to? Thanks!!!
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Emily O.
This is interesting! |
One more for you (perhaps beyond the scope of pregnancy) but on the top of our minds - any good sources showing better outcomes for infants whose parents take longer leave? Could be good fuel for discussions with our employers. Thanks again!
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Emily O.
I'll talk about this some in the new book but, yes, there is some evidence that maternity leave in the first few months of life is good for babies. |
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Edward Excellent, thank you. |
Hi Emily! Have you done any studies around marijuana usage and pregnancy? I've been suffering from terrible morning sickness (even though I'm now well into my second trimester). I have been reading that in countries outside the US that they recommend marijuana for morning sickness! Is this something I can look into? Thank yoU!
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Emily O.
This is a good question! i think the answer is we do not yet really have enough data to know. |
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Corey Yah, that makes sense. Thanks |
Hi Emily! I'm in my second pregnancy and for my first I stayed away from sushi. Is it safe for me to eat? And what are the worries? It seems that a lot of my pregnant friends still eat it without an issue.
Thanks!
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Emily O.
There are basically two worries. First, that sushi can carry food-bourne illness like salmonella. This is true, although the risks are no greater than if you were not pregnant. What I say in the book is that you should make sure your sushi is from a high quality vendor - like, no gas station sushi - but this is true whether or not you are pregnant. |
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Susan Thank you, Emily! I'm excited to learn about and read your book! |
I appreciated your section in the book that shows there’s no evidence that bed rest helps avoid premature birth. Are there specific activities that one should avoid in the 20+ week range that would be supported by research? I’m thinking specifically of driving or exercising.
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Emily O.
Not really, no. |
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Edward Thanks again. |
Hi Emily,
Thanks so much for your wonderful book! I know you say that alcohol in moderation is fine during the two-week-wait, in that it won't negatively affect your baby down the line, but I've also read that even a couple drinks a week can make it harder to conceive. Do you have a sense of how much alcohol is necessary to meaningfully reduce the likelihood of conception? Is a glass of wine OK, or am I halving my chances? (So hard to find accurate info online!)
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Emily O.
Yes, this is hard to find good information about. |
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Emily O.
Probably the best evidence on this is from a Danish study (editorial discussion it here https://www.bmj.com/content/354/bmj.i4540) which shows that there is MAYBE some evidence that 14 or more drinks a week lowers fertility, but below that there is no effect. |
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Charlotte Phew—14 drinks is definitely more than I was planning on. Thanks for the response! |
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Emily O.
Yes, I should have put in that 14 drinks a week is above what they'd recommend to anyone - pregnant or not. So, don't do that anyway! |