"I need a drink!"

It's a cruel trick that the one time in your life when you probably need a drink the most (after all, your back is hurting, your feet are aching, and you're trying to assemble a 300-piece crib), you're not allowed to have one. You're not alone. Alcohol anxiety is rampant among moms-to-be. Here's how they've dealt:

Try to relax.
"I found out the day after Christmas that I was pregnant. On Christmas Day, I had drunk the Communion wine at church. I worried the entire pregnancy that that little sip of wine would hurt my child. Of course, it didn't, and my son is just fine."
 -- Susan Paul, Avenel, NJ

Wake up.
"Twice I dreamed that I was drinking a glass of wine and thinking, 'Oh, no!' When I woke up I had to reassure myself that it was just a dream."
 -- Robin Root, Laguna Niguel, CA

Let the past go.
"I didn't find out I was pregnant for seven weeks, during which time I did drink. I was so nervous! When I told my doctor, he just said, 'Don't drink again, and don't give a second thought to what you've already had. It's not worth it.' He was right."
 -- Ann Sackrider, Brooklyn, NY

Fake it.
"I normally don't drink alcohol, but when I was pregnant with my first baby, I craved margaritas all the time! I had to settle for frozen lemonade."
 -- Andrea Verwys, Vienna, VA

Get creative.
"I wanted a vodka tonic more than anything. I don't even drink them regularly, but because I couldn't have liquor, I wanted that drink so badly. I even wrote poetry dedicated to the vodka tonic!"
 -- Lydia Bouk, Cleveland, NC

Stephanie Wood is a Babytalk contributor.

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