What was Britney thinking by drinking?

by auditioning contributor Nisha

Eight months pregnant Britney Spears was reportedly seen drinking alcohol on a family outing at Santa Monica’s Houston restaurant on Aug. 17. Britney, 23, was said to have drank a glass of wine and then ordered a strawberry daiquiri. The waiter in turn told her that they did not serve blended drinks but that she might enjoy a virgin margarita due to her condition. Britney reportedly said, "No, I want the real thing." She then drank two non-virgin margaritas.

Sources say she is drinking to relieve stress over the pending birth of her child. Britney’s concern over her child has previously pushed her to not only quit smoking, but to also hire a team on 24-hour on call nurses. A pal was quoted as saying, " She’s heard it’s not so bad to have a drink in the third trimester, so she is having the occasional one."

Source: In Touch, September 5 issue

Editor’s note: While you may disagree with Britney’s choice, please keep your comments respectful or they will be deleted. 

Comments

yeah, what was she thinking?? I’ve heard its okay to OCCASIONALLY have a glass of wine or champagne, but to have 2 glasses of HARD ALCOHOL in the SAME NIGHT??

- hkdiaz on August 27th, 2005

Is this for real? I’ve actually heard that a very small glass of wine isn’t so bad during pregnancy…. but I’m not sure that I’d like to test that statement out on myself anytime soon being pregnant. Surely this source is mistaken. Watch, next month someone will print a story about tobacco being fantastic for the lungs! WHATEVER!

- Marie on August 27th, 2005

Sadly, I’m not surprised by that at all, and I don’t doubt it’s true either.

I recently learned that a few clinical studies are beginning to find a tentative correlation between having “one or two drinks” during pregnancy and the occurrence of ADD/ADHD. So far these doctors are saying that the actually drinking has to happen during the first trimester for the adverse effects to happen, but they aren’t completely ruling out the second and third.

I do think Britney means well. But letting her husband smoke around her, and possibly drinking ANY alcohol…if it’s true, she really needs to grow up.

- Erica on August 27th, 2005

While this story is distressing, who knows how much validity there is to it. I mean, I wouldn’t put it past her, she’s not the most mature creature, and while she may have embraced pregnancy, she’s probably realizing as her due date approaches that her life will forever be changed and that could be pretty intimidating — it sounds like she’s going thru a bout post partum panic while still pregnant. And if this story is true, shame on who ever she was with to let her drink in public where someone was bound to get whiff of it and then go public with the story. If she had that much of a craving for liquor, and not that this is acceptable either, but knowing how the press follows her relentlessly, it would have been less blatent to do it in the privacy of her or a friends home — where there are no prying eyes. Unless of course she herself planted the story to see how many people would believe her. She’s certainly lost that ‘role model’ image she once had, that’s for sure!.

- floopeygirl on August 27th, 2005

I agree with Marie- this story may not be true. That’s why I posted it under Rumors.

A reader emailed me a photo of Britney smoking- I have not posted it because there is a good chance it was photoshopped and not real.

- Danielle, CBB Editor on August 27th, 2005

Are we REALLY surprised? REALLY?

- Stacey on August 27th, 2005

I really hope that this is not true and is just a rumor. I think that being in the public eye Brittney would be more careful with her choices.

- Nicole H on August 27th, 2005

Just another sign that she’s human. I hope for the fetus’ sake that she isn’t drinking alcohol.

- brave on August 27th, 2005

First of all, we surely don’t know if this actually happened…people say all kinds of junk about celebs. I am *hoping* that this is just a rumor.

Secondly, I’ve done a lot of research on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It isn’t so much the “how much” someone drinks, but the “when” as in when during the pregnancy a woman was drinking. What body part was being “worked on” that day? What part of the brain was developing at that time? Etc. I know lots of people who, in their day, it was not bad to drink. And their kids are fine. I’ve known a couple of people (mostly through school, I’m a speech and hearing major and we see alot of FAS kids) who didn’t drink hardly at all (so they say and their kids have severe mental impairments and some not so severe.

Just don’t know these days.

Gosh I hope it isn’t true. She has enough people trash talking her.

- Corriev on August 27th, 2005

Hmmm…sounds like a great story to sell some magazines.

I’m a huge fan of Britney so I hope it’s not true. It’s unfortunate if it’s not true because alot more of people are going to choose to believe it.

- halifaxhoney on August 27th, 2005

I have heard of other women having a drink or two in the later stage of pregnancy. Personally ,I don’t think it is fair to the baby and why not just wait a few more months until after the baby is born?

- Katie on August 28th, 2005

Well, Even though doctors say that it’s okay to have a drink now and then…all I have to say is better safe than sorry!

- Scarlett on August 28th, 2005

I know that you are able to have the occasional glass of red wine…by that I mean 4 oz. But geeze trying to order to mixed drinks is taking it a bit far. One thing that has been bothering me from day one of her pregnancy is her clothes! Good lord she needs a new stylist, not only are her clothes not flattering to her ever changing figure (belly) but they can’t be comfortable. She needs to fire her stylist, and now!

- Sarah on August 28th, 2005

I think that is very irresponsible. I know pregnancy can be stressful (though with KFed as a husband and the papparatzi on her all the time I am sure that is major stress) however, I never drank during my pregnancy. Why potentially endanger your baby by drinking? Stupid choice.

- parkerja on August 28th, 2005

Wow I did see her smoking recently, didn’t realize she quit. I am PG and get paranoid even drinking decaf tea!

- Mrs. Mogul on August 28th, 2005

well I have to agree with scarlett….why take that change?

But like many of you said, Britney has alot of growing up to do and it’s ashame she didn’t decide to do it before she got pregnant. I hope the childs okay but I already feel bad for it. I just think Britney (if the story is true) is making some stupid choices with her life.

She certainly is no role model anymore….oh wait….was she ever?

- joy on August 28th, 2005

While obviously having 3 drinks is not the best choice during pregnancy, I personally had the occasional glass of wine during my third trimester and my child is perfectly healthy and very bright. In Europe it is fairly commonplace to have a glass of wine during pregnancy. MY ob-gyn even recommended it to me in my last month as a way to relieve uterine cramping. I think it’s a bit harsh to say that any drinking at all is such a bad thing. One drink is fine IMO.

- isasmom on August 28th, 2005

My doctor recently gave me “permission” to have 1/2 glass of wine on two consecutive nights but advised me not to get in the habit of it.

In the early days of my pregnancy, when I asked about alcohol, he said “In Europe, they let you drink, but here we say not to, to be safe.” He also added, “A champagne toast is fine.”

However, I think the issue with the rumor of Britney drinking in public is that celebs need to watch their behavior and what they say when they’re out when it comes to things like this because the public has very strong opinions about things like drinking, smoking, caffeine, etc. Better to play it safe in public to avoid rumors like this.

- Danielle, CBB Editor on August 28th, 2005

I agree with isasmom. You have to exercise common sense. My friend’s doctor said a glass of wine a week was okay, and that sounds like alot to me, but maybe she meant in the last trimester. I do think it makes a difference when you drink the alcohol.

- kate7896 on August 28th, 2005

Personally I wouldn’t (and didn’t)take the chance. I was so paranoid the whole time I was pregnant that I would eat or drink something that I shouldn’t. Everything turned out great for me, and hopefully it will for them too.

- DJ on August 28th, 2005

Hey, as I always say, “Live and let live”. My personal opinion is just that – my own. I don’t think any of us ought to rag on Britney too much – we really don’t know about her life or its particulars.

On a related subject, something I find sad is how often those who are against a woman drinking during pregnancy will “give in” a bit when it’s during her third trimester. Talk about being misinformed… the last three months of pregnancy are the most critical to fetal brain development!

- mom4bob on August 28th, 2005

Oh, one more thing… why make such a big deal about what kind of alcohol Britney’s choosing to drink? Alcohol is alcohol is alcohol. A glass of wine has roughly the same amount of alcohol as a mixed drink with 1 1/2 shots of 80 proof of hard stuff in it.

- mom4bob on August 28th, 2005

I was thinking that the last couple of months were critical. I mean I have never been pregnant but isn’t that also the time where the baby gains most of it’s weight?

anyways I can see how a doctor would say that one or two glasses is okay for there really is no known fact that alcohol could be fatal to your child when they’re have been healthy babies born to people who have drank. But the question is if a doctor still doesn’t have the knowledge enough to say it will or will not…why even risk it. Is it worth the, Well we just don’t know what it can do you YOUR child. Certainly it’s one’s judgement to decide. Nobody is saying britney is a bad person for taking a drink or two – it just shows that she’s thinking more about her needs then her baby’s at the moment.

- joy on August 28th, 2005

I’m not saying it’s a fantastic idea to knock back three drinks it a sitting, but according to the link below, fetal brain development occurs until wk 29, or the third trimester.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002398.htm

- kate7896 on August 28th, 2005

I’m not saying it’s a fantastic idea to knock back three drinks at a sitting, but from what I’ve read, fetal brain development occurs until wk 29, or the third trimester.

- kate7896 on August 28th, 2005

In all honesty, I don’t think its true. Not after her scares in the beginning of her pregnancy. Yes, she doesn’t discourage KFed from smoking around her but I really doubt she had that much to drink. Maybe wine, which can be okay a couple of times during pregnancy, but I just don’t think its true.

- tink1217 on August 29th, 2005

I conceived in the fall, had a glass of wine Christmas Day, another one on Valentine’s Day and when my son was four days late and it was looking like he’d never come out, I had a light beer, at the suggestion of a friend. (That’s what had put her into labor).

I think it’s all about moderation. DS is now 13 mos old and has absolutely no side effects from my one drink per trimester. He’s attentive, curious and has a wide vocabulary!

P.S..The beer did nothing to bring on labor! So don’t get any ideas ladies! LOL

- MattysMom on August 29th, 2005

Maybe drinking a little during the third trimester isn’t so bad. The problem is, Britney isn’t just drinking she’s also smoking. I found a picture of her smoking on a website called hot ghetto mess at http://www.hotghettomess.com . Once you guys reach this page, go to the side panel and click on a category called “Just sad” Ladies, this pic is very sad!

- Jerseyzkiss on August 29th, 2005

That photo of Britney smoking is a fake. It’s totally doctored.

- Danielle, CBB Editor on August 30th, 2005

LMFAO. Someone pasted Britney’s head on someone else’s body. Britney has no tattoo across her stomach.

- Sarah CBB Editor on August 30th, 2005