God I hate these people that whinge in the "have your say" bit. Great article- I am also tired of hearing what the government says you can and can't do. It's almost as annoying as hearing people whine about how they have FAS children and entirely miss the point of the article.

C McMahon, Belfast,

In the near future India you should spend a weekend with a family that has a FAS child?teenager. Then write a article on "why we should never drink while pregnant" Ignorance is not bliss. There is no safe amount at any time.

sue, Drayton Valley, canada

i find your discription of Lewis Hamilton as the first black driver extremly interesting. I n this time of making sure that children have role models that 'look' like them would not it have been more benifical to describe him as mixed race which in fact he is.

l johnson, london,

Absolutely correct. Live and let live. Stop wasting time and money trying to convince people that a long life is a happy life...

John Jowitt, Uxbridge, England

To Ben from Washington, do I detect some kind of latent issue with Scottish people? Americans complain when other countries make sweeping generalisations about them so perhaps you should consider more carefully the people you are insulting before posting prejudiced comments on a British newspaper site.

Claire, Glasgow, Scotland

THANK YOU, india! Am 3 months pregnant and already sick to the back teeth of "well-meaning" advice and the judgement of others! I reminded my mother the other day, following another lecture regarding alcohol and sheep from Wales, that during her pregnancy women were advised to drink Guiness or Stout at least once a week.

Betty, London, UK

Tom in Oxford - please get a grip. Most women do not drink to the levels required for foetal alcohol syndrome to occur, nor retardation. One glass of wine every few days is not going to harm the baby, especially not after the first three months. Perhaps you should refrain from commenting on matters about which you appear to know very little.

Emma, Marlow,

with regard to drinking and smoking during pregnancy, its a bit shortsighted to say "live a little" when it results in retardation and foetal alcohol syndrome. think a little.

Tom, Oxford,

"Sir",
Your Scottish accent "usefully implies gravitas?"
I think the Scots USED to imply gravitas, but they don't anymore. These days to be a Scot means not having a backbone, and definately not being a man, unless of course you are a woman. The Scots think they will finally get one over on the English through interaction with the coming European dictatorship. From my history, it doens't usually work out that way.

Ben , Washington, D.C., USA!

I drank the occasional glass of wine in my first two pregnancies and some years later pregnant for the the third time probably on two or three weeks ended up drinking 2-3 units rather that the reccomended 1-2 per week thinking that this would do no harm as it had not done in my first pregnancies. My third son was born with significantly increased epicanthal folds which I believe, having looked into research from the US, was due to this increased intake of alchohol after the first trimester. Anecdotal/visual evidence from friends/aquaintances and their babies with increased epicanthal folds has supported my theory. It is very difficult for official agencies to conduct formal recognised research into this controversial area and as NICE can only conclude from available evidence they may not have all the answers. My advice is to abstain from all alcohol in pregnancy (Google FAS)- it is not worth the risk for such a short time.

Bridget, Teddington, UK

I agree wholeheartedly (except with your little rant about having to smoke on the pavements. Smoke stinks even if it doesn't kill via second-hand and it's lovely to be able to have a meal or drink without coming home reeking of stale cigarettes.)

Alicia, Richmond, VA, USA

I am pregnant and have just had a 'booking visit' from our local midwives, and was very pleased that they are not toe-ing the DoH line and are instead recommending no more than 1-2 units of alcohol a week, i.e. a medium size glass of wine. I can live with that, I don't need much but I don't want to feel completely deprived. Apart from that , their advice was: eat a balanced diet and exercise moderately, and don't smoke. The last point is where I disagree with India - smoking is the one of the few of bad things we're told to avoid that IS actually very bad for us. I think the DoH should concentrate on the few real diet and lifestyle baddies instead of feeding us lies (sorry, 'straight-forward policy') about everything else. Maybe then we'd take their advice seriously.

Heather Williams, Stockport, UK

" a breath of fresh air"? I must have misunderstood, I read it as a demand to be able to breathe smoke all over people who've made their own lifestyle choices which, seriously, don't harm other people.

Meg, Pembs,

Instead of being so pathetically involved with being in shape, you should start a crusade against tobacco, which I agree, is less convenient than producing a diet book. You don't give up smoking because you are simply afraid to gain the few stones you publicitly lost, not considering the greatest harm of cigarettes. I do hope you haven't smoked in the same room where you children play.

alexandra, milan, italy

You know smoking and drinking are not good for your health so how could they be to an unborn child? If, as you say, the effects are not know, why would a woman risk something happening to her unborn child? Why would government have to say anything? What you forget is that long time ago women had common sense. Now it is all about getting your kicks and not caring about others, even your unborn child. What an obtuse way of thinking!

Bichuf, Miami, USA

I agree completely. If I'm pregnant I don't see why my life should just stop for me to be a walking incubator for 9 months.

Sally , Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Bravo, India. The voice of reason as always.

Seonaid, London,

Kudos to you India for pointing out what some of us have felt for a long time but were either unable to articulate, or lived with the possibility of being viewed as "too morally liberal." You're absolutely right: the world is not going to end if we don't get it right the first time and every other time after that. There's this little thing called "life" that has been bestowed upon each of us, and it is meant to be lived to the fullest - is it not?

Marie, Limerick,

I'm afraid France isn't quite like that when it comes to pregnancy. They've had zero tolerance to alcohol during pregnancy for a good three years now. I was surprised that the book given to me by the French hospital that followed my pregnancy clearly stated NO alcohol or tobacco. Indeed now there are health warning ads on magazines etc showing a silhouette of a pregnant woman with a glass in her hand and a huge red line through it! I believe this is as a result of a couple of court cases where women sued the government for not warning them that alcohol was dangerous, their babies being born with alcohol foetal syndrome.

jacqueline, paris, france

Yay! Reprint this every week, please.

Jon, Torshavn,

I agree with your article - the governement drinking limits were reduced to zero for pregnant women, not because that was the safest level, but because (I think the figure was) 9% of women drank too much - policy due to the lowest common denomintor once again, and hardly scientific.

It makes me wonder how many women may have been frghtened into having abortions because they think they may have harmed the foetus through drinking before they found out they were pregnant.

Anna , Birmingham,

Nick
India is always right. If ever I find myself annoyed by something, I see what India thinks - if she's annoyed too, then it's perfectly reasonable, if she's not or disagrees, maybe I need to calm down. That's what columns are for. Not that this is some freakish form of dependency or something...

Kate, Cardiff,

Well said India. About time people realised that life is short & you should enjoy it, not spend every minute worrying.

Keren, Dubai, UAE

Oh my goodness me! I feel quite faint after India’s rant. A wonderful breath of fresh air and sanity. Sadly none of our betters will pay any notice.

Nick Moore, St Ouen, France

Considering that it can take the average woman up to a year to get pregnant and some considerably longer, the officials who are advising women to become teetotal the minute they contemplate tying to get pregnant are wasting their breath. Unfortunately, setting unrealistically high targets usually just means that people decide they either can't or won't be able to do it, so give up entirely. Hence organisations such as Weight Watchers ensure that their dieters set realistic and achievable targets which will motivate not demoralise them.

I drank fairly modestly in advance of becoming pregnant but completely went off wine, coffee and tea during the first few months.... which is probably natures way of telling you to avoid stimulants whilst the feotus is initially developing.

Donna Walker, Effingham, Surrey

India, I can clearly see your French background in that piece! I visit France as often as I possibly can, and this is their attitude entirely. When you go on to find out that the French are one of the healthiest, and most commercially productive nation in Europe, it does seem to indicate that the 'don't worry, be happy' approach is better than any amount of self-deprivation.

Josie, Harrogate,