I WAS RIGHT! A Few Drinks During Pregnancy Could Be GOOD for Baby.

14 years of data from Australia finds that children of mothers who drank moderately during pregnancy (2-6 drinks per week, or one a day) had fewer "emotional and behavioral problems through childhood and adolescence" than children of total abstainers. This being Australia, researchers felt flat out able to say that light drinking mothers had "better behaved" kids (here in the U.S., we might need to refer to them as "differently behaviorally abled") and the study seems sound: kids whose moms drank some during the first trimester may actually be better off.

Me, I take this as personal vindication, because while I gave up plenty while pregnant (the cheeses, the sushi...), I never gave the occasional glass of wine, and I took some flak for it (but not much, because I'm known to bite while pregnant). I always suspected that 30 million French women couldn't be wrong.

;The results of the research were delightfully affirming for someone like me: the children of those moderate and occasional pregnant drinkers were consistently better behaved, with lower scores on things like depression and aggression as assessed using a standard psychological checklist.

But is it really the alcohol, or is it something else?

Please note that, of course, I'm not advising you to drink while pregnant. And I would NEVER advise you to drink Hello Kitty wine. Both of those things represent decisions only you can make. Consult your medical service provider, or your local wine expert, for assistance.