Patient is a 43-year-old female. She is 4 months pregnant for the first time, and she never expected to get pregnant as she believed herself to be infertile. She has enjoyed 2 glasses of wine each night her entire first trimester because she read a few articles by some renowned international obstetricians who suggested that having a glass of red wine during pregnancy is healthy to maintain normal blood pressure, and to reduce anxiety levels.
Your patient, Claudia, wants to know if it’s important for her to stop drinking her red wine each night, or if the warnings given by her family are just “super strict and overly protective.” Claudia needs facts to change her mind about this topic. As her Nurse/health care investigator, can you explain to her what the risks are for her to continue drinking 2 glasses of wine every night while she is pregnant? Do you think that you should also address other factors like her age, first time pregnancy, etc.? Use your Nurse/health care-Investigator skills and present the facts to her.