"I didn't even realise I was pregnant," she laughs, "so there I was caning it every single
weekend. I was doing charlie because I was really knackered, and then I found out I was pregnant
and thought, 'Fucking hell, no wonder I was tired!' I couldn't believe it. It is hard, especially
if you have a job like mine and you can't get out at five o'clock and then are up half the night
with the baby. I used to go out almost every night until about three months before Calum was born
and I'm gagging to go out and have a big night and take drugs, but at this rate I'm going to have
to arrange it about six months in advance! We used to go to The Gallery, Trade and Stealth all
the time and I'm going to Skint next week while Calum's dad looks after him - I can't bloody wait."
So it can be done, albeit with a bit more planning than usual. But you can't get wrecked if you
have to get home to look after your kids, can you? Collette and Jim are both 20 and have a daughter,
Kerry, aged two. They have an arrangement with Collette's mum whereby Kerry spends every Saturday
night and Sunday day with her - leaving mum and dad to get on with going out.
"It's been like this since she was about three months old," says Collette. "Mum knows how much I
like clubbing and offered to take care of Kerry so me and Jim can carry on going out with our
mates. We go to Hard Times and Gatecrasher mainly, and it doesn't have to end when the club shuts
because we can bring people back to the flat or stay out because we don't have to worry about Kerry.
I went out even when I was pregnant - I wasn't drinking or smoking or doing drugs, but I'm back on
it now, just not too much. You can do it but only if you have someone you can trust to look after
your child. I'd never leave her on her own or anything like that, but she likes her Saturdays at
nan's and so do we!"
So there you go. If you're planning on having kids and still going out, be nice to the in-laws.
A box of chocolates in return for a night's clubbing sounds like a good deal...
"But I'm snorting for two..."
Why drugs and pregnancy don't mix
Cocaine/Speed: Both have a tendency to induce high blood pressure and irregular heart beats.
This could bring on a heart attack in late pregnancy. The baby could be premature and small,
which could cause feeding problems and risk of infection, or could be stillborn, as the blood
is constricted when it comes into contact with amphetamine, restricting the flow of blood to
and from the mother and foetus.
Alcohol: Drinking more than ten units a week doubles the risk of a miscarriage.
Cigarettes: The poisons found in tobacco smoke pass through the placenta into the foetus which
can cause underweight births. Death of the baby after birth can also occur and there is also a
risk of the placenta bleeding or becoming detached from the baby. However, quit before the 20th
week of pregnancy and you're highly unlikely to present any risk to the foetus - but then you
won't exactly be doing it any favours either.
Clubbers with kids cont...