Alcohol use during your pregnancy

So you have heard that it is “okay” to drink a “small” amount of alcohol during pregnancy? Let’s have a little closer look at alcohol use during pregnancy & why it might be better to just hang in there for 9 months and avoid alcohol all together.

“Small” amount of alcohol

How much exactly is this “small amount” of alcohol that is presumably safe during pregnancy? The fact is there is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while being pregnant or even when trying to fall pregnant. There is also no known safe time during pregnancy to drink. All types of alcohol are harmful, including all wines, spritzers & beer – alcohol is alcohol doesn’t matter the concentration. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol – so does her baby. There is no known amount that can be pinpointed to cause FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). So how will you know & be 100% sure if "just this one glass" won't cause any complications for your little one?

FASD is COMPLETELY preventable if you avoid drinking alcohol altogether!

Why is alcohol bad for you while expecting?

When a pregnant woman is consuming alcohol it passes straight through her umbilical cord to the baby. This has been known to cause miscarriage, stillbirths & a range of lifelong physical, behavioral & intellectual disabilities. These are common symptoms of FASD and may also include the following:

Small head size
Abnormal facial features such as a smooth ridge between the nose & the upper lip
Shorter-than-average height
Low body weight
Poor coordination
Hyperactivity
Learning disabilities
Problems in school – especially with maths
Vision or hearing problems
Sleep & sucking problems as a baby

Just to mention a few.

How much alcohol is dangerous?

Again – there is NO known safe amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy!

When is alcohol dangerous? Or when is a “safe” time to consume alcohol?

There is NO safe time to consume alcohol when a woman is pregnant – it can cause problems right through pregnancy even before the woman knows she is pregnant. Drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy can cause facial deformities. Furthermore, it can cause growth & central nervous system problems when the woman drinks anytime during the course of the 9 months since the baby’s brain is developing all throughout and can be affected at any time during this crucial period.

So it basically comes down to not having any alcohol during pregnancy – there is no safe time and there is no safe amount. Each to their own - but why take the chance to risk causing developmental issues for your baby when you can completely avoid it? Your baby’s health starts with YOU. You are making decisions for your unborn baby when they can’t have a say yet in these decisions - so make responsible ones! Rather opt for healthy food & lifestyle choices that will promote the baby's health & development, give them a kick start in life from birth on wards & clear your own conscious of any chance there might be that YOU caused anything that could go wrong with your child in the future.