There is a lot of confusing and contradicting information going around about whether or not pregnant women can occasionally consume small amounts of alcohol. Some doctors will inform their patients to not consume any alcohol during pregnancy regardless of how far along they are. Other doctors will tell their patients that it safe to consume very small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. Is there really a safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy?
Is Drinking While Pregnant Safe?
The United States Center for Disease Control states that alcohol exposure to a fetus is one of the most preventable developmental issues and birth defects in the United States. Over ten percent of pregnant women drink or have drank during their pregnancy.
When a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, it passes into her system. The alcohol reaches the unborn child through the placenta. The more alcohol that a woman consumes during pregnancy the more alcohol the unborn child is exposed to. Drinking alcohol while pregnant dramatically increases the chance of having a child born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Spectrum Disorder. This condition is often referred to as FASD. FASD is a wide range of birth defects that have been scientifically proven to be caused by the consumption of alcohol while pregnant. There are approximately forty thousand FASD births in the United States each year. While some doctors may say it is okay to use alcohol in small amounts, it is best to avoid it completely.
Is There a Safe Amount of Alcohol to Drink During Pregnancy?
There is no scientific fact that states that there is a specific amount of alcohol that is safe to drink. It is just best to avoid drinking alcohol all together as soon as you find out that you are pregnant just to be on the safe side. Pregnant women also have a harder time breaking down the enzymes in alcoholic beverages. Even just a little bit of alcohol during pregnancy can cause serious damage to the unborn fetus. It is truly better to be safe than to be sorry. You might even want to avoid foods that have alcohol in the recipe just to be on the safe side.
Important Facts to Know About Drinking While Pregnant
Alcoholic beverages are full of teratogens, which have been clinically proven to be harmful to the development of an unborn fetus. In fact, teratogens are harmful for any young adult that is younger than twenty one. There have been studies that have shown that the human body does not officially stop growing until age 21. So what are the possible harms of alcohol consumption on the unborn child?
1. Alcohol Crosses the Placenta to the Unborn Child
When you drink, so does your baby. Everything that you consume, including alcohol, passes through your placenta to your unborn child. Even small amounts of alcohol can pass through the placenta to your unborn baby. Alcohol that passes through the placenta to the child does not break down as quickly as it does in the body of a full grown adult. Simply put, the alcohol will be inside of the unborn child’s bloodstream a lot longer than it will be in yours. This means that irreversible damage can occur even if just a small amount of alcohol is consumed by the mother.
2. Even Small Amounts of Alcohol Can Affect an Unborn Child
There is no known proof that small amounts of alcohol are safe to drink while pregnant. The best thing that you can do is speak to your medical professional about your drinking habits and see what advice they can offer to your. It is important to keep in mind that your unborn baby is constantly in a state of growth. The first four weeks are when most of the major parts of your child are forming. During the first four weeks, the limbs, heart, and nervous system are being developed. The brain of your child begins to start developing rapidly after the third week of pregnancy.
During the third month of pregnancy, your child is growing at a rapid rate like never before. Drinking alcoholic beverages during any point in your pregnancy will more than likely cause your baby serious development issues and birth defects. Excessive drinking during any point of pregnancy will most definitely end up causing the child to be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects. These are lifelong diseases that cause neurological issues, physical issues, and mental issues.
3. Other Harms of Drinking While Pregnant
- Drinking while pregnant can greatly increase the chance of miscarriage as well as increase the chance of having a stillbirth.
- Children born with FAS often have small heads or brains.
- The children born from mothers who consumed alcohol also have anatomical defects as well as heart and spine defects.
- Mental retardation is one of the most serious birth defects that can occur to the children of pregnant women who drink alcohol excessively.
What About “Nonalcoholic” Beer and Wine?
A lot of women are curious about whether or not they can consume nonalcoholic wine or beer. The label on the product stating that the product is nonalcoholic is a bit deceiving. Nonalcoholic beer and wine do contain an extremely small amount of alcohol. There is typical less than one percent of alcohol in most products that contain to be alcohol free. However, it is best to simply avoid these products just to be safe.
Where and How to Get Help
As it showed above, drinking while pregnant can be unhealthy both for you and the baby. There are numerous places both online and in your local area that can help you kick an alcohol addiction. Even if you do not want to quit drinking for your own health, you should at least consider the health of your unborn child. You can talk to your doctor about getting counseling. You can also get in touch with Alcoholic Anonymous. They can refer you to a support group in your area. Alcoholism is a serious disease, but you can get help and offer your child a better healthy life. The US Department of Health and Human Resources can also provide you with information about getting help.