Key Takeaways
- There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy.
- However, don’t stress about whether you had a drink or two before you found out you’re pregnant – just stop drinking as soon as you find out.
- If you have trouble getting rid of alcohol, talk to your doctor.
When you get a positive pregnancy test, there’s usually so much going through your head when it comes to changes – what skin products will you have to give up? Are you taking the right prenatal vitamins? Is deli meat safe? And then, of course, the realization that you’re going to have to cut out alcohol.
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In recent years, there has been some controversy surrounding drinking and pregnancy, whether just a glass of wine with dinner is safe, and you may be wondering what to believe. Not to mention, more and more women are drinking during pregnancy.
Between 2018 and 2020, 13.5% of pregnant women reported drinking during pregnancy (having one alcoholic drink in the past 30 days), and over 5% reported heavy drinking (occasionally drinking four or more drinks on one occasion ) in the last 30 days, according to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which is a 2% increase for both measures compared to 2014. 2017
But the fact is that there is no known amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy. “We know that babies who were exposed to alcohol in the womb can have a variety of neurodevelopmental problems that may not appear until many years later,” says maternal-fetal medicine specialist Layan Alrahmani, MD, who is also a BabyCenter medical advisor.
We know about the many harmful effects that drinking during pregnancy can have on a developing baby, some of which can be caused by even a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol exposure is one of the leading causes of preventable birth defects and developmental problems in this country.
Conclusion: Be safe and do not drink alcohol during pregnancy in any quantity. Experts from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and public health organizations recommend that pregnant women – and women trying to conceive – avoid alcohol altogether.
Risks of drinking during pregnancy
When you drink while pregnant, the alcohol travels quickly through your bloodstream, across the placenta and into your baby. Your baby’s body breaks down alcohol more slowly than yours, so your child may end up with a higher blood alcohol level and be exposed to alcohol for longer than you.
Drinking during pregnancy creates a number of potential risks for your baby. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is a term used by experts to describe a range of problems associated with alcohol exposure before birth. The most severe result of alcohol use is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a lifelong condition that can lead to:
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- Developmental and intellectual disabilities, which can cause difficulties with learning, speech, behaviour, reasoning and judgement, and attention span
- Heart defects, spinal defects and other physical problems
- Abnormal facial features
- Abnormally small head and brain
- Poor growth (in utero, after birth, or both)
- Sleeping and sucking problems as a baby
- There are other risks of drinking during pregnancy, such as:
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
- Premature birth, which means that the baby was born early, before the 37th week of gestation
- Low birth weight
In general, heavy drinking (eight or more alcoholic drinks per week, or three or more drinks on any one occasion) greatly increases the risk that a baby will have FAS and some or all of the complications that may come with it. But even babies exposed to small amounts of alcohol in the womb can develop FASD or a number of mental, physical or behavioral problems. In fact, just one drink a day can increase the chances of miscarriage or having a low birth weight baby. It can also increase your child’s risk of problems with learning, speech, attention span, language and hyperactivity. Some studies have shown that mothers-to-be who drink just one drink a week are more likely to have children who later show aggressive behavior than those who do not drink.
Tips for stopping drinking during pregnancy
It may be easy for you to stop drinking once you find out you’re expecting, especially if you don’t normally drink much, or if you’re suddenly averse to alcohol due to food aversions or morning sickness. But for some moms-to-be, it can be much more difficult.
Here are some ways to make it easier to stop drinking during pregnancy:
- Find a way to relax and unwind at the end of the day that doesn’t involve alcohol. You can take a bath, read a book, take a walk, keep a journal or watch your favorite show. Try creating your own special pregnancy relaxation routine.
- Choose a soft drink that you enjoy as a pregnancy drink. Make it at home and ask for it when you go out to dinner with friends or any other time you would have an alcoholic drink beforehand. Your favorite flavor of soda water on ice, garnished with lemon and mint, makes a great mojito cocktail!
- Explain to close family and friends why you don’t drink so they can support you.
- Remember that skipping alcohol should only be temporary. You will be able to safely have the occasional drink after giving birth. (Though you’ll need to be careful about when and how much if you breastfeed.)
- If you are struggling to give up alcohol during pregnancy, seek help as soon as possible. Here are some options:
- Talk to your healthcare provider about counseling and treatment.
- Contact your local branch Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
- Call a local crisis line, for example National Alliance for Mental Health‘s or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s.
- Find a drug addiction treatment facility near you. Check it out website US Department of Health and Human Services.
We know that babies who were exposed to alcohol in the womb can have a variety of neurodevelopmental problems that may not appear until many years later.
– Layan Alrahmani, MD, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist and BabyCenter Medical Advisor
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What about drinking non-alcoholic beer and wine?
Over the past few years, so many companies have developed “non-alcoholic” drinks that claim to satisfy your craving for an ice-cold beer or a fun cocktail, but that term is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to beer and wine. Drinks labeled “non-alcoholic” may contain trace amounts of alcohol (while those labeled “alcohol-free” should contain none). All non-alcoholic beers and many non-alcoholic wines in fact do they contain some alcohol, although usually less than half a percent. (By comparison, regular beer is usually around 5% alcohol.)
However, researchers have found that some drinks contain higher amounts of alcohol than stated on their labels – even some labeled as “alcohol-free”.
While it seems unlikely that the trace amount of alcohol in the occasional glass of non-alcoholic or non-alcoholic beer is harmful to your baby, there is a possibility to be aware of – especially if you drink these drinks often or in large quantities. “It’s best to avoid anything that might have some alcohol, because it is the only way to eliminate fetal risks, says dr. Alrahmans.
Drink before you know you’re pregnant
Many women do not know they are pregnant until they are pregnant (two to three weeks at the earliest, but usually around five or six weeks). If you drank alcohol before you realized you were pregnant, definitely don’t panic.
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Researchers are constantly learning more about alcohol and pregnancy. Although we know that any drinking during pregnancy can be risky, we do not have a complete picture of the effects of alcohol in early pregnancy.
Alcohol is known to travel to the fetus through the placenta, but it is less clear what effect alcohol has on the embryo early in pregnancy, before the placenta is formed. One study found no association between alcohol consumption before 15 weeks of pregnancy and low birth weight or preterm birth.
However, another study showed that the later in pregnancy alcohol is consumed, the greater the risk of miscarriage. Because of this, and because it’s always possible for alcohol consumption to cause problems, it’s important to stop drinking as soon as you find out you’re pregnant (or even suspect you might be), but don’t panic if you’ve had a fun girls’ weekend or night out before you know you’re pregnant. “To be safe, if you’re actively trying to get pregnant, it’s best to avoid or at least limit alcohol,” says Dr. Alrahmani. “And remember, the dose makes the poison, so one drink is probably less risky than three.”
However, talk to your healthcare provider about any concerns you may have, as they will guide you through some strategies that are best for you.