All about beer
Clearly alcohol use can cause major problems for the pregnant woman and her baby. While not drinking any alcohol during pregnancy is the safest choice, small amounts of alcohol early in pregnancy may be less risky to the mother’s health and the health of their babies than previously believed.
Pregnant women are strongly urged not to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol while pregnant has been shown to cause harm to a baby as it develops in the womb. Alcohol used during pregnancy may also lead to long-term medical problems and birth defects.
“There is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy ,” Garry explains, citing guidance from the American Congress of Obstetricians & Gynecologists.
Is the occasional glass of wine or beer OK for moms-to-be? According to a new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, there doesn’t seem to be any measurable risk.
It was verified by several participants that alcohol consumption in the first trimester would cause the most harm, and it was generally accepted by all participants that small amounts of alcohol , such as one or two glasses throughout the whole of pregnancy would not be harmful to the foetus.
There’s a general consensus that it’s risky to binge drink during pregnancy, defined as consuming five or more drinks in one sitting. But even heavy drinkers can have healthy babies . Only about 5 percent of alcoholic women give birth to babies who are later diagnosed with the syndrome.
They found that drinking up to four units a week while pregnant , on average, was associated with an 8 per cent higher risk of having a small baby compared with drinking no alcohol at all. There was also a potential risk linked to premature birth, although this was less clear.
Drinking any amount of alcohol at any time during pregnancy can harm your baby’s developing brain and other organs. No amount of alcohol has been proven safe at any time during pregnancy. There’s no safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy.
Results suggested that drinking — even fewer than two drinks per week — in the first trimester increased risk of complications, like lower birth weight and pre-term birth.
Drinking alcohol , especially in the first 3 months of pregnancy , increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and your baby having a low birthweight. Drinking after the first 3 months of your pregnancy could affect your baby after they’re born. The risks are greater the more you drink.