Why should I avoid taking alcohol during pregnancy?
- Alcohol is a teratogen i.e it could cause abnormalities in your baby. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol during pregnancy (regular amount throughout pregnancy or binge drinking) could lead to Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). It this syndrome there is mental retardation, malformation of the baby’s organs especially heart and brain, growth problems, difficulties in learning, memory, speech, hearing and poor social interaction skills. This effect is irreversible and last a life time but is 100% preventable!
It crosses the placenta and may not be metabolised well in your baby leading to higher levels of alcohol in your baby’s blood
What amount of alcohol intake is considered safe during pregnancy?
There is no amount of alcohol that is considered safe during pregnancy. You should avoid alcohol totally if you are pregnancy or even when you are trying to conceive. However, if you still decide to drink alcohol during pregnancy, you should drink no more than 1 to 2 units of alcohol once or twice a week.
What if I drank alcohol and I didn’t know that I was pregnant?
That is alright, you should stop drinking alcohol as soon as you know you are pregnant. If you stop drinking, the chances of damages to your baby would be reduced.