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SugarTown Babies
Information Pages
Alcohol
There is general agreement that women should not drink
alcohol excessively during pregnancy and debate
continuesover whether there is a safe limit and,
if so,what this is. In addition,people have many different
views about how much alcohol is safe to drink during
pregnancy.
In order to evaluate the levels of alcohol one might take it is necessary to identify what we refer to as a unit of alcohol. One unit of alcohol =
- 1 single measure of spirits
- 1/4pint (approx 200ml) of strong beer,lager or cider
- 1/2a pint (approx 400ml) of ordinary strength beer, lager or cider
One or two units once or twice a week = A light or infrequent drinker.
There is no evidence that light or infrequent drinking in pregnancy will harm your baby and if you are generally healthy,then there is also very little chance that your baby will have been harmed from one episode of heavy drinking early on in your pregnancy. This is important to reassure as many women have reported concern about an episode or two of heavier drinking than normal whilst being pregnant but unaware.
Up to ten units a week = A moderate or frequent drinker.
There is little evidence that your baby could be affected by this level of alcohol intake.However,the advice remains that it isbetter to keep to one to two units once or twice a week
a reliance on alcohol = Problematic Drinking.
Pregnant women who continue to rely on alcohol and drink excessively risk harming themselves and their baby in several different ways.
It is not clear from the research how much awoman can drink before this harm takes place.
It is not only the intake of alcohol that matters,it is the effect of this on the woman’s overall state of health – physical and mental – and how she manages life in general during her pregnancy.
Support is available from Health professionals and support groups
It is strongly advised that women who may have an alcohol reliance whether deemed a problem or not tell there health professional and secure support and advice free from the risk of stigma
You need to be aware of theimpact of the size of the glass as you could be drinkingtwice as many units than the ‘unit’ measure.Your wine glassat home probably holds more than one unit,a glass of spiritsoften comes out as double measure.Therefore,you shouldconsider counting drinks poured at home as two or three units ..
The risksFetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a term that describes the
range of problems that affect babies born to women who have drunk
large volumes of alcohol in pregnancy.The risk of having a baby with
FAS is quite low and is associated with other factors including:
being over 30 years of age and drinking heavily;
having previous obstetric problems and a history of miscarriage;
heavy drinking by the father,as this can increase the baby’s risk of
having heart defects,weighing less than average at birth,and suffering
from problems with its immune system.
Babies born with FAS are likely to have physical abnormalities,such
as small eyes, a cleft palate or a pug nose; they may also have severe
learning difficulties or problems with their sight or hearing.
As they are likely to be smaller than average at birth, they may have
problems with their growth and development and are at increased risk
of long-term health problems.
Heavy drinking in the first three months of pregnancy is more likely
to damage the baby’s developing organs; for example the heart or
kidneys.Once the baby’s vital organs have formed,consistent excessive
alcohol is more likely to stop the babygrowing and developing properly.
This damage cannot be undone, but where women are able to cut down, and ideally stop drinking excessive amounts of alcohol,further damage can be avoided.
For many women alcohol is part of their life and social enjoyment. Women who regularly drink alcohol may find it difficult to cut down the amount they drink, particularly early in pregnancy.
Some women may not be aware that they are pregnant and therefore will not have changed their drinking habits until several weeks into the pregnancy.Once pregnancy is confirmed, it is advisable to keep the alcohol intake to the ‘light’or ‘infrequent’level.
Often the body itself inhibits the drinking of alcohol by changing the way it tastes to the individual.
Another consideration is when the baby is born and you begin consuming alcohol again (whilst still having consideration of the effects of alcohol on feeding), you may be very quickly and intensly effected by alcohol because of the abstinance or lowering of intake during pregnancy.
