Alcohol, Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

What To Know About Alcohol & Pregnancy

According to the CDC, no known amount of alcohol is considered safe during pregnancy or when trying to conceive. This includes all alcohol, such as wine, beer, hard seltzer, hard cider, wine coolers, and liquor.  

Why is alcohol dangerous during pregnancy? The mother’s blood is transmitted to the fetus through the umbilical cord. When a mother has consumed anything toxic, such as alcohol, drugs, or spoiled food, it is passed on to the fetus. 

Any stage of development is vulnerable to toxins and can result in adverse outcomes such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, miscarriage, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,  prematurity, and a range of lifelong disabilities that can impact a child emotionally, physically, intellectually, and behaviorally. 

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)

FASD is a term in which individuals have developed a group of lifelong conditions due to exposure to alcohol before birth. The entirety of this disorder is solely based on alcohol use during conception and pregnancy. 

Often a person with FASD has a mix of both physical, behavioral, and learning problems. Children with FASD have recognizable features and characteristics. 

FASD Characteristics and Behaviors: 

• Abnormal facial features-smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip.
• Smaller head size.
• Shorter than average height.
• Low body weight.
• Poor coordination.
• Hyperactive behavior.
• Difficulty with attention.
• Poor memory.
• Difficulty with school-especially math.
• Learning disabilities.
• Speech and language delays.
• Intellectual disability-low IQ.
• Poor reasoning and judgment.
• Sleep or sucking problems as a baby.
• Vision or hearing problems.
• Problems with the heart, kidneys, and bones.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), Here are the most common questions asked and answered about alcohol use during pregnancy:

Is it ok to drink a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy? 

No. There is no known safe amount of alcohol consumption for pregnant women, including early in pregnancy when a woman may not know that she is pregnant. 

Are some kinds of alcohol less harmful than others?

No. Exposure to all forms of alcohol is unsafe for babies at every stage of pregnancy. 

What if I drank during my last pregnancy, and my child was fine? 

Every pregnancy is different, as well as every child. In addition, the symptoms of FASD may not be apparent until later in childhood. 

Does FASD have lifelong effects? 

Yes. While the symptoms can range from mild to severe, there is no known cure for FASD. 

What If I am pregnant and have been drinking? 

If you just found out you are pregnant or have learned about the risks of alcohol, please stop now. Every day counts in giving your baby a healthy pregnancy. 

How can I stop drinking? 

If you have difficulty stopping alcohol use and are pregnant, please reach out. Guardian Recovery has a variety of treatment options available for you. 

What About Light Use of Alcohol & Pregnancy?

Although most people agree heavy alcohol use should never be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding, there are mixed views on whether light alcohol use may be considered safe. 

One of the problems with this belief is the definition of “light alcohol use.” For some people, perhaps that is 1-2 glasses of wine per day; light alcohol use for others could consist of a drink per trimester. 

According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, alcohol use during pregnancy, even at low levels, is associated with behavioral and psychological effects in children, including anxiety, depression, and poor attention. 

Additionally, mixed evidence indicates whether light alcohol use may or may not be safe. One concerning study found that websites funded by the alcohol industry routinely omit or misrepresent the risks of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.  

A systematic review of prenatal alcohol exposure concluded that drinking alcohol during pregnancy leads to a risk of lower birth weight and poorer cognitive functions. 

We can determine from research that no known variable provides certainty that any amount of alcohol is safe. Knowing that even the smallest amount of alcohol can not be considered completely safe is enough to abstain from alcohol entirely during pregnancy.