Some women find it hard to kick the drinking habit when they are pregnant but alcohol can cause serious problems for your unborn baby. Excessive alcohol use when pregnant is linked to spontaneous miscarriage, low birth weight, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities.
Why is alcohol dangerous?
Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth,s. These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics and behaviors:
- Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum)
- Small head size
- Shorter-than-average height
- Low body weight
- Poor coordination
- Hyperactive behavior
- Difficulty with attention
- Poor memory
- Difficulty in school (especially with math)
- Learning disabilities
- Speech and language delays
- Intellectual disability or low IQ
- Poor reasoning and judgment skills
- Sleep and sucking problems as a baby
- Vision or hearing problems
- Problems with the heart, kidney, or bones
Can you have an occasional drink?
Some people argue that the occasional drink doesn’t cause harm while pregnant. But just how many drinks are safe – and what exactly is “occasional”? Experts warn that 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. Simply put: there’s no safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy, so why would you take the chance?
Take care of yourself
A healthy mom equals a healthy baby. Taking care of your own health can directly impact the health of your unborn baby- and that means staying away from drinking, drugs, eating poorly, and any other health risks.
