Pregnant and Under the Influence
Women get mixed messages about all sorts of things when they’re pregnant, not the least of which is whether they can enjoy an occasional cocktail without harming their unborn child. While some doctors advise that one drink or less a day is acceptable, others declare an all-out prohibition on alcohol for those nine months of pregnancy. So, which is it?
The old school of thought was that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol (one drink per day) was relatively safe. Over time, studies have shown that many women who had as little as one drink a day gave birth to children who experienced developmental problems throughout their childhood and adolescence. Research also shows that even small amounts of fetal alcohol exposure increase the child’s risk of developing an alcohol disorder as a teen. As such, the vast majority of public health experts these days advise that there is absolutely no amount of alcohol that can be considered safe for pregnant women.
In a Feb. 21, 2005 news release, former U.S. surgeon general Dr. Richard Carmona warned, “We do not know what, if any, amount of alcohol is safe. But we do know that the risk of a baby being born with any of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders increases with the amount of alcohol a pregnant woman drinks, as does the likely severity of the condition. … Therefore, it’s in the child’s best interest for a pregnant woman to simply not drink alcohol.”
Despite stern warnings by most major health and government organizations, many women continue to drink, and even binge drink, while pregnant – only to face devastating consequences when their child is born.
Alcohol's Effects on the Baby:
The easiest way to understand how alcohol affects babies in utero is: If you’re having a drink, so is your child. Any food or drink ingested by the mother passes to the fetus. And because an unborn child’s brain and body are still developing, babies have far less tolerance for alcohol than adults.
Babies born to mothers who drink alcohol can have serious cognitive and physical problems, according to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse. Some common health issues include:
- Heart defects and murmurs
- Small head and body size and low birth weight
- Facial abnormalities, such as short eye openings, drooping eyelids, skin webbing, a sunken nasal bridge, small jaw, thin upper lip, and low-set or poorly formed ears
- Impaired fine motor skills, characterized by weak grasp, poor eye-hand coordination, and tremors
- Organ deformities, such as genital malformations, a small brain, and kidney and urinary defects
- Impaired intellectual development, mental retardation, and central nervous system handicaps
- Deformed bones, curved spine, hip dislocations, and limited movement of joints
- Learning disabilities, hyperactivity, attention deficit, and irritability
Many of these conditions, particularly learning disabilities, growth deficiencies, abnormal facial features, and central nervous system disorders, are characteristic of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the full spectrum of birth defects caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Children with FAS often have serious handicaps that require a lifetime of costly, specialized care.
In the United States, roughly 2 out of every 1,000 babies are born each year with fetal alcohol syndrome. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol use during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the U.S. Although fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are 100 percent preventable, there is no cure for FAS once a child is exposed.
Advice from Experts
Alcohol poses the greatest risk to a developing baby during the earliest stages of pregnancy, even before women realize they’re pregnant, during the time when the infant’s critical organs are forming and cells are dividing rapidly. A 2002 study by the University of Pittsburgh found that children of mothers who drank at least one drink a day during their first trimester weighed an average of 16 pounds less at the age of 14 than those with no fetal exposure to alcohol. Since nearly half of all births in the U.S. are unplanned, women of child-bearing age should talk to their doctors about ways to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure.
The more a woman drinks during pregnancy, the greater the health risks to her and her baby. Studies show women who binge drink (five or more drinks at one time) or drink seven or more drinks per week put their babies at extreme risk, and also put themselves at risk for vitamin and mineral deficiency, organ damage, miscarriage, depression, and certain types of cancer. Since there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, like most authorities on the subject, recommends complete abstinence.
The human body’s ability to create life and produce a healthy baby with 10 fingers and 10 toes is a miracle in itself. Millions of couples all over the world would sacrifice everything to give birth to a healthy newborn. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, put the health and well-being of your baby first, and avoid alcohol and drugs.
If you have a drug or alcohol problem, get help before your addiction sets your baby’s life on the wrong course. There are many affordable residential treatment facilities and programs that can help you make good decisions and get your life back on track in time to be the best mom you can be.
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