Alcohol and Pregnancy

The safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all if you are pregnant, if you think you could become pregnant or if you are breastfeeding.

 

Although the risk of harm to the baby is low with small amounts of alcohol before becoming aware of the pregnancy, there is no ‘safe’ level of alcohol to drink when you are pregnant.

 

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can affect the way your baby develops and grows in the uterus (womb), your baby’s health at birth, and your child’s long-term health.

 

Drinking heavily throughout pregnancy can result in your baby having severe physical and mental disability known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

 

It is important that you tell your healthcare professional(s) about your drinking so that

appropriate support and information can be offered to you.

Drinking heavily during pregnancy can:

• Increase your chances of miscarriage
• Affect the way your baby develops in the uterus and, in particular, the way your baby’s brain develops
• Affect the way your baby grows in the uterus by causing the placenta not to work as well as it should – this is known as fetal growth restrictioni
• Increase the risk of a stillbirth
• Increase the risk of premature labour
• Make your baby more prone to illness in infancy and in childhood, and also as an adult cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) or fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) 

The more you drink, the more your baby’s growth will be affected and the less healthy your baby will be. However, if you cut down or stop drinking altogether, your baby will start to grow at a normal rate. Stopping drinking at any point during pregnancy can be beneficial. However, in some instances, the effects of heavy

Drinking on your baby cannot be reversed.