While many women drink casually in the weeks before they learn they’re pregnant, it’s essential to stop drinking alcohol as soon as you find out you’re expecting. Any alcohol you drink will pass through your placenta and into your baby, where it will stay in the baby’s system for much longer than it will stay in yours. Drinking throughout your pregnancy can cause lifelong damage to your baby.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs, is a blanket term for the developmental problems that a child can be born with if her mother drinks. FASDs are 100 percent preventable and occur when the mother drinks moderate amounts of alcohol. FASDs often occur when the mother drinks at least seven drinks per week, but they can occur in women who drink less. Children who have a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder will often have behavior and psychological problems and show criminal behavior later in life. According to the March of Dimes, as many as 40,000 American children are born with FASD each year.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS, is the most severe type of FASD. Generally, FAS occurs when a woman drinks more than seven drinks a week, but it can also occur when women drink less than this amount. This syndrome causes children to be born smaller than normal and have small eyes and lips. Children with FAS also often have abnormally small or abnormally formed brains and other organs. FAS may also cause mental retardation and behavioral problems as the child grows older. Anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 American children a year are born with FAS.
Cause of Baby's Death
While drinking a glass of wine every now and then may not cause you to have a miscarriage, drinking heavily during pregnancy greatly raises the chances of your baby dying before birth. According to the March of Dimes, various studies have shown that drinking regularly during pregnancy can raise your chances of your baby being stillborn by anywhere from 56 to 70 percent. Drinking also raises your chances of having a miscarriage or going into premature labor.
Frequency of Drinking in Pregnancy
There are differing reports about how many women drink alcohol while pregnant. One study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that one out of every eight women studied drank during pregnancy, while the March of Dimes reports that one in 12 pregnant women drinks during pregnancy. The March of Dimes also estimates that one out of every 30 pregnant women drinks more than five alcoholic drinks in one sitting while pregnancy. No amount of alcohol has been proven safe for pregnant women to drink.
