How many ounces of alcohol are considered safe in the first trimester of pregnancy
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Show Prenatal alcohol exposure is important for every mother to consider. Many women know that it is important to avoid alcohol during the first trimester of pregnancy, but there are some myths that suggest that drinking a small amount of alcohol in the second or third trimester is okay. No amount of alcohol use is safe at any time during pregnancy. Prenatal alcohol exposure represents a preventable cause of developmental and health problems for children. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. It is estimated that FASD may affect 3% to 5% of children, but many cases of FASD are undiagnosed. There are many effects of alcohol on the developing fetus. Cognitive impairment includes irreversible brain damage. Children exposed to alcohol when their mother was pregnant often have learning difficulties, such as poor memory, speech impairments, and behavioral problems like hyperactivity. Growth abnormalities associated with alcohol exposure include growth deficiencies (eg, children having a height or weight under the 10th percentile for their age), a smaller brain, and difficulty with coordination. Children exposed to alcohol often have similarities in their facial appearance, such as small eyes, a thin upper lip, and a smooth area between their nose and upper lip. Children with FASD may be diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, which is the most severe of the conditions represented by FASD. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome have problems in cognitive impairment, growth abnormalities, and facial appearance. Partial fetal alcohol syndrome is diagnosed if a child has most, but not all, of these features. Two other FASD conditions are static encephalopathy, which refers to children with severe cognitive delays and alcohol exposure, and neurobehavioral disorder, which refers to children with moderate cognitive delays and alcohol exposure. A study in this month’s JAMA Pediatrics looked at all levels of alcohol use during pregnancy, including avoiding alcohol in the first trimester and only having small amounts of alcohol later in pregnancy. The researchers found that facial changes were present at every level of alcohol use in pregnancy, even if the mother avoided alcohol during the first trimester or only drank moderately. The most severe results were seen among mothers who drank alcohol in the first trimester of pregnancy. The results show that even low levels of alcohol use can influence a baby’s development. The first trimester remains the most important time point to avoid alcohol, but there is no safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. What women need to know:
Published Online: June 5, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.1093 Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported. How does drinking alcohol during pregnancy affect your baby’s health? Drinking alcohol at any time during pregnancy can cause serious health problems for your baby. Alcohol includes wine, wine coolers, beer and liquor. When you drink alcohol during pregnancy, the alcohol in your blood quickly passes through the placenta and the umbilical cord to your baby. The placenta grows in your uterus (womb) and supplies the baby with food and oxygen through the umbilical cord. 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. There’s no safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol can cause problems for your baby any time during pregnancy, even before you know that you’re pregnant. You may be pregnant and not know for 4 to 6 weeks. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases your baby’s chances of having these problems:
How can you keep your baby safe from alcohol during pregnancy? If you don’t drink alcohol during pregnancy, your baby can’t have FASDs or any other health problems caused by alcohol. If you're pregnant or even thinking about getting pregnant, don’t drink alcohol. Some women may drink alcohol during pregnancy and have babies who seem healthy. Some women may have very little alcohol during pregnancy and have babies with serious health conditions. Every pregnancy is different. Alcohol may hurt one baby more than another. The best way to keep your baby safe from problems caused by alcohol during pregnancy is not to drink alcohol when you’re pregnant. If you’re pregnant, trying to get pregnant or think you may be pregnant, don’t drink alcohol. When you do get pregnant, get regular prenatal care (medical care you get during pregnancy). Tell your health care provider if you need help to stop drinking alcohol. How can you stop drinking alcohol during pregnancy? You may want to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol is often part of social activities, like parties or sports events. You may be used to having a glass of wine with dinner or at the end of a busy day. Giving up alcohol during pregnancy may be hard. Here are some tips to help you stop drinking alcohol:
If you need help to stop drinking, here’s what you can do:
Can your partner’s drinking affect your baby during pregnancy? FASDs and other alcohol-related health conditions happen when you drink during pregnancy. Research is still being done to find out if alcohol harms a man’s sperm before a woman gets pregnant. More information
Last reviewed: April, 2016 What if I drank alcohol at 6 weeks pregnant?Research on Alcohol in Early Pregnancy
Some studies have suggested that consuming alcohol during the first few weeks of pregnancy can harm the development of the fetus. However, other studies have suggested that drinking during the early days of pregnancy does not harm a developing fetus.
What happens if I drank alcohol in my first trimester?Drinking alcohol during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and your baby having a low birthweight. It can also affect your baby after they're born. Drinking during pregnancy can cause your baby to develop a serious condition called foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Can I have a small glass of wine while pregnant?The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Pregnancy Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics all note that no amount of wine during pregnancy is deemed safe and that consuming wine while pregnant should be avoided.
Is it safe to have one drink a day while pregnant?After examining hundreds of studies, Oster determined that there is no evidence to suggest that having an occasional drink — even as much as one drink per day — is harmful to the fetus.
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