Is there ever a safe level of alcohol to drink when pregnant?

Question

I've heard it's safe for expecting moms to drink a glass of wine a week; is this true?

Answer 1

What you heard might be true but I would like to emphasize however that the possible harmful effects outweigh the possible benefits to the fetus. The level of alcohol which is proven as the SAFEST during pregnancy is ZERO (0 mg/ml). Are unborn babies unworthy of short period sacrifice by abstaining from alcoholic drinks during pregnancy? That is the question which will help one to give a wise decision if to drink or not to drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Answer 2

I've heard a glass of wine once a week won't harm the fetus, but that doesn't exactly make it safe, either. In my opinion, it depends on the mom, too. For instance, giving an alcoholic the "green light" to have a glass of wine a week is kind of like setting fire to a powder keg.

A glass of wine is one thing, but how many people will use that to equate out to other drinks? "Oh, if a glass of wine is all right, then a beer should be fine...", etc.

You also need to look at whether it's considered healthy, or just safe. There's a big difference. Take soda for instance. Each has a different acidity level, where as some are low in acid and therefore really bad for your teeth. Then you have others that have higher amounts, and are less damaging for your teeth. Neither is healthy for your teeth, one is just the lesser of two evils.

I guess my stance on the whole drinking while pregnant thing is that I would not personally do it. That's not to say others feel the same, and I doubt I'd be upset if a woman I know decides to partake in 1 glass a week. It's just not my own choice.

I would really have to know more about whether doctors consider it beneficial or just not harmful to the baby, though, before I'd make my own personally decision.

Answer 3

You know, you hear 1 drink of wine or one beer or even idiots who say "hey there's nothing wrong with a slug whiskey every night". Of course these are the sames inconsiderate bastards that encourage women to smoke a pack of cigarttes a day or some weed if it makes them happy.

The very instant that my now ex-wife found out the we, yes we, were pregnant she stopped drinking alcohol, caffinated drinks and started excercising in moderation. Neither she not I ever smoked anything of any kind or ever drank a cup of coffee. And she had heard all the stories about being able to drink how much of this or that but never beleived a word of it. Why...it seems that about every 2 weeks or so some other doctor claimed that 1 drink didn't do any ,damage, then another said, no 2 drinks a night are fine. So my wife decided to do the sensible things..no alcohol (incliding wine), no Coke, Pepsi or anything with caffine,anything that might affect our child. And to show my support,I gave up the same things. Although I did put on a few pounds due to her craving for Baskin's 31 ice cream. When I supported her I went the whole nine yards!
And by the way, thanks to her committment and self control for 9 months and then for the time she was breast feeding we now have a handsome, healthy, 6 foot 2 inch son, who by the way doesn'tsmoke or drink alcohol. I do have to admit, that my son and I do drink caffinated drinks. And my wife did too once she stopped breast feeding.
Do the right thing don't drink booze of any kind, if you smoke stop and in 9 months, if it is you who are expecting, any incoveience on your part will be insignificant. And God for bid your child should born injured because you drank or smoke and you may never know the reason why, do you think the guilt you will feel will be worth having had those few drinks? Raising a child can be difficult enough...why not give your child the best opportunity at a healthy life to statrt.

Answer 4

NO!!!! Alcohol Has different Effects On Different People ... For Some People Drinking One Glass Of Wine Has No Effect Where As For Others All They Need Is One Glass Of The Stuff And They Can Barely Stand Up (I Know Its A Dramatization But I'm Using It As An Example) ... The Same Applies For A Fetus (Unborn Baby) ... Some Fetus's Many Be Able To Handle It Where As Others May Come Out With Downs Syndrome Or Something From Just One Glass Of Wine ... But Who Would Want To Risk Their Child Coming Out With That?? Not Me That's For Sure ... I Would Do Everything In my Power To Make Sure The Baby Came Out Nice And Healthy ... I Wouldn't Smoke Or Be Near Any Smokers When I'm Pregnant

Answer 5

I'm thinking the answer is definitely "NO". Drinking alcohol while pregnant causes Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which can cause a large variety of birth defects. Some people swear it's okay to drink some but just to be on the safe side, don't drink at all when pregnant. It's like playing a game of Russian Roulette...you might get lucky but then again, there's always that chance that you won't. Think about the baby and the possible outcome before you take the chance.
When you're a nursing mom, it's okay to have a little wine, in fact, it's reccommended in order to relax you and help you to not be so nervous when you first start nursing.

Answer 6

An Italian tradition says to have a glass of wine when you feel a pregancy pain in your last trimester. Often women mistakenly think they're in labor and the pain was just the baby moving around a lot. The wine will make the minor pain stop - but think about why that is so...if the wine is effectively numbing you, then it must be numbing the baby too! In fact, maybe you stop feeling the pain because the wine puts the baby to sleep instead of kicking inside.

Just the fact that the answer is up for debate (hence the answers already posted) is enough for me; until doctors know for sure and agree that a small amount will not affect the baby, I believe that none should be consumed at all. Incidentally, I believe the same for breastfeeding...yes that means 2 years without alcohol, but the miracle you get instead is just SO worth it.

Answer 7

Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs because alcohol has a negative impact on the cellular development of the fetus. Alcohol is called a teratogen because it causes "monsters." Alcohol is not blocked by the placental barrier. As soon as implantation occurs, an embryo becomes vulnerable to teratogens such as alcohol. Implantation happens at about ten days after conception -- give or take a couple hours. So, technically, from conception to around the tenth day, alcohol cannot reach the developing cells.

The problem is that the time between implantation and the first missed menstration can be two or three weeks long. Women don't get the first sign and are never quite sure if they are really pregnant for a pretty long period of time. My advice has always been: "if you are drinking alcohol, do not engage in activities that might lead to pregnancy and/or, if you are engaged in activity which might lead to pregnancy, do not drink alcohol. Pick one or the other."

After ten days post-conception (because the embryo/fetus now obtains its nutriants from the mother), the alcohol can damage whatever part of the growing embryo or fetus is most vulnerable at that specific time of drinking. Therefore, what gets damaged can change depending on exactly when the "poison" is introduced. Further, lots of things can be damaged if the exposure to alcohol is prolonged. Sometimes the damage is not noticable in a child but often enough it is severe. It is best just not to take the chance.

Answer 8

During my first pregnancy, my doctor told me to drink a glass of wine apx once a week, well at that time I couldn't stand wine and I told him that, he recommended that I drink a beer instead. I didn't care much for beer at that time either, but I drank a budweiser once a week. My baby was born perfect with no complications and he is fine today - 20 years later. I was 19 when I was pregnant with him and the drinking of the beer was more like a doctors order, which I followed, not for alcohol intake.
I don't see where the beer hurt anything and probably helped alot.
Beer or Wine can be used for good, just so long as it isn't abused.
I do drink wine now - found some I actually like, and I will drink a few beers every now and then, by no means am I 'hooked' on either.

Answer 9

Alcohol, particuarly wine, does have some good attributes and can be helpful to the body in small doses. It has been proven that a glass of wine a day can help the digestive processes in a "normal" person. For pregnancy, though, you have to be really careful because whatever you eat or drink also goes into the baby. I would say a fairly small glass of wine a week would be safe, and possibly even helpful, for both you and the baby

Answer 10

Some experts say moderate drinking during pregnancy is okay, but there are others who believe taking even one drink is like playing Russian Roulette with your baby's health.

One thing is clear, if you are pregnant and take a drink -- a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail -- your unborn child takes the same drink. Whatever you eat or drink while pregnant goes directly through your bloodstream into the placenta.

If you're having a drink, baby is too.

For the unborn child, the alcohol interferes with his ability to get enough oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs.

Research has shown that a developing fetus has very little tolerance for alcohol and infants born to mothers who drink during pregnancy can have serious problems.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental and physical defects which develops in some unborn babies when the mother drinks "too much" alcohol during pregnancy.

The problem is nobody is certain just how much "too much" is.
A baby born with FAS, or even with the lesser Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), can have serious handicaps and therefore could require a lifetime of special care. There is even some research that indicates that women who plan to get pregnant should stop drinking before they even conceive.


Potential Problems
For those who might think drinking during pregnancy is no big deal, here is a list of the potential problems their newborns could be facing as a result, according to Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse:

Small body size and weight

Slower than normal development and failure to "catch up."

Deformed ribs and sternum

Curved spine and hip dislocations

Bent, fused, webbed, or missing fingers or toes

Limited movement of joints

Small head

Facial abnormalities

Small eye openings

Skin webbing between eyes and base of nose

Drooping eyelids

Nearsightedness

Failure of eyes to move in same direction

Short upturned nose

Sunken nasal bridge

Flat or absent groove between nose and upper lip

Thin upper lip

Opening in roof of mouth

Small jaw

Low-set or poorly formed ears

Organ deformities

Heart defects or heart murmurs

Genital malformations

Kidney and urinary defects

Central nervous system handicaps

Small brain

Faulty arrangement of brain cells and connective tissue

Mental retardation -- occasionally severe

Learning disabilities

Short attention span

Irritability in infancy

Hyperactivity in childhood

Poor body, hand, and finger coordination

No, it's not a pretty picture, but it is not intended to be. It's very serious. These effects are not temporary; they can cause a lifetime of physical and emotional pain --not to mention expense. FAS is a large price to pay for a few drinks during pregnancy.

I hope this article provokes though to you and your wife.

Don't take a chance with your baby's future . . .

Answer 11

No, it is not safe for pregnant women to drink at any time during the pregnancy. Unfortunately even doctors can get this wrong.

The reason why:
for a child to develop fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the parent does not have to be a chronic drinker (granted drinking tons increases your risks) because all you need to do is have that one drink during a critical growth period to cause the damage. No doctor can tell you just when that critical period is. Why take the chance... one glass of wine at the wrong time could affect your child for the rest of their life.

Granted the odds are with you that you will pick the noncritical moment, however do you think that expecting mothers should bet the odds? Gamble with the future of an infant?

Women do a surprising amount of stupid things during their pregnancy, things that their babies have to deal with. I would venture to guess that most of the infants are born just fine. But what about that one case... it will be the case that haunts you forever, if you drank one glass of wine and your new baby was born with FAS :(

I would say no, don't drink. It will only affect you for 9 months of your life, but it will ensure a lifetime of health for your baby.