Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

Although a lot of people say that alcohol and pregnancy don’t go hand in hand, there is no actual proof that there might be a connection.

Nonetheless the specialists say that pregnant women should cut it out especially during the first trimester which is vital regarding the development of the baby.

Drinking while being pregnant

In case you decide to have some drinks while you are pregnant, you should stick to the light ones, and make sure that you don’t have more than two units.

Also make sure that drinking won’t become a habit, and that you don’t drink more often than two times per week. In case you have more than five units, then you are already drinking too much.

Why is this a problem?

Don’t forget that alcohol is a kind of toxin. Drinking while being pregnant is dangerous because the alcohol gets to the little one quite fast through the bloodstream.

Don’t forget that too much drinking can cause permanent damage to the cells of the baby, meaning that it will affect the growth of the little one.

In the same time, alcohol and pregnancy could result in damages to the nervous system of the fetus. This means that in the future the baby could have problems with learning or coordination and movement because of birth defects.

The term used for such problems caused by drinking while being pregnant is alcohol spectrum disorders. It is known as a spectrum since the problems could range from mild and minor difficulties to more serious defects.

One of the most extreme things that could happen if you are drinking while being pregnant is full-blown alcohol syndrome. The babies affected by this could have facial defects, and to be too small for their age.

Also the babies with this problem have difficulties with learning and coordination, not to mention the behavioral problems. The truth regarding alcohol and pregnancy is that FASD is more common than FAS.

Also think about the fact that drinking can cause problems with the pregnancy, leading to premature labor or miscarriage. In case you have too much alcohol, there are chances for the baby to be stillborn. Because of all these problems related to alcohol and pregnancy the specialists advise women not to consume alcoholic beverages during their pregnancy.

Proven risks

There are some factors that determine the risks regarding drinking while being pregnant. Such factors include the amount of alcohol that you have, the stage of your pregnancy and also the frequency of drinking when you are pregnant.

It’s not only the first trimester that you should be worried about. The baby is also vulnerable in the third trimester. This is because the baby is growing at a fast pace during this stage and this is the time when the brain of the little one develops.

As you can see, it’s not such a good idea to have alcohol and pregnancy in the same time, because most probably in the end you just might regret it.