Have you ever wondered what would happen if you drank alcohol while pregnant? Pregnant women are being advised not to drink any alcohol during their first trimester (3 months) of pregnancy by a healt watchdog, who last year said that expecting mothers could drink a glass of wine everyday. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Exellence (NICE) also said that after the fourth month of pregnancy, women should only drink a small amount of alcohol one or two days a week. Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the governments cheif medical officer, said that alcohol highlighted that there were increased risks of miscarriage at the beginning of pregnancy. He also said “It again reinforces that if they do choose to drink, to protect the baby they should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and should not get drunk.” Another guidline is that women who are planning on getting pregnant should just stop drinking altogether. Although NICE’s draft guidance, issued last fall, said that there was no evidence that a small glass of wine every day caused any harm after the first trimester. It said at the time that there was no “consistent evidence” to show that a small amount of alcohol damaged unborn children. A national survey found that 58.8% of women ages 15-44 drank while pregnant. 68.5% of pregnant women in their first trimester reported using alcohol, while 56.6% of women in their second trimester and 53.9% of women in their third trimester reported alcohol use. Women who drink increase the risk of their baby having Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. The most servere is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which causes mental retardation. So ask yourself, would you as a pregnant women risk that chance for your child because you chose to drink alcohol during the development of your child?
thanks to: http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/quickstats/womens_health.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/child_health/article3621333.ece
