Did you ever have a glass (or sip) of wine while you were pregnant? What if I told you that could soon land you in jail? Well it very well could when a court in the U.K. rules on a landmark case that will be heard soon that aims to make i__t a crime to have even a little alcohol while pregnant.__ The court will hear testimony to prove that a 6-year-old girl was the victim of a crime because she is now brain damaged after her mom drank alcohol while she was pregnant, so the little girl suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and its devastating effects. As someone who is pregnant right now, I'm not sure how I feel about this.
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On the one hand, I know that the recommendation is for pregnant women to avoid all alcohol. But that's not always done and, in fact, more and more studies are published daily saying that a little alcohol doesn't hurt. There was one recently that even said that moms who drank while pregnant had better behaved kids! I want a well-behaved little child? Should I reach for the alcohol?
The answer isn't as clear cut as you'd think though. In the past years, there has been an increase in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, probably because of studies like the one I just mentioned that suggest that a drink here and there isn't bad for your baby–that it's actually good.
I hope the court in the U.K. arrives at the right decision and that they don't criminalize all pregnant women. We get enough shade as it is for other "choices" we make (like exercising, eating habits). Even though this will apply to women who drink heavily and recklessly, one more rule during pregnancy isn't going to help anyone.
You know, I'm not one to judge here. In all honesty I believe that, yes, if you drink in excess, knowing the risks, and cause harm to your baby that you're definitely a criminal. But I can't really stand by that when the conversation surrounding alcohol and pregnancy is so unclear. Some sites say yeah you can drink a little, some say just be on the safe side and don't. Doctors say it's fine to do so in your last trimester. So it's all confusing. For my own sanity and JUST to be on the safe side, I'm avoiding all alcohol at all costs. I'm not even risking taking one sip. I just don't know how that's going to affect my baby, even if the payoff might be a better behaved little one.
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