When you get pregnant, there are a lot of lifestyle changes you're told to make, from how you exercise to what you eat and even how you sleep. These recommendations are made for various reasons and may vary from obstetrician to obstetrican. In fact, when I was pregnant, my OB said not to worry too much about eating sushi and deli meat or even sleeping on my belly. With over 30 years of experience under his belt, there were only three things he told me were completely out of the question.
Read more ¿Qué más?: It's safe to drink while pregnant, but is it right?
Smoking cigarettes, doing drugs and drinking alcohol. The first two didn't apply to me at all, and I gave up alcohol as soon as I found out I was pregnant. But from time to time I would read or hear things that would make me question my commitment to this long-standing rule. Like how European women drink wine throughout their pregnancies and how our grandmothers didn't give up their nightcaps when they were expecting. And you know what? I really missed wine. But ultimately, the risk was just too big for me to cave. Here's why you should always avoid alcohol when you're pregnant:
Miscarriage. The results of a study released in 2012 showed that pregnant women who consumed just two drinks per week were 1.5 times more likely to miscarry than women who abstained completely. Since miscarriages already occur in about 1 in 4 pregnancies, it's better to avoid anything that could increase the chance.
If you're tipsy, your baby is too. While in utero, your baby shares your circulatory system. That means that any amount of alcohol that is in your blood goes straight from the placenta to your baby. So even if you feel only the slightest buzz, your baby can feel it too. You wouldn't give a 6-month-old a sip of beer, so why would it be okay to give a growing, developing fetus a sip?
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. By far the biggest fear related to alcohol consumption during pregnancy are any of the disorders on the fetal alcohol spectrum, including birth defects, mental retardation, and behavioral issues. With heavy consumption, these can be severe issues that your child will have to deal with for the entirety of his life, but even light drinking can cause mild problems that may go unnoticed by the untrained eye, but still effect your family's quality of life.
ADHD. More recent research is suggesting that drinking alcohol during pregnancy could be a contributing factor to ADHD. Again, this is a lifelong problem that often requires medication and/or therapy, and can significantly impact not only your every day life, but your child's future success in school and in the work force.
Unknown effects. New discoveries are made in the medical world every day. Just 60 years ago, people thought smoking and drinking weren't a big deal. Everybody did it. Today–mere decades later–we know how dangerous these things can be, particularly to developing fetuses. Who knows how many more effects of alcohol on fetuses will be proven in the years to come? No need to be afraid of the future, just be diligent about heeding the warnings of today.
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