All about beer
“Any amount of alcohol at any time during pregnancy can harm the baby’s developing brain and other organs. And every pregnancy is different, so no one can predict how alcohol will affect your baby,” he said. Women are routinely urged to not drink during pregnancy .
Is the occasional glass of wine or beer OK for moms-to-be? According to a new study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, there doesn’t seem to be any measurable risk.
Scientists have been unable to find a level of alcohol consumption in pregnancy below which it is certain that there will be no harm to the baby. In other words, there is no evidence-based ‘ safe ‘ level of drinking alcohol in pregnancy (NHS Choices, 2018). Therefore, it is best to avoid alcohol altogether.
Some doctors recommend that you completely avoid alcohol when you’re expecting; others say that occasional light drinking is unlikely to harm your baby .
It was verified by several participants that alcohol consumption in the first trimester would cause the most harm, and it was generally accepted by all participants that small amounts of alcohol , such as one or two glasses throughout the whole of pregnancy would not be harmful to the foetus.
They found that drinking up to four units a week while pregnant , on average, was associated with an 8 per cent higher risk of having a small baby compared with drinking no alcohol at all. There was also a potential risk linked to premature birth, although this was less clear.
Results suggested that drinking — even fewer than two drinks per week — in the first trimester increased risk of complications, like lower birth weight and pre-term birth.
Summary. Women should avoid drinking red wine during pregnancy . There is no safe level of alcohol consumption at this time. Although some women who drink when pregnant go on to have healthy babies, others who drink just a small amount may experience pregnancy complications that can affect the fetus.