Alcohol and Pregnancy Do Not Go Together

 

67196_156964264343347_621474_nAccording to the Center for Disease Control, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, “There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol.”

For those who enjoy consuming an alcoholic beverage on occasion or regularly, taking a nine month hiatus from alcohol may seem a bit rough – but the consequences of not doing so can be severe. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby. Everything that a pregnant woman consumes passes along to her growing baby. Any amount of alcohol, even one small serving of wine or a single shot, will pass through the placenta to the baby. Developing babies lack the ability to metabolize alcohol through their livers and other organs. They will absorb any amount of alcohol and have the same alcohol concentration as the mother.

Alcohol is a toxin to all developing babies, and it will interfere with healthy development causing brain damage and other birth defects. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is also associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm delivery, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

At Marietta OB-GYN Affiliates, P.A. we are here to help you achieve the healthiest pregnancy possible. While it may seem like an inconvenience to put off drinking for nine months, the benefits far outweigh the choice not to do so. If you are planning on becoming pregnant, it is beneficial to you that you stop drinking before you become pregnant. Many women expose their growing babies to alcohol during their first few weeks of pregnancy simply because they do not know that they are pregnant. If you find that it is difficult to stop drinking, please speak openly with us so that we can help you. Choosing not to drink alcohol during pregnancy is one of the most important decisions you can make for your growing baby.

Posted on behalf of Dr. Carlos Alarcon, Marietta OB-GYN Affiliates, P.A.