Pregnancy requires parents to change and modify their daily activities and habits.
This perhaps is a system of sacrifice that begins long before the birth of the baby.
Out of many questions that pregnant moms ask during their antenatal visits, one is "Is Drinking alcohol during pregnancy safe?" For all these women, it is important to mention that drinking alcohol while pregnant is not safe at all.
It is not only hazardous for mother but also for baby.
Alcohol must be stopped long before the conception, ideally when a woman decides to conceive she must modify her diet and habits, especially habit of smoking and drinking alcohol.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy is not safe as it is one of the established causes of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, one of the most popular syndromes in United States.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome constitutes a multitude of abnormalities that include low birth weight, facial anomalies, and disproportionate growth of the body and nervous system abnormalities.
Due to irresponsible behavior of most mothers, poor babies have to suffer all their life to lead a mentally retarded life.
It is important to discuss that whatever you eat and consume, travels in your blood stream and reach to your baby via feto-maternal circulation.
Obviously if you are consuming alcohol, it will also reach your baby and as her digestive system and detoxification centers are still under development, she may not be able to effectively detoxify alcohol resulting in accumulation of toxic doses of alcohol within her system.
These toxic doses may lead to increase chances of sudden fetal demise, miscarriage and low growth.
Alcohol is not to be consumed during pregnancy at all.
It is a very common question asked by most pregnant women thinking there is a minimum lethal or sub-lethal dose that may be safe during pregnancy.
But in reality, no dose is safe.
There are few drugs that are publicized as being non-alcoholic beers and wines, but those are just scams as all non-alcoholic beers still have some percentage of alcohol in them that may prove harmful to the health of mother and the baby.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy definitely affects the health of the baby but it causes more harm to mother.
Under normal pregnancy, there are chances that due to metabolic factors, liver functions may get altered.
However, in pregnancy if mother is also consuming alcohol, chances are very bright that liver injury will be hastened and may affect the health of the mother and in turn the child.
If you were a problem drinker, you may have to control your drinking before getting pregnant.