Moderate drinking during pregnancy generally does not have any adverse effects. Various studies and research reveal that there is no adverse effect on pregnancy as long as the pregnant mother does not consume more than one drink per day. Medical specialists are of the opinion that it is impossible to determine the time and amount of alcohol consumption that will not put the child under risk.

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is a health syndrome caused due to alcohol consumption by a pregnant woman and where the victim is the new born baby. This is completely preventable. Subjecting a child to FAS is no way less cruel than child abuse as the child is bound to suffer for life. Children affect with this syndrome normally have deformed facial features, short memories, smaller heads in proportion to their bodies, lack of coordination and abnormal limbs and joints.

The result is that these children normally tend to have inappropriate behavior, disruptive schooling, and severe physical and mental health related problems, addictive to drugs and alcohol, on the whole a horrible life time.

How Does Consuming Alcohol Affect Pregnant Women?

A number of studies and research have been conducted in order to get a clear picture about the alcohol and its impact on pregnant women. While browsing through the net for various articles pertaining to alcohol and pregnant woman I found an interesting article at ‘Alcohol Problems and Solutions’. The website offers you an in depth analysis into the details of Alcohol and its effects on individuals. It was indeed worth reading presenting some of it for your reading.

Women who tend to drink heavily during their pregnancies bore the risk of bringing forth children with smaller heads who had either mental or physical handicaps, when compared to those who drank occasionally or never according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Pregnancy and Alcohol – Is There Any Need?

Pregnant woman are warned of birth defects in their children where they tend to drink more than one alcoholic drink per day. Harvard’s Women Health Watch defines one drink as equal to consuming 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of spirit and five ounces of wine.

Consuming 2 drinks a couple of times in a week is said to cause no harm to the health of a pregnant woman, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist which is also consistent with the National Academy of Sciences.

Research has shown that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome occurs in children whose mother is an alcoholic; it also assures that there is no apparent risk found where the mother consumes not more than one drink every day.

Precaution to be taken by Pregnant Women to avoid Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Given to learn that consuming alcohol causes birth defects the safest choice will be to restrain from drinking. But the question of practicality and awareness crops up in dealing with the issue of alcoholism. Those who are light or occasional drinkers can as well stop drinking learning the dangers caused by alcohol abuse on their little ones. The point here is about dealing with heavy drinkers, who also consume illegal drugs without knowing the adverse effect it can have on their child. In addition to addictiveness, ignorance can cause more damage. Leave alone the efforts taken to stop a pregnant woman from consuming alcohol; is she aware that heavy alcoholic consumption puts her child under the risk of FAS for life time?

Following the safety levels of drinking is sure to help, but nothing like not consuming it at all, where you rule out even the remote chance of occurrence of FAS and also given that the effects of moderate consumption of alcohol is yet to be found.

Do you find drinking pleasurable, given that your child will suffer for her life?

Is Drinking During Pregnancy Harmful?

Researches show that occasional drinking during pregnancy really doesn’t affect the normal pregnancy cycle nor does it result in premature births. Here occasional drinking is defined as women consuming one or two drinks per day. Even if nothing is reported against light or moderate drinking during pregnancy medically the best practice will be to abstain from drinking during pregnancy.

Over the decades number of articles has been published about the impact of drinking during pregnancy. Actually speaking we must by now be in a position to understand the impact of it and provide conclusive proof against drinking whether occasional or otherwise during pregnancy. The situation is a little different in the sense that, inspite of all this, till date there are no medically proven evidences which says occasional drinking during pregnancy has harmful impact over the fetus during pregnancy.

Again the impact of drinking could significantly vary depending upon what is the measure of occasional and light drinking, as it differs from person to person.

Americans and their Alcoholic History

Drinking was a norm in early American days. Everyone drank, our fore fathers and mothers drank more alcohol than what we do. In the early 1800’s women drinkers where around 100,000, drinking almost 1/3rd of national liquor. It is indeed hard to believe the point that all of us in some way have been exposed to alcohol and its harmful effects but still not in a position to provide evidence relating to its impact.

Have concern for your child – Abstain from Drinking during Pregnancy

Of course as researches one intends to collect information from concerned individuals about their drinking habits and the impact they have faced owing to alcohol consumption. It is important to remember that people who consume alcohol especially in very high quantities often tend to lie about their consumption.

The measure of alcohol consumption varies from person to person and from one research article to another. While some of them consider drinking twice a day light and occasional, you will have someone else defining 3 or 4 drinks a day to be occasional drinking habit.

If you are someone who will go by such articles, beware!! Consumption of alcohol results in your fetus encountering birth defects. Of course alcohol is just one of the many possible risk factors. There are a number of risk factors such as smoking, maternal illness, pregnancy complications, past health history, drugs and environment pollution that could very well result in a health issue.

It is better to abstain than to risk your child’s life and future. Heavy drinkers put their children to various physical and mental deformities which is far more dangerous than child abuse.

Probable Health Issues – Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a sure shot risk. Though there are no evidences to prove the same considering the fact that the substance is the cause for all birth defects there is no point in risking one’s life and that of a child. Considering the issue pertaining to drinking during pregnancy cases, given below are the possible health hazards one might possibly face.

• Spontaneous abortion among women who take at least 1 or 2 drinks a day.
• Frequent drinks result in lower birth weight of the new born.
• Possible brain damage among children whose mother is alcohol dependent woman.
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) – A serious health problem where the child is subject to various birth defects as a result of alcohol consumption by his/her mother. It is clear that it is completely preventable. A child suffering from FAS is normally shorter than others, weighs less, abnormal facial features, smaller head circumference, poor coordination and short memory.