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?