Consumption Of Alcohol During Pregnancy

There is a lot of misinformation about alcohol during pregnancy. Some believe that small amounts, especially early on, have no effect, but this is by no means true. Alcohol during pregnancy carries very serious risks, even in small amounts!

A study published in The Lancet Global Health published  very worrying results on the issue of alcohol during pregnancy. This study shows that this problem is particularly severe in five countries, all of which are in Europe.

Research suggests that 60% of Irish women drink alcohol while pregnant. In Belarus it is 47%, in Denmark 46%, in Great Britain and Northern Ireland 41% and in Russia 37%.

The same study found that out of  67 women who consume alcohol during pregnancy, one child each had a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. There is no specific factor that makes it possible to predict when this syndrome will and when it will not. It’s like a dark lottery game.

Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy  results in a number of symptoms known as  Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). It is the most common cause of birth defects and developmental disorders that could be avoided.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause very serious disorders, both in childbirth and in the development of the child. As a result, the child suffers from these health problems for life, with unpredictable consequences.

Drinking alcohol is very dangerous because alcohol is passed on from the mother to the child via the umbilical cord. Possible problems range from a spontaneous miscarriage to disk capacity and disorders of the following types:

• Unusually small skull, also known as a microcephalus
• Small size
• Abnormalities on the face (e.g., furrow between the nose and mouth called the philtrum)
• Low body weight
• Hyperactivity
• Problems with coordination, memory, concentration, reasoning, and judgment
• Learning disabilities
• Delayed language development
• Low intelligence coefficient
• Vision and hearing problems
• Heart problems, kidney problems, and bone problems

Is it enough to drink less alcohol during pregnancy?

Some women mistakenly believe that small amounts of alcohol or low-alcohol drinks will not harm the growing baby. But this is by no means true. Alcohol is always dangerous, in every stage of pregnancy and even in small quantities! However, alcohol consumption is particularly dangerous in the first three months of pregnancy.

Beer, wine or a cocktail are just as dangerous because they all contain alcohol! The risk of serious consequences is very high in women who only drink large amounts of alcohol once during pregnancy. Babies of those expectant mothers who only take small amounts but repeatedly are also at great risk.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) from alcohol during pregnancy

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a disorder that many children have whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy. This leads to brain damage and developmental disorders. Worst of all, this damage is irreversible and the child suffers from it for life!

Symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome vary in severity from case to case. There may be physical, cognitive, and psychosocial disorders. Children diagnosed with this symptom at an early age tend to have a better prognosis than those diagnosed late.

It used to be believed that  alcohol during pregnancy would only create abnormalities that were visible at first sight. But today we know that cognitive and psychosocial disorders can be very destructive, even if no deformities or anomalies are obvious at first glance.