Life Line

Alcohol and pregnancy

Dear Readers:

D. Ramsay is a 33-year-old woman, who lives in Kingston 3. She is now pregnant with her second child. Her first child is 15 years old and that pregnancy feels like a long time ago.

Ms. Ramsay now likes to have a glass or two of alcoholic beverage a few times weekly. However, now that she is pregnant, she is concerned about this practice. She asks Lifeline if it is safe for her and the baby if she still has a drink, now and then, with her friends.

Lifeline recommends that a pregnant woman drink little or no alcohol during the nine months of her pregnancy.

If a woman drinks only a small amount of alcohol, there are still risks to the pregnancy as a portion of any alcohol consumed in pregnancy will reach the developing foetus. Even the intake of small amounts of alcohol can affect foetal development and will increase the risk of miscarriage (loss of the pregnancy).

A woman, who drinks no more than two ounces of liquor or 16 ounces of beer daily, actually risks bearing a baby with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.

These children are usually a bit on the short side with small eyes and small jaws and are below average in intellect. Sometimes they also suffer with birth defects such as cleft palate and heart disease.

Even an occasional night of excessive drinking when the woman hardly drinks otherwise can still result in health problems with the foetus.

All of these problems are preventable if the pregnant woman avoids alcohol.

If you are pregnant, do not drink any alcohol at all. Avoid all alcohol in pregnancy.