Alcohol During Pregnancy

Its a known fact that alcohol and pregnancy do not mix. But, how exactly does alcohol effect you when you’re pregnant, further, how does it impact the fetus?

To date, there is no known safe amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy, nor is there any known safe time to consume alcohol while pregnant.

When a mother-to-be consumes any type of alcohol, it crosses the placenta, and makes its way to the developing fetus. Because the fetus would break down alcohol slower than the mother, they may end up with higher levels of alcohol in the bloodstream.

Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can increase the risk of a miscarriage and stillbirth. Drinking can also increase the chances of the baby being born underweight, developing leaning disabilities, problems with speech, and a low attention span.

Consuming alcohol within the first three months of pregnancy can cause abnormalities in the child’s facial features. Research has shown that expectant mothers who consume as little as one drink per week have a greater risk of their child developing an aggressive behavior.

The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) describes a variety of disabilities a child may suffer due to early alcohol exposure.

FASDs include:

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Partial FASD (pFAS)
Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)

It is estimated that FASD impacts one percent of Canadians. FASD also cannot be cured and can have lifelong impacts on individuals and their families.