What happens when you drink alcohol during pregnancy?
It’s worth remembering that every time you have a drink of alcohol during your pregnancy you share it with your unborn baby and it has been proven that drinking on a regular basis may be harmful.
Alcohol quickly reaches your baby across the placenta. You may be surprised to know that it enters your baby’s bloodstream at around the same levels of concentration present in your blood, but it takes them twice as long to expel it from their system.
The only way a woman can be sure her baby will be safe is to stay away from drinking alcohol during the whole of her pregnancy.
If you’re socialising with friends at their homes, keep in mind that lots of people tend to be generous with their alcohol pouring and a pub wine glass might be quite a bit smaller than your friend’s favourite goblet style!
What are the long term effects of drinking alcohol in pregnancy on your baby?
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Foetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) are both tragic physical and mental disabilities in children caused by the intake of alcohol by mothers while pregnant.
Click here for the Australian Department of Health and Aging guideline on alcohol and pregnancy