"Light Drinking" While Pregnant Now OK?
Results from a recent study in the UK suggest that light drinking while pregnant does not cause any harm to the unborn baby.
Doctor Yvonne Kelly, from University College London, carried out the study (which involved 12,495 children and is available online from the International Journal of Epidemiology).
The Guardian reported:
Researchers found there was no link between light drinking in pregnancy - defined as one to two units a week, or on occasion - and any behavioural or cognitive problems in children at the age of three.
Some of the evidence suggested that light drinking during pregnancy was actually beneficial to the child:
Boys born to mothers who had up to 1-2 drinks per week or per occasion were less likely to have conduct problems and hyperactivity. Girls were less likely to have emotional symptoms and peer problems compared with those born to abstainers.
Dr Kelly did acknowledge that these effects could be attributable to the generally higher socio-economic class of the light drinkers compared to the abstainers, but she also suggested "It may also be that light-drinking mothers tend to be more relaxed themselves and this contributes to better behavioural and cognitive outcomes in their children."
The study found that heavy drinking whilst pregnant was associated with development problems for the child. "Heavy drinking" was defined as "7 or more units per week or 6 or more units per occasion."
The reaction from the UK's Department of Health has been to reiterate that women should not drink at all whilst pregnant, and that if they do choose to drink, they should limit intake to one or two units (e.g. one or two small glasses of wine) per week. This is the same amount as the "light drinking" definition used by the study.
Dr Kelly and the other researchers concluded that:
Heavy drinking during pregnancy appears to be associated with behavioural problems and cognitive deficits in offspring at age 3 years whereas light drinking does not.
Ultimately, it's safest to stick to the Department of Health's guidelines. The study suggests that light drinking during pregnancy is not harmful, but pregnant mothers who would otherwise abstain should not start drinking in the hopes that this will contribute to their child's positive development. If you do drink whilst pregnant, make sure it's no more than two units per week.
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This doesn't surprise me in the slightest -- look at anyone in their 40s or older. It's likely that their mothers drank while pregnant...and probably more than the recommended two units. Yes, getting drunk is bad during pregnancy, but it's none too good when not pregnant, so it stands to reason that it would cause problems. A small glass of wine twice a week? I don't think that would have any lasting effects.
ReplyI had my youngest son over in Belgium and was encouraged by my physician to have a glass of wine with each of my evening meals. This has been a practice in Europe for a very long time.
After he was born, while still in the hospital, a bottle of beer accompanied both my noon and evening meals. This was to help encourage a healthy milk production.
We just have a different way of doing things here in the US.
Replythank u r information
it very useful
u r blog Is very nice
ReplyYup, Europe has been doing this for a while... and they seem to be just fine.
Although I wonder if slight alcohol intake can trigger some rare type of birth defect?
My question is, are mothers in the US going to take this chance or not drink at all...
Sahil M
ReplyFlawless Fitness Book
Personally I think that anything in moderation is ok - but I was also interested though when doing some research to find this....
An experiment measuring fetal reactions to mothers drinking one ounce of vodka in diet ginger ale, found that fetal breathing stops within 3 to 30 minutes and lasts more than a half hour even though the blood alcohol level of the mothers is low. When the mothers’ blood alcohol levels went down as the vodka worked its way out her system, fetal breathing movements increased proportionally. (Fox, H. E., Steinbrecher, M., Pessel, D., Inglis, J., and Angel, E.(1978) Maternal Ethanol Ingestion and the Occurrence of Human Fetal Breathing Movements. American J. of Obstetrics/Gynecology 132: 354-358.)
ReplyWhy risk it?
ReplyIf you read the article again, you may understand the point: It isn't a risk.
The problem with being pointlessly puritanical is that you can always be more puritanical. Why risk being in the same room as an alcoholic beverage? Why risk being in the same building? Why risk being in a building that has EVER had alcohol in it? Spend your whole pregnancy outdoors under a sheet of plastic.
ReplyMy mom admitted to me that while she was pregnant with us, she enjoyed a nice cold Guinness now and then. She said otherwise, she would've gone crazy, lol. At the time, I guess she felt pretty guilty about it, but she claims she never got even tipsy, let alone drunk. I think you run into problems when you OVERLOAD your system with alcohol and your liver can't process it fast enough before it starts to harm the fetus.
Also, another European thing that I don't think caught on here is the custom of drinking beer while nursing. My mom claimed drinking a beer a day when she was nursing helped her produce better, higher-quality milk. Maybe they should do a study on that one next.
ReplyThat is an interesting study. I never really belived in drinking when pregnant. I guess it varies from person to person how they stand on these issues. But nonetheless a very informative post.
ReplyI`m in my late twenties and my mom is fond of saying that she drank a glass of wine every once in a while while pregnant with me and I turned out fine. Here in Canada, that gets her many frowns and ``tsk tsk`s``of dissaproval. In Europe, this would not even be surprising. I`m glad this study was done, people need to relax a bit. Binge drinking is not good, pregnant or not, but a glass of red wine here and there can`t hurt.
ReplyHere's what's not addressed though, the fact most people misunderstand what 'a glass' really is.
Most wine glasses are far too big, and even when 3/4 full, they contain well over 1 unit. Take one each night, and suddenly you're a 'heavy drinker'.
Replywouldn't risk it at all.
ReplyI have 2 sons. I never touched alcohol with either one and they are both VERY hyper! One has autism one has ADD. I followed everything by the book. I really don't think a drink here and there would be a problem at all. As you see many of us who do follow the rules still end up with special needs issues. I think wine or no wine...it will be what it will be!! Obviously if you drink heavily you are going to increase these odds.
Replyactually a range of problems affects babies exposed to alcohol, otherwise known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. These effects can range from subtle learning disabilities to central nervous system disorders and facial anomalies.
Read more: http://pregnancychildbirth.suite101.com/article.cfm/drinking_while_pregnant_#ixzz0EoGOk0VH&B
ReplyMy son is a little over a year old and has hit all of his milestones on time if not early. He is also very very adorable.
I had a glass of wine or a Guinness almost every night, my doctor said it was fine and in europe it's actually encouraged. I also ate yellowtail sashimi when I craved it because in Japan they have absolutely no restrictions on eating seafood, sushi, or sashimi while a woman is pregnant.
I think the western world is a little to puristic, with all the anti-bacterial EVERYTHING and all the rules and regulations with pregnancy... i think this is really what is causing Autism and other behavioral and mental problems... My son is super healthy and happy and I have NEVER used any anti-bacterial wipes, gels, or sterilizing cleaners... I let him put leaves in his mouth and play with his grandparents dog who licks him all over his face. Kids need to develop immunities and I enjoyed having that one glass of wine... everyone needs to just RELAX!
Reply