5 Damages Drinking Alcohol Could Do To Your Pregnancy

Ireyimika Oyegbami

Pregnancy comes with both rational and irrational cravings. It is not an enviable whim when a pregnant woman craves for and consumes alcohol; although it has been recommended that a pregnant woman may consume one or two units of alcohol in a week where a unit is pegged at about 10ml of pure alcohol.

 

Here are some reasons why a pregnant woman is advised to lay off the bottle:

1. A Miscarriage May Occur: Alcohol passes through the placenta to your baby and drinking alcohol anytime from the time of conception to the first three months of pregnancy is likely to make a pregnant woman miscarry and lose the baby.

2. Baby’s Brain Might Be Affected: Due to a yet to be developed liver, the foetus can’t break down alcohol like the drinking adult can; drinking more than the suggested amount of alcohol at any stage during pregnancy can negatively affect the growth and development of the baby, particularly, the brain of the foetus.

3. Foetal Growth Restriction: Alcohol lowers the effectiveness of the placenta thereby hindering it from its important work of delivering important nutrients to the growing foetus. Therefore, a pregnant woman who drinks more than the pegged amount is likely to experience preterm birth, a low birth weight and a baby who is not as healthy as it should be.

4. Foetal Alcohol Disorder: Drinking more than the suggested amount of alcohol may result in the baby being born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Children with this disorder may have physical disabilities, emotional and psychiatric problems and may encounter learning and behavioural difficulties. The severity of the foetal alcohol spectrum disorder depends on the amount of and how regularly the mother consumed alcohol.

5. Ill health: A baby born to an alcoholic mother is more prone to ill health in infancy, childhood and even as an adult.

Consuming alcohol in pregnancy may harm one baby more than another as each pregnancy is different. Although there is more alcohol in spirits like gin and vodka than in the same amount of wine, the best way to guarantee a healthy baby free from any serious health condition is to simply lay off the bottle. A pregnant woman who drinks should talk to her doctor.