Few responsibilities in life match the expectations and responsibilities associated with pregnancy. Think about it: Once you receive the news you are expecting, everything changes. From what you are supposed to eat to the amount of sleep you get to how much activity you get – every single day.
While some of the recommendations offered during this amazing time in your life can seem a bit unnecessary (do you really need to eat spinach five times a day?), others truly impact your health and the health of your unborn child.
In particular, drinking alcohol during pregnancy carries significant risks no mother wants to face. From fetal alcohol syndrome to still birth, the dangers associated with alcohol use and abuse while pregnant is no laughing matter and needs to be taken very seriously.
Can I Drink While I’m Pregnant?
What you have to understand is that if you decide to drink while you’re pregnant, you’re also deciding to let your baby drink because alcohol passes freely through the placenta to your unborn child. Although you may have heard that drinking a glass of red wine is good for the body or having one beer won’t hurt, even minimal amounts of alcohol can negatively affect your child and should be avoided.
In general, health professionals agree that avoiding alcohol all together during pregnancy is the safest way to avoid any unnecessary complications during your pregnancy.1
The Effects of Alcohol During Pregnancy
Making the decision to drink while pregnant is truly a danger to both you and your baby. There is no known “safe” amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, which means any amount runs the potential of causing serious health problems during your pregnancy and after your child is born.
Some of the more serious issues that can occur from alcohol consumption while pregnant include:
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)
This is an umbrella term that categorizes the effects that can occur to a child whose mother drank while pregnant. This can include well-known Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), as well as Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS).Babies diagnosed with either of these disorders can experience a range of negative symptoms, including intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is common for children with either of these diagnoses to experience serious neurological issues that impact their ability to learn, communicate, care for themselves as they age and get along with others. FASD typically causes delays in physical development, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities and below average height/weight. - Serious Birth Defects
If you drink during your pregnancy, your baby could be born with heart defects, hearing problems and vision issues. These types of defects impact your child at birth and physically change the shape or function of one or more of the child’s body parts. Drinking while pregnant typically results in problems with the infant’s overall health and how their body develops throughout the entirety of their life and how their body works in general and works throughout their life. - Miscarriage, Premature Birth and Low Birth Weight
Alcohol can quickly pass through the placenta and umbilical cord and directly to the developing fetus. Any amount of alcohol can cause the baby to develop irregularly and weaken the functionality of the mother’s womb.Since babies are so small, the alcohol they ingest through the umbilical cord breaks down much more slowly – meaning it stays in their blood stream much longer and can cause irreversible harm to their development and birthing time frame.2
Pregnant and Addicted to Alcohol? There is Life-Changing Help
Finding out you’re pregnant can fill you with a vast array of emotions. From joy to fear and everything in between, the rollercoaster of feelings associated with pregnancy can be intense. But it’s important to understand that you don’t have to deal with your pregnancy and the grip of alcohol addiction alone.
Deciding to ask for help is the first step to achieving long-term sobriety and saving your child from a lifetime of potential physical ailments. After all, it is a parent’s responsibility to protect their child from all of the dangers in this world.
Taking the steps necessary to properly address your alcohol use disorder is the first decision you can make as a new parent and potentially the most important one you’ll ever make for your child.
Life-Changing, Holistic Alcohol Addiction Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery
If you live with an alcohol addiction or frequently abuse alcohol, you should know there is hope and life-altering support that can help you and your baby live the best life possible.
At Ranch Creek Recovery, our holistic detox and personalized alcohol recovery treatment will help you declare complete control over your actions, health and future. Learn more about our alcohol addiction treatment program to start your journey toward recovery today.
Have questions? We’re here to help in any way we can. Contact us today.
CALL NOW: (877) 293-8607
Resources
1 BabyCentre. Is it safe to drink alcohol during pregnancy? Accessed August 14, 2019. https://www.babycentre.co.uk/x536390/is-it-safe-to-drink-alcohol-during-pregnancy.
2 National Center for Biotechnology Information. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and the risk of preterm delivery. Accessed August 14, 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14718217.
