Can You Drink Wine While Pregnant?

If you poured yourself a glass of wine, would you pour one for your baby as well? 

It may sound unreasonable, but in effect, that is what you do when you drink during your pregnancy.   

Drinking wine while pregnant might not seem that bad considering the fact that plenty of women have had an occasional glass of wine at some point during their pregnancy, and their kids have turned out just fine.  

But is it really okay to enjoy an occasional glass, or should you stay away from it altogether?

Heavy drinking is more dangerous to your baby than is light drinking.

However, even an occasional glass of any type or amount of alcohol can have harmful effects on a baby’s growth and development.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of premature delivery, low birth weight, miscarriage, and stillbirth.

The fetus is most vulnerable during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

During this period of time, all of the major organs and body systems are forming and can be damaged if the fetus is exposed to alcohol.

Regardless of whether it is liquor, beer, or wine, alcohol quickly travels through your bloodstream, crosses the placenta, and enters your baby’s circulatory system. 

How Much Alcohol Is Too Much During Pregnancy?

Even a small glass of wine exposes the baby to alcohol and to negative effects.

The baby breaks down alcohol more slowly than adults, and may actually end up with a higher level of blood alcohol than the mother. 

Drinking as early as 3-4 weeks into pregnancy (before you may even realize you are pregnant) may alter gene functioning in the developing brain of the baby, particularly in the hippocampus.

The hippocampus is the brain region that plays a crucial role in memory and learning.

Consequently, your baby can have problems after they’re born including:

• Attention deficit disorder
• Hyperactivity
• Learning disorders
• Poor memory
• Mood disorders
• Small head size
• Shorter than average height
• Low body weight
• Poor coordination
• Vision or hearing problems
• Heart problems
• kidneys or bones problems

Better Be Safe than Sorry

On another hand, some health professionals might encourage the use of red wine to relieve stress, reduce the incidence of heart disease, and improve the physical health of the developing baby.

However, no research to date has found that alcohol consumption improves the physical health of a developing baby.

Therefore, I highly recommended that pregnant women abstain from all types of alcoholic beverages. 

So next time you pour yourself a glass of wine, remember that the risk is different for each individual woman. 

If you are pregnant, suspect you might be pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, you should stop drinking immediately!

Even a small amount of wine can cause harm to your baby during the earliest stages of development. 

Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry!