Despite what some people might say, even a couple of drinks of alcohol during your pregnancy could cause harm to you and your baby.
Alcohol-related birth defects, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, are very common; it is currently estimated that FASDs affect two to five percent of the population. The most common FASD is fetal alcohol syndrome. In the U.S., two out of every 1,000 babies are born with FAS.
Here’s the thing, all FASD are entirely preventable.
A fetus receives all of its nourishment from its mother’s bloodstream. When a mother drinks, the alcohol in her blood stream can pass straight to the baby’s blood, which can poison the developing fetus. The damage will depend on which part of the child is developing at that time. Since a fetus’ brain develops all through the pregnancy, there is no “safe time” to take a drink. Anytime during the three trimesters can cause your child harm.
Because we believe that the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is so important, we have included information on our site at http://bit.ly/2kPt4vX, including contact information for help putting down the drink.
Drinking alcohol can also lead to a folate deficiency. Alcohol interferes with folate absorption and increases the folate excretion through urine. Expecting mothers are already at risk of folate deficiency due to the fact that their folate resources are supporting to people.
It is recommended that all women, including expecting mothers, take 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid every day.
