dvorak -“I was told 1 glass of wine per week is OK. Basically, you need to drink quite a lot to actually cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Also, since no one is about to actually subject pregnant women to studies to actually find the line, they err on the side of caution and say no alcohol at all. Most experienced OB’s if you press them will admit that a little bit is fine and will cite the 1-2 glasses per week rule.”
You are failing to differentiate between a possibility and a likelihood. No one can say any amount of alcohol is safe, even if there is a very low possibility of harm!
From the CDC & P:
“Alcohol Use in Pregnancy
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol. CDC urges pregnant women not to drink alcohol any time during pregnancy.
Women also should not drink alcohol if they are planning to become pregnant. This is because a woman could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more. In the United States half of all pregnancies are unplanned.
FASDs are 100% preventable. If a woman doesn’t drink alcohol while she is pregnant, her child cannot have an FASD.
Why Alcohol is Dangerous
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics and behaviors:
Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum)
Small head size
Shorter-than-average height
Low body weight
Poor coordination
Hyperactive behavior
Difficulty paying attention
Poor memory
Difficulty in school (especially with math)
Learning disabilities
Speech and language delays
Intellectual disability or low IQ
Poor reasoning and judgment skills
Sleep and sucking problems as a baby
Vision or hearing problems
Problems with the heart, kidney, or bones
How Much Alcohol is Dangerous
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
When Alcohol is Dangerous
If a woman is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, it is never too late to stop. The sooner a woman stops drinking, the better it will be for both her baby and herself.”