Second, children’s brains are still developing at age 5, and the full effects that alcohol may have had on them may not yet be measurable. First, while the study included 1,600 women, that’s still a relatively small sample size. While this would seem to suggest that low-level alcohol consumption is safe during pregnancy, there are other factors to consider. They were unable to tell any difference between children whose mothers drank low to moderate amounts of alcohol and those who abstained completely during pregnancy. They performed tests on IQ, attention span, and executive functions such as planning, organization, and self-control. Researchers who knew nothing about the maternal consumption of alcohol during the pregnancy examined the 5-year-old children of those pregnancies. Binge drinking: Five or more drinks during a single occasion.Moderate consumption: Five to eight drinks a week.Low consumption: One to four drinks a week.The research is conclusive: Binge drinking and heavy consumption of alcohol in pregnancy pose a definite risk to the developing fetus. However, we just don’t have the same level of conclusive information when talking about low-level alcohol consumption.įor example, a 2012 Danish study examined the effects on 5-year-olds whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy, categorized as follows: What studies say about drinking while pregnant Because we’re just not sure, there has been a push for women to refrain from consuming any alcohol while trying to get pregnant and during pregnancy. While we’ve long known that heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause these problems, the effects of an occasional glass of wine is less understood. As many as one in 100 children born in Texas may have an FASD.
Still, we can’t ignore the potentially devastating effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD): low birthweight, developmental delays, behavioral problems, and health problems such as seizures and visual or hearing impairment. Almost all national health organizations recommend complete abstinence when it comes to drinking during pregnancy, while some obstetricians – including myself – say it’s OK to have a drink now and then. Unfortunately, the advice they get can be confusing. Pregnant women often have questions like these. Would it be OK to have a glass of wine?” “Can I have an occasional beer with dinner?” “I just found out I’m pregnant – but I had a couple drinks last weekend.
We are wasting time arguing about this at the expense of making better policy that might actually help women-and children-who really need it.“It’s our anniversary Saturday. As Oster said, “the women on this margin are not the ones we should be most worried about. The bottom line is that (the majority of) pregnant women are capable of making informed decisions, and shouldn’t be shamed for the choices they make-even if that means enjoying a glass of wine once in a while. Ultimately, unless you isolate yourself in a protective bubble and never leave your house while pregnant, you’re always taking some risk, whether it’s driving a car, walking down the stairs, or even enjoying some “fresh” air (hello, pollution). And my nearly nine-pounds-at-birth son is none the worse for it. As far as I’m concerned, I earned that damn glass of wine. I’m sure people who saw me drink wondered, “Why take the risk?” Not that I need to justify that choice, but here’s why: I was stressed and exhausted from running after a hyperactive toddler.
“This applies to drinking, as well as things like breastfeeding, sleep training and so on.”ĭuring my first pregnancy, I followed my doctors’ orders to a proverbial “T.” I sacrificed much-needed caffeine, abstained from lunchmeat and under no circumstances would I even consider taking a sip of alcohol. As if doing something that you enjoy inherently means you do not love your baby, even if there is no evidence that this activity is bad for the baby,” Oster explains. “here is a push in parenting toward self-sacrifice. Like other hotly debated topics such as breastfeeding, the question of what pregnant women put into their bodies has become an extension of the so-called Mommy Wars, pitting women against each other because of their parenting choices. Caught in the uncomfortable middle of this debate are the pregnant women who have done their homework and may want to indulge in a glass of wine, only to be shamed and judged for doing so. Clearly, researchers and doctors are not on the same page.