(Stuff You'll Hear)
A little alcohol can’t hurt, especially later in pregnancy
Advice always changes, moderation is the best thing
I read a new study online that said…
Back in the day, a lot of people drank while pregnant
I drank while I was pregnant and my kids are fine
It’s not good to deprive yourself, a couple drinks at a time is fine
*from friends, moms, family members, strangers or even doctors
(What We* Know)
Alcohol is a teratogen. What’s a teratogen? It’s the sciencey word that’s used to describe chemicals and environmental factors that can cause birth defects.
/te ‘radəjən/
noun
an agent or factor that causes malformation of an embryo.
It’s proven that alcohol can harm an unborn baby.
It’s NOT proven that small amounts of alcohol are safe for a fetus. There is no known “safe” amount of alcohol to consume during pregnancy.
It’s called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) because the many possible harms that alcohol can cause to a fetus exist on a spectrum – and many of these harms can be difficult to detect and diagnose. Some are almost impossible for scientists to track with current data collection methods.
The actual risk level is individual – it can be affected by genetics (how well a person processes alcohol), nutrition, other substance use, whether the fetus is male or female, and lots of other things.
*We = Us! The people on the other side of your screen! We work with scientists, researchers & public health officials who are experts on the effects of alcohol on growing humans.