Is Drinking Wine During Pregnancy Safe? Risks and What You Need to Know

Your body performs impressive feats during pregnancy. It produces new organs, nearly doubles its blood supply, and multiplies life faster than your fingernails can grow. This awe-inspiring task, on the other hand, is taxing.

Pregnancy comes with a slew of negative side effects as well as a hormonal roller coaster. Maintaining your pregnancy glow and bliss in the midst of this journey can be difficult, and it’s necessary to relax and unwind now and then.

However, drinking wine while pregnant is not a good idea. During pregnancy, any type of alcohol can be extremely dangerous to your baby.

Can You Drink Red Wine While Pregnant?

When a person drinks alcohol, chemical enters their system. The umbilical cord transmits the alcohol to the foetus in pregnant mothers. Pregnant women and their unborn children are at risk because they are unable to metabolise the toxin.

Alcohol has been shown to increase the chance of congenital defects, miscarriage, and stillbirth in pregnant women. A foetal alcohol spectrum disorder can also result (in FASD).

There are a variety of lifelong physical, behavioural, and intellectual problems associated with the diagnosis of FASD. There is no treatment or cure for these problems, which can be mild or severe.

It is the most severe form of FASD, foetal alcohol syndrome, that can occur (FAS). Facial abnormalities, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip and a small head, are common in children with FAS. It is common for them to be shorter and lighter than their peers.

Other signs and symptoms of drinking wine while pregnant:

• anxiety and insomnia
• sucking problems as a baby
• abnormalities of the eyes
• a difficulty with one’s hearing
• health issues that affect the heart and the kidneys
• a lack of coordination
• a lack of recall ability
• erratic and agitated behaviour
• inability to focus
• learning disabilities

Taking Alcoholic Beverages at Various Phases of Pregnancy

When it comes to the safety of drinking wine while pregnant, women may receive different advice about how much wine can drink while pregnant. Many believe that wine when pregnant during the first trimester is especially risky. Some people, on the other hand, have heard that drinking a glass of wine while pregnant in moderation is helpful.

However, because the fetus’s brain is still developing in the womb, no amount of alcohol has been proven safe at any point in pregnancy by specialists. Pregnant women may not even know they’re pregnant throughout the first trimester.

A baby born to a mother who drank heavily during her first three months of pregnancy is more likely to have facial abnormalities. Low birth weight and behavioural disorders can occur as a result of maternal drinking at any point in the pregnancy.

There have been reports of healthy babies born to pregnant women who drank red wine while pregnant. Even those who consume only a modest amount of wine when pregnant pregnancy is at risk of giving birth to children who have major health issues.

In order to be safe, women should refrain from drinking alcohol while attempting to conceive and during pregnancy.

Dangers of Drinking Wine While Pregnancy

Pregnant women are advised not to drink wine or other alcoholic beverages because of the potential for harm to the growing foetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome, which is linked to low birth weight, visual and hearing abnormalities, cognitive difficulties, behavioural disorders, and trouble sleeping and feeding, is a major cause for concern.

Through the placenta, the alcohol enters the baby’s bloodstream. A wide range of birth problems can result, from physical deformities to mental retardation. After the kid is born, these consequences will continue to affect them throughout their lives.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is not caused by a specific amount of alcohol consumption, thus the safest answer to whether or not you can drink while pregnant is to avoid it if you can.

The fact that you had one or two glasses of wine before discovering you were pregnant isn’t a cause for alarm. Even in the first trimester of pregnancy, a small amount is unlikely to cause any harm – but you should still tell your doctor if you have any concerns.

A modest level of drinking wine while pregnant was connected to behavioural issues in children between the ages of 9 months and 5 years old, according to the research.

If you drink alcohol while pregnant, your kid is more likely to develop these problems:

• Premature birth:  When your baby is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, this is known as preterm labour. Premature newborns are at risk for major health issues both at birth and later in life.
• Damage to the brain as well as issues with growth and development
• Heart issues, hearing problems, and visual problems are all examples of birth defects. Birth defects are medical disorders that exist at the time of birth. The appearance or functionality of one or more bodily parts is affected as a result of birth abnormalities. They can have an impact on one’s overall health, how the body develops, and how the body functions.
• FASDs can cause a variety of issues in children, including intellectual and developmental difficulties. These are issues with the way the brain functions that can make it difficult for a person to learn, communicate, take care of himself, or get along with others. Physical development issues or delays are also possible. FASDs are usually permanent. Having a child with FASD is more likely to occur when a mother drinks excessively while pregnant. When you consume four or more drinks in two to three hours, you are said to be binge drinking.
• Low foetal weight (also called LBW): This occurs when a newborn weighs less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces at birth.
• Miscarriage:  When a baby dies in the womb before the 20th week of pregnancy, this is known as a stillbirth.
• Stillbirth: When a baby dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy, this is known as a stillbirth.

How can you Protect your Unborn Child from the Effects of Drinking Wine While Pregnant?

If you don’t consume alcohol while pregnant, your baby won’t suffer FASDs or any other alcohol-related health concerns. Don’t drink alcohol if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

Some women may consume alcohol while pregnant and produce healthy infants. Some pregnant women may consume relatively little alcohol and have babies with major health problems. Each pregnancy is unique. Alcohol may have a greater impact on one baby than on another. The best method to protect your baby from complications caused by alcohol during pregnancy is to avoid drinking alcohol.

Don’t consume alcohol if you’re pregnant, attempting to conceive, or suspect you’re pregnant. If you do become pregnant, seek prenatal treatment on a regular basis (medical care you get during pregnancy). Let your doctor know if you need help quitting drinking.

Benefits of Drinking Wine While Pregnant

Pregnant women are generally advised by doctors to abstain from alcohol consumption, however, a few studies have found that doing so does not necessarily result in developmental difficulties for the kid.

Although consuming any amount of wine during pregnancy is not recommended, there may be some advantages to doing so.

Red wine consumption can:

• Prevent heart attacks and strokes. The antioxidants in the red wine while pregnant can help to boost HDL (good cholesterol) levels (high-density lipoprotein)

White wine consumption can:

• Anaemia should be avoided at all costs
• Improve your lung function
• Assist in the maintenance of the heart’s muscles

Regardless of the advantages, pregnant women should always be careful and cautious when drinking wine while pregnant.

Wine While Pregnant: Myths and Facts

• Myth: It’s fine to have a few celebratory drinks on a special occasion or while on vacation.
• Fact: Because the body does not distinguish between ordinary days and special events, no amount of alcohol should be consumed during pregnancy.

• Myth: A single glass of wine while pregnant in the womb does not expose the embryo to alcohol.
• Fact: Alcohol reaches the foetus through the placenta and the umbilical cord in any amount eaten during pregnancy. This may increase your baby’s chance of FAS. As a result, even a glass of wine while pregnant should be avoided.

• Myth: Drinking wine when pregnant is preferable to using cocaine or heroin.
• Fact: While all chemicals of abuse, including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, alcohol, and others, have negative effects on the infant, it has been discovered that alcohol has the most negative neurobehavioral consequences on the foetus. As a result, all of these substances should be avoided during pregnancy, including alcohol.

• Myth: Excessive drinking wine while pregnant is the only way to create real harm from alcohol.
• Fact: Alcoholic women are more likely to give birth to babies who have foetal alcohol syndrome. This isn’t to say that mothers who drink in moderation have nothing to be concerned about. Every foetus’ and mother’s sensitivity to alcohol is unique, and it may even be determined by their genetic makeup. As a result, even if you are not an alcoholic, you may be at risk of having a child with FAS.

How To Stay Away From Alcohol

Pregnant women may find it tough to give up a glass of wine while pregnant. Some of the tips to avoid alcohol are:

• Avoid places and gatherings where alcohol is served if you find it difficult to refrain from drinking there.
• Instead of alcohol, pick fruit juices and serve them with a decorative straw or cocktail umbrella to add some personality
• Cleaning out the house of all alcoholic beverages
• Enlisting the help of loved ones

Women who want to start a family should begin abstaining from alcohol prior to trying to get pregnant. As soon as pregnancy occurs, the foetus is at risk from the effects of alcohol. Avoiding red wine while pregnant can be made easier if the practice of abstaining from alcohol is formed early on.

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