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New Guidelines For Drinking While Pregnant

Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

Photography by Photo Via HuffPo

We’ve heard the story time and time again: You find out you’re pregnant, and then realize you got pregnant before a particularly crazy, alcohol-fueled occasion. That’s when a mild freak-out ensues. Chances are, one night of heavy booze consumption had little to no effect on your baby, but, according to new guidelines set by the Royal Collage of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, you shouldn’t be totally lax about alcohol going forward.

The guidelines, which are updated every few years, now instruct pregnant women to abstain from alcohol all together during the first three months of pregnancy (they previously advised women to limit consumption during this time). Meanwhile, the organization says drinking a “small amount” after these first three months “does not appear to be harmful for the unborn baby.” Of course, a “small amount” (outlined here) is nowhere near indulgent—it’s something like a tiny glass of wine, not more than once or twice a week. Other organizations, of course, say there is no safe amount of alcohol one can consume during pregnancy.

The RCOG also asks women—and men—trying to conceive to cut all alcohol consumption, and also warns breastfeeding mothers to limit their booze intake to the aforementioned 1-2 units, not more than once or twice a week.

While all of this might seem like a no-brainer to some pregnant women, and others might call it too prudent, we do think it’s a solid reminder about the dangers of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), both of which can be devastating to both babies and their parents.

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