As soon as you found out you were pregnant, one of the first things you may have wondered is whether alcohol should be off the table — especially if you’ve known other moms-to-be who have an occasional (or nightly) glass of wine or two.
Unfortunately, drinking any amount of alcohol while you’re pregnant is not considered safe — something that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG),[1] the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) all agree on.
Although nearly 1 in 7 expecting moms in the United States say they’ve had an alcoholic drink within the last 30 days, according to the CDC,[2] there’s strong research supporting the recommendation to abstain from drinking completely while pregnant.
Ultimately, that means it’s a good idea to pass up any alcohol for the duration of your pregnancy (though you can certainly ask your own practitioner for their advice).
"As much as I would love a glass of red wine, and I mean really love, I cannot justify having one when you have a tiny baby growing inside," says What to Expect Community mom r50chh. "What do you gain? Guilt afterwards? I have 14-and-a-half weeks left, and I'm looking forward to a glass then."
Want to see what other moms are saying about drinking while they're pregnant? Connect with them on the What to Expect app.
The risks of drinking while pregnant
Why such a strong edict from the medical community? It’s to be on the safe side when you have a baby on board.
There is no known safe limit when it comes to alcohol consumption during pregnancy (or whether that limit would differ from woman to woman). The reason: A pregnant woman never drinks alone. Alcohol enters both your bloodstream and your baby’s bloodstream at the same concentration, where it can interfere with the development of critical organs, structures, and systems.
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In other words, it doesn’t matter whether you sip on wine or whiskey: You share each glass of wine, each beer, each cocktail equally with your baby. What’s more, it can take a fetus twice as long as a mother to eliminate the alcohol from its system.
"We have no idea what level of light/moderate/heavy drinking is the tipping point for making it more risky or less risky," says Shannon Smith, M.D., an OB/GYN and partner at Brigham Faulkner OB/GYN Associates in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board.
While drinking alcohol at any point during your pregnancy can be unsafe for baby, imbibing during the first trimester may be more harmful than the second and third trimesters.
That said, the risks of continued drinking are also dose-related: The more you drink, the more potential danger to your baby. But even moderate consumption of alcohol during pregnancy (defined by the CDC as one drink daily for women) is related to a variety of serious problems, including increased risk of:
- Miscarriage
- Preterm labor
- Stillbirth
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Drinking while pregnant also creates the possibility of:
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), which are characterized by physical, behavioral and mental issues
- Developmental problems in childhood
- Behavioral, attention and memory problems and learning disabilities later in childhood
- Birth defects, including heart defects and hearing problems
The risks of binge drinking while pregnant
Heavy drinking (defined by the CDC as as eight or more drinks per week for women) and especially binge drinking (four or more alcoholic drinks at a time) during pregnancy can result not only in many serious obstetrical complications — including those mentioned above — but also fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), the most severe of the FASDs.
This condition results in infants who are often born undersized and mentally deficient with multiple deformities (particularly of the head, face, limbs, and heart) and underdevelopment of the central nervous system.
Later in life, babies with FASDs may be more likely to display vision, hearing, learning, behavioral, and social problems. They’re also more likely to suffer from mental disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, sleep disorders, and anxiety, and they're more likely to end up with a drug or alcohol problem of their own.
Bottom line: The sooner you take alcoholic drinks off the menu when you’re pregnant, the less risk there will be to your baby.
Drinking alcohol before you know you’re pregnant
When you start trying to conceive is the best time to stop drinking, but many women don’t realize that they’re pregnant right away. During those first few weeks, some may unwittingly indulge in a few drinks (or more). In fact, it’s one of the most common concerns brought to the first prenatal visit.
Don’t stress, however, if this happens to you. A couple of drinks a couple of times very early in pregnancy, when you didn’t even know you were pregnant, are unlikely to cause serious harm. When you do find out you’re expecting, you’ll know to steer clear of alcohol for the rest of your pregnancy.
Are some types of alcohol worse to drink than others?
There’s no type of alcohol — whether that’s beer, wine, or liquor — that’s safer to drink than another, nor are any types of alcohol risk-free.
One drink is defined as:
12 ounces of beer
5 ounces of wine
1.5 ounces of liquor
All of these contain about the same amount of alcohol. Mixed drinks can contain even more.
Tips for quitting drinking during pregnancy
Some women give up alcohol easily during pregnancy — especially if they develop an aversion to the taste and smell of booze.
For others, particularly those who are accustomed to unwinding with a cocktail at the end of the day or sipping a glass of wine with dinner, abstinence may require a concerted effort and may include a lifestyle change. If you find you’re among the latter, try these tips:
- If you drink to relax, try to find other ways to unwind. Try listening to music, taking warm baths, getting a massage, exercising, reading, or even having sex.
- Switch to non-alcoholic alternatives. Sparkling juices, pregnancy-safe mocktails, and non-alcoholic beers can step in at the times you’d typically reach for an alcoholic drink. Serve them in the usual glasses (and with a garnish, if you’re feeling fancy), to help recreate the drinks that you’re missing.
- See if your partner, family, or friends are willing to join you on the wagon, at least while in your company. The ride will be considerably smoother! Or ask if a loved one can distract you with an alcohol-free activity (like a couple of episodes of your favorite Netflix show, or even just a quick phone call) at times you might be tempted to unwind with a drink, like Friday night after a long work week.
- Ask for help from your practitioner if you’re having trouble giving up alcohol. Your doctor may be able to offer advice or refer you to a program that can help you quit, such as your local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) chapter or a nearby substance abuse treatment facility.
Your practitioner’s goal should always be to ensure you have the healthiest pregnancy possible. If you feel that your doctor is judging you instead of helping you, consider finding another health care provider who gives you the support you need to stay away from alcohol.
The good news: Once these nine months are up, you'll be able to pick the occasional glass back up — though you may need to take a few precautions if you're breastfeeding.
There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy, so experts recommend complete abstinence to protect your baby’s development. Alcohol passes directly to your baby and can interfere with the formation of vital organs and systems, especially early in pregnancy.
Drinking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, birth defects, and lifelong developmental issues. The more alcohol consumed, the higher the risk — particularly for conditions like fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).
If you had a drink before knowing you were pregnant, don’t panic — just stop drinking as soon as you find out and talk to your doctor if you’re concerned. Most early exposures are unlikely to cause harm, and your health care provider can support you in making healthy choices going forward.
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