Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy
How does alcohol affect the fetus?
If you drink when pregnant, alcohol can cause birth defects and brain damage to your developing baby. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is the term used to describe the range of harms that can result from alcohol use during pregnancy. Children with FASD have problems with speech and vision, learning difficulties, poor memory and coordination and poor growth. They also have difficulty handling emotions. These challenges make it difficult for them to handle even simple daily life tasks.
Drinking alcohol can be harmful to your baby at any point during pregnancy. The baby's brain and nervous system develop all through pregnancy. There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. Drinking more than 2 drinks per day, and drinking regularly are most harmful to the developing baby. It is never too late to quit or cut down on your drinking.
How can I protect my baby?
- Plan to stop drinking before you get pregnant.
- If you’re already pregnant, stop drinking as soon as possible. It’s never too late to stop and give yourself and your baby a healthier chance.
If you find it hard to stop drinking:
- Talk to your health care practitioner or someone you trust about services and supports that can help you.
- Enlist prenatal community supports offered through your local health authority. Contact the nearest public health unit.
- Ask for help from a support group or alcohol and drug counselor.
- Contact Motherisk
- If you cannot stop drinking completely, it’s important to reduce the amount you drink. None is best, but less is better.
Links/Contacts
Motherisk
Alcohol & Drug Referral Service
Call toll free: 1-800-663-1441.
Baby’s Best Chance
