How does alcohol – wine, gin, vodka – affect your baby?

You can think of many pregnancy tips as helpful guidelines, rather than strict laws. However, avoiding alcohol is not one of them.

All alcohol you drink while pregnant circulates to your baby and can potentially harm his health. Because alcohol molecules are quite small, they easily transfer to a fetus’s body via the following circuit:

1. Bloodstream circulation – After drinking, the alcohol will be conducted through your bloodstream. 

2. Placenta crossover – From the bloodstream, alcohol then passes to the placenta. This “barrier” organ surrounds a growing fetus, providing nutrients and removing waste. 

3. Umbilical cord transfer – Next, alcohol transfers through the umbilical cord, the main organ that directly attaches the fetus to the placenta. 

4. Fetal circulation – Since fetuses do not develop functional livers until eight months in utero, they are unable to metabolize alcohol like an adult. Once inside your baby, alcohol will circulate through the fetus’s entire body. 

5. Reabsorption – Without a developed liver, any alcohol inside a fetus won’t be eliminated. Instead, the alcohol molecules will simply recirculate back out through the placenta and into the maternal bloodstream.

How does alcohol (even wine) damage your baby’s health?

Drinking alcohol can cause irreparable damage to your baby’s developing body. In the womb, your baby’s body is rapidly forming new cells that are extremely tender and susceptible to alcohol’s toxic effects. On top of that, a fetus is much smaller than a drinking-age adult, so even a little bit of alcohol has a much stronger effect on your developing baby than it does on you.

The dangers of drinking while pregnant are cumulative: the more alcohol you drink, the more likely your baby will face health risks. However, even just a few drinks could hurt your baby’s future, causing developmental issues such as: 

• Growth impairment, like a low body weight, deformed joints, and shorter height 

• Brain & nervous system underdevelopment, including learning disorders, intellectual disabilities, poor coordination, low reasoning skills, and speech and language delays 

• Mental health issues, like hyperactive behavior and ADHD, sleep issues, and mood disorders like depression 

• Organ dysfunction, such as vision and hearing issues, heart dysfunction, kidney issues, and other organ-related problems 

• Facial abnormalities, which can result in a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip, small eyes, a small head, or a flat nose bridge

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

You’ve probably heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome before. However, the medical community has expanded the spectrum of disorders for those exposed to alcohol before birth—a category called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders include any group of physical, mental, or behavioral problems that result from fetal alcohol exposure. According to the Center for Disease Control, medically recognized FASDs include:

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) – The most severe of all FASDs, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome involves nervous system issues, facial abnormalities, and growth issues. Babies born with FAS may also have issues with learning, memory, and communication skills. Usually, doctors can identify FAS at the time of birth, due to its distinctive facial features (a smooth philtrum, a flat nasal bridge, small eye openings, and a small head). 

• Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) – Babies born with Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder often take time to be diagnosed. That’s because ARND symptoms are behavioral and mental, from poor impulse control to difficulties with math. Once a child with ARND reaches school age, their symptoms may become more apparent. 

• Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD) – The opposite of ARND, Alcohol-Related Birth Defects means that a baby experiences only physical issues from alcohol exposure. Common symptoms include heart defects, low-functioning kidneys, and poor hearing.
  

• Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE) – A newer medical diagnosis, ND-PAE involves three main areas of child behavioral development. Children with ND-PAE may be challenged by thinking and memory (such as remembering school lessons), mood and behavior (including tantrums and limited attention span), and day-to-day tasks (like bathing or dressing).

Drinking and Pregnancy: What Doctors Recommend

Most doctors maintain that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy—but it’s not uncommon to hear some competing advice from your surroundings.

According to Harvard Health and the CDC, misinformation like this may partly contribute to the current fetal alcohol exposure statistics in the US:

• Over 7% of women still drink alcohol during pregnancy

• About 1.4% of women binge drink during pregnancy

• Up to 5% of children are suspected to be affected by some form of fetal alcohol exposure

• According to in-person school assessments, up to 0.9% of school-aged children may suffer from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome symptoms

New Research on Moderate Alcohol Intake

Research suggests that drinking during pregnancy is very risky at low, moderate, or high amounts. One study of 31,000 pregnant women found that even one alcoholic drink per day led to a higher risk of growth problems (which excludes any learning or behavioral problems that may appear down the line).

However, newer research also points towards a cumulative effect with pregnant drinking. The more you drink, the likelier your baby will be to undergo health problems. According to the CDC, alcohol consumption falls into three general categories:

• Light drinking – 3 or fewer drinks per week
• Moderate drinking – 3 to 7 drinks per week
• Heavy drinking – More than 7 drinks per week

Some studies show that pregnant women with a low to moderate alcohol intake (i.e. fewer than 7 drinks per week) have almost no correlation with FASD symptoms like facial abnormalities or low cognition. 

However, this is no sign to drink wine or other types of alcohol. At the very least, more research is needed to make conclusions or change the zero-alcohol guidelines.

What if I drank wine and other types of alcohol before I knew I was pregnant?

It can be tough to pinpoint precisely when you became pregnant. In many cases, this means alcohol consumption may overlap with your first trimester—but don’t fret. Your baby is likely safe, as long as you stop drinking as soon as you discover you’re expecting.

It seems like common sense that your fetus is most vulnerable to the effects of alcohol and even wine too at its earliest stages of growth. Surprisingly, a 2013 study suggests that drinking during the first 15 weeks of pregnancy did not pose higher risks of low fetal weight, preeclampsia, or spontaneous preterm birth. Even more surprising: the study included binge drinkers.

Just remember—it is never too late to stop using alcohol – wine, gin, vodka, etc. during pregnancy. Halting your consumption of alcohol will lower any risks for your baby’s health, no matter what.

The Final Verdict: Is it safe to drink wine and other types of alcohol while pregnant?

Excessive drinking (even wine) while pregnant can have serious adverse health effects. At the same time, new research suggests that very light drinking in your first trimester may not guarantee injury to children’s later cognitive and behavioral health. 

So, can you drink wine and other types of alcohol while pregnant?

In short—no, not if you want to minimize all health risks. It’s always healthier to avoid alcohol while pregnant.

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