During pregnancy, a woman cannot drink wine or beer, or any other type of alcoholic beverage. This is because alcohol reaches the baby through the placenta in the same concentrations to which the pregnant woman was exposed, being metabolized by the baby’s liver, and remaining in her body for some time.
Alcohol consumption in any quantity and at any stage of pregnancy can cause miscarriage, delayed development and growth of the baby, as well as physical, behavioral or intellectual disabilities, known as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Therefore, pregnant women should not consume alcoholic beverages during pregnancy, even in small quantities, in order to avoid complications for the baby.
Risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, premature birth, growth restriction or death of the baby at birth.
Furthermore, the consumption of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy can harm the developing baby and cause fetal alcoholism syndrome, characterized by physical, behavioral or intellectual disabilities, such as:
- Low weight at birth;
- Slow growth;
- Below average height;
- Changes in the face, such as a short nose, small eyes and thin upper lip;
- Small head;
- Vision and hearing problems;
- Malformations in the heart, kidneys or bones;
- Difficulty sucking when breastfeeding;
- Lack of motor coordination and balance;
- Difficulty with learning, attention and concentration;
- Memory and judgment problems;
- Speech delay or language difficulty;
- Intellectual disability;
- Baixo QI;
- Poor school performance;
- Sound problems;
- Hyperactivity;
- Heart problems.
Furthermore, a child with fetal alcohol syndrome may have difficulties at school, poor academic performance, problems relating to relationships, difficulty controlling impulses or difficulty planning and achieving goals.
Amount of alcohol during pregnancy
There is no scientific evidence on the safe amount of alcoholic beverages consumed by mothers, which is why alcohol is completely discouraged during pregnancy. Therefore, a good tip for not consuming alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is to drink natural juices or water.
Can pregnant women drink non-alcoholic beer?
Consuming non-alcoholic beer during pregnancy is also not recommended. This is because “alcohol-free beer” has a very small amount of alcohol in its composition, around up to 0.5% alcohol, therefore, it is not completely alcohol-free and its use should be avoided during pregnancy.
