It is widely known that heavy or frequent drinking during pregnancy can seriously harm your baby’s development. Exposure to extreme levels of alcohol can lead to a condition called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Children may have restricted growth, heart defects, facial abnormalities and learning and behavioural disorders.
This week the Department of Health published its review of research into the effects of alcohol on the foetus which concludes that current Government guidance is correct – that a baby will not normally be harmed if a woman drinks a maximum of one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week.
But some health campaigners argue that a pregnant woman should not drink at all. So just how much alcohol is it safe for a woman to consume during pregnancy? Can a woman drink a small amount without causing damage to the baby? Or should alcohol be cut out altogether? And as increasing numbers of women enjoy “binge drinking”, should women who have drunk heavily before they know they are pregnant be worried?
Martha Kearney discusses this with Dr Daghni Rajasingham, consultant obstetrician at St Thomas’ Hospital and Susan Fleisher of the National Organisation on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.
