New Recommendations Say No Amount of Alcohol Is Safe During Pregnancy

For anyone who's ever wondered whether it's safe for pregnant women to have a sip or two of wine every now and then, the medical gods have spoken: A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says pregnant women should put the glass down, pour the wine out, and cork that bottle until the baby arrives.

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The warning goes for beer and liquor drinkers too. If it gives you a buzz, it can harm a fetus, according to the report, which says any amount of booze can contribute to 100 percent preventable birth defects and developmental disabilities that could last for life.

If you're all like, "Who would drink while they're pregnant?!" here's some sobering news: A recent survey found that 1 in 10 pregnant women say they imbibe, and a third of that subset binge-drink (i.e., throw back more than four drinks in quick succession).

As you might expect, the more you drink, the more damage you can do — but the AAP's stance is crystal clear: No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. Not a drop!​​

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An AAP statement suggests that drinking during your first and second trimester can raise your baby's risk of developing fetal alcohol development syndrome by a crazy-high 61 percent — which means the absolute worst time to drink is early in your pregnancy. Because it can take a few weeks to find out you're pregnant in the first place, the stat is pretty scary — much scarier than the prospect of sticking to water until your water breaks.

Which is a pretty small price to pay for a *~pErFeCt~* baby — no matter how many weddings you'll have to attend sober between conception and your due date.


From Cosmopolitan
Photo By Getty