Unfortunately, we do not know whether one drink or several drinks will cause harm to your baby. We advise you to stop drinking alcohol completely until your baby arrives.

Evidence has shown that consuming alcohol in large amounts, or binge drinking, can increase the risk of a baby developing abnormalities.  Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a term used to describe the effects on a person when alcohol consumption occurred during pregnancy. FASD is known to effect around 1% of the Canadian population. Research has shown that drinking during pregnancy is associated with preterm labour and small for gestational age babies.

Your placenta is a highly specialized organ that functions as the main route to give your baby oxygen and nutrition as well as to expel waste products and carbon dioxide. It supports your baby’s growth and development as well as providing protection against infections and disease; however, this means anything you consume, solid or liquid, will pass to your baby very quickly through the placenta. Alcohol can have a longer affect on your baby than it can on you!

The term FASD is used to describe three different ranges of harm to a baby caused by drinking alcohol prenatally:

1. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
2. Partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS)
3. Alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND)

Unfortunately, these conditions can cause permanent and devastating long-term effects like growth restriction, facial abnormalities, irreversible brain damage, anxiety and depression, and cause the person to have difficulties with social interactions and relationships as well as other aspects of their life.