Can a pregnant woman drink wine or beer?

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.

Consumption of alcohol in any amount and at any stage of pregnancy can cause miscarriage, delay in the development and growth of the baby, as well as physical, behavioral or intellectual disabilities, known as fetal alcohol syndrome.

In this way, the pregnant woman should not consume alcoholic beverages during pregnancy, even in small amounts, 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.

In addition, the consumption of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy can harm the developing baby in formation, and cause fetal alcohol syndrome, characterized by physical, behavioral or intellectual deficiencies, such as:

• Low weight at birth;
• Slow growth;
• Height below average;
• Changes in the face, such as a short nose, small eyes, and thin upper lip;
• Small head;
• Vision and hearing problems;
• Malformations of the heart, kidneys or bones;
• Difficulty sucking to breastfeed;
• Lack of motor coordination and balance;
• Difficulty in learning, attention and concentration;
• Memory and judgment problems;
• Speech delay or language difficulty;
• Intellectual disability;
• Low IQ;
• Poor school performance;
• Sleep problems;
• Hyperactivity;
• Heart problems.

In addition, the child with fetal alcohol syndrome may have difficulties at school, poor school performance, problems with relationships, difficulty controlling impulses or difficulty planning and achieving goals.

Amount of alcohol in pregnancy

There is no scientific evidence on the safe amount of alcohol intake by the mother, so alcohol is completely discouraged during pregnancy. In this way, a good tip for not consuming alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is to drink natural juices or water.

Can pregnant women drink non-alcoholic beer?

Consumption of 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, about up to 0.5% alcohol, therefore, it is not completely alcohol-free, and its use should be avoided during pregnancy.