Alcohol and expectation: is drinking beer during pregnancy bad for the fetus?
Expectant mothers often ask themselves what to drink and what not to drink during the period of expectation. A wise behavior to put in place when expecting a child is certainly to stop drinking alcohol of any kind (wine, beer, cocktails or spirits); today we focus in particular on the effect of beer in pregnancy. Alcohol is also mentioned in our video on foods to watch out for in gestation; watch it below.
Why drinking alcohol while pregnant is bad for the baby
You know, when a baby arrives, there are never too many precautions ... let alone when it is still in the belly!
One of the most well-known restrictions for pregnant women is certainly that of avoiding alcohol of any kind, which is accompanied by that of quitting smoking and limiting all those drinks containing caffeine and which can annoy the unborn child. Sacrifices are necessary to ensure that the fetus is in good health and that at the time of birth it is healthy and strong; mugs of beer, glasses of wine and shots of spirits are really worth setting aside for 9 months! But do you know why drinking alcohol while pregnant is bad for your little one?
Alcohol crosses the placenta unfiltered (we are talking about that fundamental and characteristic organ of pregnancy that nourishes the baby while it is safe in your womb), thus directly reaching the blood of the fetus. In addition, children do not yet have the enzymes necessary to dispose of alcohol and therefore are unable to eradicate it like we adults.
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) and the SIGO (Italian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology) explain that the fetus can suffer very serious effects when the mother consumes alcohol in gestation, whether during the first weeks of pregnancy, at full term or in the days of conception; these can lead to possible physical malformations and mental deficits which take the name of FAS.
The fetal alcohol syndrome
In particular, when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, regardless of the week of pregnancy in which she is, she runs the risk of causing serious damage to the unborn child at 30-40%; a percentage that is not exactly low and of which we are sure none of us would like to be part of it. Whoever expects a baby and consumes alcoholic beverages, including beer, exposes the fetus directly to alcohol and its toxic effects. By staying in contact with this harmful substance for a long period, the baby increases the risk of being born with the fetus syndrome. -alcoholic or fetal alcoholic (FAS) What is it?
It is one of the most serious pathologies that can affect babies in the belly and derives from the mother's alcohol consumption during the 40 weeks of gestation. Unfortunately, this type of dysfunction can also be triggered during conception, when many mothers are still unaware that they are pregnant; this is why it is recommended to eliminate alcohol from your diet when you decide to look for a child.
The signs and symptoms of FAS can be very different, from mild to more serious forms, because what alcohol causes in the small organism of an unborn child is singular: it modifies the development of the brain and other organs so the reactions can be different, touching the physical, cognitive or behavioral level. The reasons why some children exposed to alcoholic substances during pregnancy are born without problems and others are born with physical and psychomotor disorders are not yet known. As women we have a smaller build than a man, therefore we are more prone to evere a greater amount of alcohol in the blood, and we could more easily expose our baby to prolonged contact with harmful substances, such as ethyl ones, which are not filtered by the placenta.
Wine and beer during pregnancy; are there safe quantities of alcohol?
Are wine and beer free from causing these terrible dysfunctions in infants? Unfortunately not, even if they have a much lower alcohol content than spirits: beer is around 4% alcohol content, while wine is 11% -14%, compared to 40% of a digestive, bitter. or grappa. Wine and beer are however foods not recommended during pregnancy because they contain toxic substances for the unborn child, no matter if in low quantities. In the past, less importance was given to the fact that a future mother drank a glass of wine or beer during meals, because absurdly, it was thought that it was not harmful and that even beer produced more milk, a popular belief without any foundation scientific.
Despite all the myths and legends our grandmothers have heard, there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy (or in the period of conception). The baby you carry in your belly is undergoing a series of transformations that are essential to be able to be born healthy: hearing develops, brain circuits increase in complexity day by day and its organs grow at an incredible speed. the fetus is in a situation of extreme vulnerability that makes it "attackable" by harmful substances that the placenta is unable to filter, including acetaldehyde.
Refraining from drinking beer is the best choice, but a taste is allowed
If you want to be really calm, the best option is to refrain from drinking any alcoholic beverage, for all 9 months of gestation: if you choose to make this sacrifice it will be light-hearted because it is aimed at protecting the future health of your little one! eyes of a mother. There are alternatives to be able to be in the company of friends and relatives, without having to resort to alcohol, think for example of mocktails or refreshing fruit juices which in summer are very thirst-quenching. It is important to stay well hydrated during pregnancy, so there is no reason why you should give up tasty juices, fruit mixes, extracts, herbal teas and above all water!
If, on the other hand, you should happen to have to participate in a "particular occurrence during pregnancy, such as a wedding, and you want to make a toast, know that some researchers have studied how the effects of a small, occasional and small bite. , do not appear to be harmful to the fetus.In all other cases it is the mother who decides how to behave, based on her habits at the table and in the home-work routine.
To go into detail, when we talk about a "drop" of alcohol granted, we mean a quantity equal to 10gr per day. According to the Toronto study that supports the thesis, approximately two glasses of wine / beer are allowed per week, but it is also emphasized that this dipstick must never be exceeded in order not to increase the risk of preterm birth and general fetal problems. In addition, in the first 3 months of gestation it is not necessary to drink beer, wine or digestive after meal, because the baby is still very small and extremely vulnerable.
Therefore you can consider indulging in two fingers of wine or beer with meals only from the 4th month of pregnancy onwards, always remembering not to exceed the alcoholic unit of a drink, 10-15ml.
Is it allowed to drink beer while breastfeeding?
The general rule that applies to all new mothers who are breastfeeding is that it is not necessary to change diet if it is rich in fruit, vegetables, proteins, minerals and especially if the mother drinks a lot of fluids. However, it is also true that there are foods and drinks that are recommended to be consumed in very moderate quantities, such as coffee, because they can annoy the breastfed baby. Other substances must remain in a corner of the pantry from the moment of delivery until you decide to stop breastfeeding, such as beer. Beer does not in any way favor the production of milk, if anything from a scientific point of view it has been analyzed that it can reduce its production by up to about 20% and can even alternate its flavor.
Ethanol passes into breast milk in small amounts but goes directly to the baby and can cause deleterious effects. As for the gestation period, therefore, it is better to set aside all alcohol for a few months to be able to return to enjoy them in complete tranquility once the baby is completely weaned.
