Doctors often hear that a girl drank alcohol without knowing that she was pregnant. Alcohol abuse cannot positively affect the health of the human body. This is a negative habit, which is better to get rid of in order to keep your body healthy and full. Nevertheless, many doctors recommend episodic drinking in small doses: red or white wine. But there is a category of people for whom the use of alcohol is strictly contraindicated. So, do expectant mothers in early and late pregnancy include them?
The level of influence of alcoholic beverages on the fetus can be determined by the gestational age of the woman. Let's try to understand in detail why pregnant women should not drink alcohol.
The effect of alcohol in the first months after conception
Women planning a pregnancy deliberately refuse to use not only alcohol, but also other bad habits and food. But there are times when a woman does not know about the onset of pregnancy and drinks alcohol during this period due to ignorance.
The period of ignorance of the onset of conception can last up to 4-5 weeks, that is, almost a month of the first trimester. During this period, when a woman is not yet aware of her pregnancy, she behaves in the usual way and can consume alcohol and other harmful products.
In the first month of pregnancy, the fetus tries to gain a foothold on the wall of the uterus in order to grow and develop further. And at this time, the expectant mother does not know about the ongoing processes in her body, I am sure that everything is as usual. Therefore, it allows itself on holidays and friendly gatherings a glass of wine, whiskey or a couple of bottles of beer. So is it possible for pregnant women to drink alcohol without knowing that life is being born inside, and can it somehow harm the unborn baby?
This is a rather stressful situation for a woman when she suddenly finds out that she is pregnant, and her lifestyle has remained the same all this time. Many women in this position decide to terminate their pregnancy because they fear that alcohol could cause irreparable harm to the fetus.
What doctors say about alcohol and pregnancy
Doctors at family planning centers are sure that alcohol during pregnancy should be excluded from a woman’s diet. And immediately during pregnancy planning and before conception, not only the expectant mother, but also the future father should give up alcohol. Therefore, if a girl drank alcohol before the delay and was pregnant, then she should inform the doctor about it.
In reality, everything is much more complicated, because not every pregnancy becomes planned. If there was alcohol intake while the woman did not know about her pregnancy (first 4 weeks), do not panic. It is necessary to immediately stop any intake of alcoholic beverages after confirmation of the fact of conception. Also, it will not be superfluous to consult a doctor and conduct the necessary examination. If the use of alcohol was single and insignificant, there is no reason for panic. The development of the embryo will go according to plan without any deviations, the main thing is to adhere to a certain lifestyle that will suit a pregnant woman.
First weeks
During the first weeks of pregnancy, the finished egg is fertilized by the sperm, the cells divide and the fetus moves to the uterine wall. If a woman enters the body at this stage of a large amount of alcohol, or if an intense negative effect has occurred on the whole body (an infectious disease, fever, poisoning, exhaustion, etc.), the fetus may be rejected by the body.
Thus, if a girl drank alcohol, and then found out that she was pregnant, she needed to see a doctor, because a miscarriage often occurs at a very early date. Sometimes a woman does not even know that she is pregnant, since bleeding and miscarriage symptoms are similar to regular menstruation and premenstrual syndrome.
The effect of alcohol on the embryo in the first trimester
The first trimester is very important for the proper development of the future baby. His organs, nervous, circulatory and other life-supporting systems of the body begin to form and develop. If you drank alcohol without knowing that you are pregnant, and the intake of alcohol has not stopped at this stage, then this may have the following consequences:
- vasospasm occurs in the uterus, which leads to oxygen starvation;
- the process of obtaining vitamins and beneficial elements is disrupted, the fetus lacks the necessary nutrients for proper development;
- poisoning with ethanol, which is found in alcohol, fetal tissues. The development of alcohol syndrome in a child. Children with such a violation suffer from various developmental disabilities, in appearance.
Pregnancy is a very important and crucial stage not only in the life of a woman, but also in the life of an unborn child. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the consumed food, environment and lifestyle.
Drinking Wine Early in Pregnancy
Many people suggest that drinking a small amount of wine during pregnancy cannot harm an unborn baby. This is fundamentally wrong opinion, since any alcohol can harm the fetus. Wine is useful in small doses to improve blood circulation to people living in mountainous areas, but this drink is strictly contraindicated for pregnant women.
Drinking champagne during pregnancy
Any alcohol should be excluded from the diet of the expectant mother. This also applies to sparkling wines, including champagne. The alcohol content in it is equivalent to what is in the wine.
Unlike other alcoholic drinks, champagne has a special property, which classifies it as dangerous for pregnancy drinks. Due to air bubbles, which are a natural process of fermentation in champagne, the drink is absorbed into the blood much faster than regular alcohol. Once in the blood, alcohol goes through the entire cycle in the woman’s body, reaches the fetus and can cause irreparable harm to the health and development of the unborn child. It is unlikely that a glass of champagne is worth dooming the baby to various diseases.
The consequences of drinking beer in early pregnancy
Drinking beer has become a part of everyday life. Many do not even think about how much harm this drink brings to the ordinary body, and even to the body of a pregnant woman.
It is known that the taste preferences of pregnant women are changing. This is due to an increase in the level of the hormone that helps maintain pregnancy. Some women claim that they definitely want to drink a foamy drink. The motivation of such future parents is based on false concepts of benefits to the fetus. Women suggest that the urge to drink beer arises because the fetus "itself knows what it needs."
This is a false statement based on unfounded assumptions and stereotypes. A good doctor who leads a woman’s pregnancy will insist that alcohol, smoking and the wrong lifestyle will negatively affect the baby’s health.
First trimester beer
The negative effects of foam and other alcoholic beverages have been proven by research. If the expectant mother drank alcohol without knowing that she was pregnant, then it is worth listening more to her body. When drinking beer in the first trimester of pregnancy, the following negative consequences for the baby can be caused:
- deviations in the physical development of the baby;
- deviation and lag in intellectual development;
- premature birth;
- chronic alcohol poisoning in a child;
- miscarriage in late pregnancy;
- fetal oxygen starvation;
- deterioration in nutrient production.
Beer is harmful not only to the child, but also to the expectant mother. It gives an additional burden on the urinary system, including the kidneys, which wear out during pregnancy.
Daily throughout the first trimester of pregnancy, the development of vital organs occurs. If you disrupt this process with alcohol, you can get unwanted consequences.
The consequences of drinking non-alcoholic beer
Those uneducated in the reproductive question can give short-sighted advice. For example, replace alcoholic beer with non-alcoholic beer. Such a drink does not contain alcohol, which means it is harmless to the fetus. But it is not so.
The main disadvantages of non-alcoholic beer include:
- yeast used in the manufacture of any beer;
- chemical additives that add a delicate taste to beer;
- preservatives used for long-term storage of beer.
In order to maintain pregnancy and exclude abnormal development of the fetus, a woman must completely abandon the use of any alcoholic beverages, even with a zero degree.
Pregnant women are drawn to a hoppy drink because it contains B vitamins. They help maintain pregnancy and the unborn baby develops. But it is better to replace beer with healthy products that also contain a large amount of B vitamins: walnuts, bananas, almonds, avocados and many others. It is better to adhere to the correct and balanced diet throughout the pregnancy, then sharp urge to eat or drink something unusual may not occur at all.
Risking the health of an unborn child by indulging your bad habits is reckless and irresponsible. The greater the amount of alcohol and harmful products a pregnant woman consumes, the higher the chance of having an unhealthy baby. No need to rely on the experience and stereotypes of "experienced" people. Timely and proper consultation with a pregnancy doctor will help the expectant mother and her child go through this period as harmlessly and safely as possible.