The American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirmed its stiff stance on alcohol this week, urging pregnant women to give up drinking entirely. No exceptions for slow-sipped glasses of red wine, occasional nips of scotch, or celebratory champagne. While this may seem familiar advice, the evidence is actually mixed. The Academy of Pediatrics concedes that while heavy drinking can severely harm developing babies, there’s no such consensus about the effects of occasional alcohol consumption. In fact, several recent studies have concluded that casual drinking is largely benign. But the new policy is guided by precaution. Given that we don’t know where the line is between safe drinking and dangerous drinking — one glass of wine per day? — the only way to ensure that pregnant women don’t have too much is to recommend that they have nothing at all. Decades of research have demonstrated the terrible impact alcohol can have on developing babies. Among other things, in-utero exposure can lead to stunted growth, changes to the shape of the lips and eyes, various learning disabilities, and attention problems.

Collectively, these conditions fall under the heading of fetal alcohol syndrome, or sometimes the broader category of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.best dry red wine cheap Thank you for signing up!best wine regions france Sign up for more newsletters herebuying wine guide The Centers for Disease Control estimates that only about 0.1 percent of all children in the United States have fetal alcohol syndrome, but the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that this is likely a significant underestimate.best white wine thai food Precise numbers are hard to find since the physical effects of fetal alcohol syndrome are often subtle, and the cognitive impact can take years to manifest.best selling italian wine

Perhaps, but it’s not clear. It does seem that the risks increase as alcohol consumption goes up. Binge drinking is worse than moderate drinking, and drinking through all three trimesters is worse than just one. best place for wine in las vegasLacking, though, is any strong sense of when problems really take hold. where to buy bad cat wineThe AAP cites a study from 1984, suggesting that as little as one drink per day can affect infant growth. top wine quotesBut several more recent, international studies have found that low levels of alcohol consumption have no impact on fetal health or later childhood development.wine to get fair It’s all about balancing risks and rewards.

And the trick with occasional drinking is that even if the risks are low, the rewards are, too. It would be different if alcohol served some clear, positive function. Compare it with driving, for instance. That is a fairly risky activity, but no one tells pregnant women not to drive, because they need to get around. Or consider prescription drugs, also potentially risky, but still prescribed if essential to the mother’s health and well-being. Alcohol consumption is different. It does have its benefits — like stress relief, gustatory pleasure, and smoothed sociability — but nothing urgent or essential enough to make a nine-month hiatus seem a terrible hardship. Not every pediatric organization in the world agrees with the American Academy of Pediatrics. The United Kingdom’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises against drinking during the first trimester, but adds that small amounts probably aren’t harmful during the later stages. Also, there have been times in the past when warnings about the risk of drug use by pregnant women turned out to have been exaggerated.

During the crack scare of the 1980s, there was widespread concern about “crack babies” and the damage crack cocaine could inflict on a developing fetus. But a multidecade study of those kids has found almost no evidence of harm. They learned, grew, and moved through life, very much like their non-exposed peers. It’s still not a good idea to use crack cocaine while pregnant, given that the drug has lots of dangerous side effects, but these findings are a reminder that we don’t always do a good job of anticipating or evaluating risks. One thing the crack study found, for instance, is that while the kids weren’t much affected by their exposure to drugs, they were terribly afflicted by poverty. Being poor did more to hurt those kids than the cocaine, and today more than one in five US children grows up in poverty. Medical professionals and the pregnancy-advice industry have assembled a host of restrictions on pregnant women: no deli meat, no soft cheese, no swordfish, no sushi, no strenuous exercise, no hot tubs, and, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, absolutely no alcohol.

The logic behind this prohibition on drinking is clear: Since we really don’t know what constitutes a safe level of alcohol consumption, the only way to avoid the risk entirely is to avoid the alcohol.That doesn’t mean that the case against casual drinking is overwhelming — it isn’t. But in the absence of clear evidence, the thinking of the medical establishment is that what you don’t imbibe can’t hurt you.Many women, once they find out they're pregnant, worry about the behaviors in which they engaged during early pregnancy. One of the most common concerns in mothers-to-be is that alcohol consumed before they found out they were pregnant will hurt the baby. In general, while you shouldn't drink if you know you're pregnant, red wine you drank before you found out about the pregnancy won't hurt the baby. Very early pregnancy encompasses several distinct developmental phases. The first two weeks of pregnancy actually occur before you even conceive, explain Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel in their book "What To Expect When You're Expecting."

The next two weeks -- weeks three and four of pregnancy -- are a sensitive time in development during which the fertilized egg begins to divide and implants in the uterine lining. During weeks five through eight, most of the organ systems develop. The concern regarding alcohol use during pregnancy is that it can lead to developmental defects, including physical and mental disabilities. The March of Dimes explains that routine alcohol use during pregnancy leads to a spectrum of disorders called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. While most commonly observed -- and observed to the greatest degree -- in babies born to women who drank habitually and heavily during pregnancy, no amount of alcohol is considered safe by the medical establishment while you're pregnant. Most women don't test positive for pregnancy until at least the end of the fourth week, note Murkoff and Mazel. While alcohol use during the first two weeks of pregnancy -- the time during which you haven't actually conceived -- isn't a problem, you may be worried about red wine that you drank during weeks three and four.

Most obstetricians agree that there's very little likelihood that this alcohol, whether it's red wine or another type of drink, will damage the baby. Once you know, or even suspect, that you're pregnant, it's best to avoid all alcohol. This is true for red wine as well as other types of spirits. The reason is that even though there's little evidence to suggest that small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy -- early or otherwise -- will hurt the baby, there's no amount of red wine or other alcohol that's been proven safe, explain Murkoff and Mazel. It's best to be safe, and avoid red wine entirely once you have a positive pregnancy test. Is It Safe to Lie on Your Stomach While Pregnant While Exercising? Can You Lose Weight With Exercise While Pregnant? Safe Way to Lose Weight While Pregnant Information on the Equate Home Pregnancy Test My Body Fat Percentage & Pregnancy Alcohol And Conception in Pregnancy Signs of Fetal Alcohol Poisoning While Pregnant