Alcohol Use During Pregnancy
Many community members wonder why women use alcohol while pregnant. A common response from the public is anger or judgement. Some people assume that a woman who drinks does not care about her pregnancy or the developmental changes of the fetus. This is not true or helpful. Alcohol use during pregnancy, whether early on or in the later stages, does not indicate a diminished concern or care for her pregnancy. The reasons for alcohol use during pregnancy are complex and varied.
Think about the factors listed here:
- Many women use alcohol to ease the pain of physical, emotional or sexual violence experienced in their lives.
- Some women have an addiction to alcohol and need help to stop drinking or to reduce drinking.
- Women with children find it more difficult to access treatment due to childcare concerns.
- Some partners do not help women to have a healthy pregnancy and may even encourage drinking.
- Women may drink alcohol very early in their pregnancy before they know they are pregnant. When they know of their pregnancy, they limit their drinking or do not use alcohol at all.
- Women who themselves have FASD may struggle to have a safe and healthy pregnancy. They are at risk of having children exposed to alcohol while in the womb.
- There are women who hear misleading or inaccurate messages about alcohol use. If women are not fully informed or do not fully understand the risks of prenatal alcohol exposure, they may have alcohol exposed pregnancies.
You can see there are a variety of factors leading to prenatal alcohol exposure. Because there is no known safe amount or safe time to drink, it is best not to drink alcohol during pregnancy. It is also important to limit, or even better, abstain from alcohol while breastfeeding. It is helpful for all of us to understand that no woman harms her baby on purpose. Yes, FASD can be prevented. To prevent FASD, all women need the support of families and communities to have healthy, safe and alcohol free pregnancies.