Women of Childbearing Age

The majority of women do not drink alcohol during pregnancy. It was found that 80% of women abstained from alcohol once they found out they were pregnant. Source: Minnesota Department of Health – 2002

One of the most commonly asked questions among pregnant women is “Can I drink an occasional glass of wine while I am pregnant?”

No level of alcohol use during pregnancy can be recommended as safe. Everything a mother consumes passes through her placenta to her unborn child, and therefore, has the potential to affect the fetus in several different ways. 

Prenatal Brochure

What women need to know about drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Click here to download brochure.
 

Podcasts

To listen to the podcast "Put Down That Drink if You Are Pregnant (or Trying to Be!)" distributed through the CDC, which discusses the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, click here.

Myth Busting:

Get the facts about drinking during pregnancy.

Myth: “My doctor told me that I can drink alcohol in moderation during pregnancy.”

Fact: Doctors receive a limited amount of education on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in medical school. Just remember, the U.S. Surgeon General warns pregnant women and women who may become pregnant to abstain from alcohol consumption in order to eliminate the chance of giving birth to a baby with any of the harmful effects of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD).

Myth: “My friends say that it is okay to drink alcohol in the third trimester because the baby is already “developed.”

Fact: The baby develops at a rapid rate through the ENTIRE pregnancy. Most importantly, please remember that the brain is always developing, even after the baby is born!

Myth: “I don’t drink hard liquor; only red wine from time to time, so that’s okay.”

Fact: Alcohol is alcohol. One type is not less harmful to the developing baby than another. All types of alcohol contain chemicals that are harmful to development and may cause permanent damage.

Myth: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders usually happens to children of women who are poor and from a minority group.

Fact: This disability affects all ethnicities and people from all income levels. In fact, the Minnesota Department of Health tells us that risk drinkers during pregnancy tend to be single, college educated women with incomes above $50,000 annually.