Until now, a number of health experts have not been able to ascertain how safe alcoholic drinks are for pregnant women and fetuses. The safest step is to avoid drinking alcohol while pregnant.
The debate about whether to drink alcohol while pregnant seems to never run out. Some doctors say drinking alcohol while pregnant as long as a limited amount does not endanger the health of the fetus. But some others oppose that opinion.
How Much Alcohol Can Be Consumed
The results showed that drinking alcohol while pregnant in certain amounts can cause congenital abnormalities or congenital abnormalities (birth defects) in infants. Even so, there have been no studies that have proven whether consuming a little alcohol also has the same effect on the fetus. In particular, there are no studies that can provide a limit on the amount of alcohol that is safe for pregnant women to consume.
Determining the amount of alcohol consumption that is safe for pregnant women is quite difficult. This is because each woman has different levels of resistance to alcoholic drinks. Some pregnant women have alcohol-lowering enzymes that are lower than normal, so that alcohol is longer in the bloodstream and endanger the fetus's condition.
These factors make health experts recommend not drinking alcohol while pregnant for the health of the baby.
If you still choose to consume alcoholic beverages, make sure not to overdo it. The recommended dosage for one drink is half a can of beer or the equivalent of 236ml which contains no more than 3.5% alcohol content in units of volume (alcohol by volume / ABV).
The frequency of consuming alcoholic drinks is limited to a maximum of twice a week. Even so, it is not advisable to drink alcohol while pregnant during the first three months of pregnancy to prevent premature birth or miscarriage.
Effects of Alcohol on the Fetus
The liver is one of the organs of the human body that requires the longest time to develop. Liver function in the new fetus is perfect in the later stages of pregnancy. When pregnant women consume alcohol, blood flow carries alcohol across the placenta to the fetus.
At this time, the baby's liver cannot process alcohol like an adult's body. If the alcohol content is too much, so that it can affect the development of baby's body cells.
Drinking alcohol while pregnant is excessive, has the risk of damaging the baby's nervous system. This condition makes babies vulnerable to fetal alcohol syndrome (fetal alcohol syndrome / FAS). FAS results in birth defects, learning difficulties and problems of socializing children as adults.
Consuming more than 4 cans of beer per day during pregnancy, can increase the risk of babies affected by FAS. Children with FAS generally experience problems in their body development. For example, a smaller head size, abnormalities in the face, and disturbances in learning and behaving, such as slow speech.
Although there are no studies that can prove that a small amount of alcohol is harmful to the fetus, but it would be better if it did not take that risk at all. Avoiding drinking alcohol while pregnant remains a better choice compared to the risk of miscarriage or disability that can afflict your baby.
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