Pregnant women: Drinking is fine!' 'No, wait, don't drink!'

Just when it seemed safe for a pregnant woman to occasionally kick up her swollen feet and have a relaxing glass of wine, a pair of experts has arrived to snatch that Sauv Blanc right out of her hands. They say “the only ethical advice that can be given is abstinence from alcohol in pregnancy.” That’s right, not a drop. It’s just the latest argument in an ongoing and highly contentious debate on the topic—and it’s making headlines in the UK.

 

VOCATIV: PREGNANT WOMEN ARE STILL BINGE DRINKING FAR TOO OFTEN

Any expert will tell you that binge drinking during pregnancy is a complete no-no—but what about light drinking? That’s an argument still being hashed out in scientific journals and the media on a regular basis. Some experts suggest that no amount of alcohol is safe for pregnant women to drink, while others argue that an occasional glass of wine is fine.

In a new journal article in The BMJ, Mary Mather, a retired pediatrician, and Kate Wiles, a doctoral research fellow in obstetric medicine at Guys and St Thomas NHS Trust, argue that women are getting dangerous and contradictory advice that allows light drinking during pregnancy. “Alcohol is not essential to the health or wellbeing of a pregnant woman and is known to be [harmful] to her baby,” they write. “Alcohol is not a drug that would ever be ‘prescribed’ in pregnancy, and it is not a drug that should ever be advised.”

Go to Vocativ's website to read about the debate around light drinking during pregnancy and the dangers of binge drinking while pregnant.