Anyone who is trying to have a baby will stop drinking, review their eating habits, take folic acid, and attempt to do everything they can to make their body the perfect place for a baby to grow. Sadly, even this level of preparation doesn’t always provide the desired results.

Of course, for many people becoming pregnant is effortless. They simply think about it or they may even become pregnant without intending to. Unfortunately, if you are not intending to become pregnant you are much more likely to continue drinking for the first 4-6 weeks of your baby’s life. This is simply because it can take that long to realize that you are pregnant.

The question then is whether the drinking you have done harms the unborn baby or not. The best thing you can do is book an appointment with a reputable obstetrician Sydney and get yourself and your unborn baby checked out properly.

Official Guidelines

Medical officers around the globe agree that the more you drink during pregnancy the greater the chance of harming the baby. In short, from the moment you start trying for a baby until it is born you should avoid alcohol. This period can be extended if you intend to breast feed.

Alcohol & your Baby

When the fetus is in your womb it relies completely on you for nutrition. You absorb minerals, nutrients, and other items into your blood. Your blood passes through the unborn baby so that they can benefit from the nutrition available.

However, the same is true when you drink. Alcohol enters your blood and goes to the baby. Your unborn baby will filter the alcohol through its liver in the same way that you do. However, the liver is one of the last organs to develop in a baby. That means the alcohol can’t easily be removed from the baby’s bloodstream.

In short, it stays in their body and impedes the normal growth and development of cells.

It can lead to a variety of complications:

  • Mental disabilities
  • Learning issues
  • Behavioral problems
  • Distinctive facial features
  • Infections of the liver
  • Stunted growth

It is worth noting that while no alcohol is the best policy, having a drinking session once during your pregnancy, especially when not drinking the rest of the time, is riskier. It can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in your unborn child.

FAS affects your child for life. It will give them distinct facial features including a low nasal bridge, flat midface, thin upper lip, minor ear abnormalities, as several other issues.

Getting Help

The key is to stop drinking alcohol as soon as you want to try for a baby or find out you are pregnant. Alcohol can affect your unborn child from the moment it is conceived. That means it is never too early to stop drinking alcohol.

But, even if you have been drinking until finding out you were pregnant at eight weeks, stopping then will help to lower the risk of issues.

If you’re struggling to stop drinking then you’ll need to talk to a support service, they will help.