Alcohol: Drinking during Pregnancy and After

Should babies be drinking? Just kidding—that answer is obviously no. But have you examined the role of alcohol in your household? Many mothers, upon discovering they are pregnant, give up alcohol for the duration of the pregnancy. They have already taken the first step in the alcohol assessment. But what about after pregnancy? Both parents should examine their relationship with alcohol in light of the new addition to the family.

Have you been a binge drinker in the past? Does having a good time mean lots of booze? Do you always have a drink or two or three at night? Do you know how much alcohol is considered too much?

An adult male should not have more than two drinks a night, and an adult female one drink a night. (A drink is considered 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol.) As with most things in life moderation is the key, but not drinking at all could be a good option, too.

Alcohol during pregnancy

Ideally, women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy. During pregnancy, too much alcohol ingestion by the mother can produce a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. These babies are small, have a long philtrum (the space between the lower nose and the border of the lip), may have small heads, and usually have significant learning problems. Babies exposed to excess alcohol in utero may not have full fetal alcohol syndrome, but they may have minor problems that show up later.

Alcohol after pregnancy

As new parents, you will probably be sleep deprived, and while a drink may be especially appealing as you are tense and nervous, bear in mind that you will probably be called upon in the middle of the night for feeding, changing a diaper, or even a midnight car ride to the emergency room. You need to have your wits about you. If nursing, you should have no more than one drink a day since alcohol can be transmitted in the breast milk; no alcohol would be even better.

It makes sense to have a discussion about any alcohol problems that run in the family before a baby is added to the household. If you have family members with alcoholism, you may have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. The transition from college hellion to responsible adult needs to happen before this little person appears. Of course, responsible, moderate drinking is possible for many adults. But take the time to openly discuss this issue with your spouse before the baby comes. Alcohol problems have a way of sneaking up on families when they are least able to deal with them. It’s better to discuss ahead of time how much—if any—drinking you think is OK after your baby comes.

What are your feelings about alcohol habits with a child? Do you have problem drinkers in the family?

Dr. Victoria McEvoy graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1975 and is currently an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at HMS. She is the Medical Director and Chief of Pediatrics at Mass General West Medical Group. She has practiced pediatrics for almost thirty years. She has been married to Earl for thirty six years and raised four children. She currently enjoys writing, traveling, reading, almost all sports, and spending time with her two grandsons.

Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
All parents know that kids need nutritious foods as they grow.  New research confirms that what a woman eats during pregnancy can also profoundly affect the health of her baby when that baby becomes an adult—for better or for worse.  From Harvard Medical School, Healthy Eating During Pregnancy offers safe and easy-to-follow guidelines so moms and their babies can get the nutrition they need without adhering to a strict or limited diet.

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