It is significant to emphasize that the safe level of alcohol that a woman can drink during pregnancy has not been confirmed. If females drink alcohol during pregnancy, some alcohol will transfer through the placenta to the baby. Accordingly, not drinking alcohol during pregnancy is the only safe option for having a healthy child (Mårdby et al., 2017). Additionally, depending on a woman’s circumstances and health, a pregnant woman’s alcohol consumption poses a significant threat to the unborn child. It leads to a wide range of abnormalities, from miscarriages to premature births, the death of the newborn, and a complex of congenital disabilities, the so-called fetal alcohol syndrome (Mårdby et al., 2017). Therefore, even the consumption of small doses of alcohol on the weekend with friends harms the fetus, which is why it is essential to refuse to drink alcohol.
It should be understood that the baby’s heart starts beating at the end of the first month. It is one of the first organs formed in the human embryo. Alcohol in the first trimester can affect the development of heart cells and increase the risk of vascular malformations and atrial septal defects throughout pregnancy. In addition, the nervous system is developed in the first two months but is formed throughout pregnancy. Accordingly, alcohol can cause future learning and memory problems in the child (Pryor et al., 2017). The baby’s liver is formed throughout pregnancy, and the baby in utero is not capable of eliminating alcohol from their body.
Moreover, the consumption of alcoholic beverages can develop fetal alcohol syndrome. Its main symptom is a change in facial features, such as a thin upper lip, a wide flat nose bridge, and small and narrow slit eyes (DeJong et al., 2019). It is essential to mention that alcohol disrupts the function of the embryo’s DNA genes, and the child may develop a genetic dependence on alcohol.
References
DeJong, K., Olyaei, A., & Lo, J. O. (2019). Alcohol use in pregnancy. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, 62(1), 142. Web.
Mårdby, A. C., Lupattelli, A., Hensing, G., & Nordeng, H. (2017). Consumption of alcohol during pregnancy—A multinational European study. Women and Birth, 30(4), 207-213. Web.
Pryor, J., Patrick, S. W., Sundermann, A. C., Wu, P., & Hartmann, K. E. (2017). Pregnancy intention and maternal alcohol consumption. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 129(4), 727. Web.