On birthdays, at the weddings of good friends, on cosy Christmas evenings or at the end of the year, a sip of alcohol can't do any harm, can it? In principle, no - as long as you're not pregnant. However, if you are expecting a child, alcohol should be absolutely taboo for you, regardless of the occasion.
What I constantly encounter in my day-to-day work as a midwife is also confirmed by the Federal Ministry of HealthA large part of our society cultivates an uncritical attitude and a positive attitude towards alcohol consumption. Unfortunately, this often continues during pregnancy, even though the consequences for the child can be serious and, in the worst case, have lifelong effects. It shows Surveysthat in Germany Almost one in five pregnant women still consumed alcohol. And we're not talking about those women who didn't even know they were expecting a child. The German Centre for Addiction Issues reports that 8 % of pregnant women consume such quantities of alcohol that they are also considered risky for non-pregnant women. A daily intake of 12 grams of pure alcohol is considered "risky", which corresponds to a small glass of wine a day. Contrary to some expectations, the Findings also indicate that women with a higher social status tend to drink more alcohol during pregnancy.
It's frightening: 44 % of Germans don't realise that Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause permanent damage to the child! For this reason, it is not uncommon for people to try to force even pregnant women to have a drink. In this context, I still remember 31-year-old Stella, a pregnant woman I was looking after. She stroked her round baby bump and told me indignantly: "I don't mind at all giving up alcohol completely for our little man in here, even as long as I'm breastfeeding. But it really annoys me that people around me have already told me that 'a glass of wine' wouldn't hurt." No pregnant woman needs such "encouragement"!
And to make it clear at this point: There is no specific amount of alcohol that scientific is considered "safe" during pregnancy, nor is there a stage of pregnancy in which it would be "safe" to drink alcohol.
The risk of harming your child through alcohol consumption during pregnancy does not only exist for women who are addicted to alcohol. Therefore, the same applies here as for Smoking during pregnancy: Complete abstinence is the best thing you can do for your child during pregnancy!
Effects of alcohol consumption on the unborn child
The dangers of alcohol consumption for the development of the unborn child depend on the amount consumed and the trimester. However, the fact remains:
- Like nicotine, alcohol is a neurotoxin.
- Alcohol and its degradation products cross the placental barrier. The baby in the womb therefore "drinks" involuntarily.
About the Placenta The unborn baby absorbs the alcohol and also the harmful degradation products, such as acetaldehyde, through the umbilical cord. However, it is much less able to break it down than the mother. As a result, the unborn child quickly reaches the same alcohol level as the mother, but remains at an estimated ten times longer alcoholised than she is. In extreme cases, the newborn of an alcoholic mother may have to undergo rehab in the first few days of life.
In the first three months of pregnancy alcohol can lead to increased physical malformations in the child. This does not exclude the possibility of impaired brain cell development: The brains of alcohol-impaired children are smaller than those of non-impaired children. They also have fewer brain cells, which in turn leads to later developmental disorders.
In the second trimester of pregnancy alcohol consumption increases the risk of miscarriage and causes growth disorders in the child.
In the third trimester the baby puts on a lot of body growth, including brain growth. This development is severely impaired by alcohol, so that the baby's body and brain are disturbed. As a result, the brain cells form fewer connections with each other, but they can also die.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FAS)
The babies of mothers who regularly consume alcohol during pregnancy often show signs of impairment. The faces of affected children sometimes show abnormalities such as small eyes with a slight squint, a missing nasal groove and a straight, narrow upper lip.
In addition, these children are often born smaller and with a smaller head (due to the smaller brain). Also the Birth weight is often well below average.
In addition, there are behavioural problems due to the damaged central nervous system as well as developmental disorders. These can be physical and/or mental disabilities as well as heart defects, learning disorders, speech problems or hyperactivity. Some symptoms are therefore similar to those of ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), making the diagnosis of FASD more difficult in many cases. As a result, quite a few affected children receive a diagnosis late or perhaps never.
Alcohol-related damage is referred to in technical jargon as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) or German as a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FAS). Estimated around 12,000 babies are born in Germany every year with alcohol-related secondary damage. Of these children, around 3,000 to 4,000 suffer from particularly severe developmental disorders. This makes FASD disorders one of the most common congenital disabilities. From the life of a five-year-old girl with FASD you can, for example here learn more.
In addition, you must always bear this in mind: Alcohol-related mental impairments in a baby are irreversible - they affect the affected children for the rest of their lives. This means that even as adolescents and adults, most of those affected are unable to lead an independent or self-determined life. Surveys show that they are also more likely to commit offences and most of them do not (or cannot) work.
Note: All alcohol-related impairments of the child are completely avoidable if the mother consistently abstains from alcohol!
What if I didn't know that I was already pregnant?
As pregnancy is often unplanned, some women are unaware of it when they drink alcohol. Many then have a guilty conscience afterwards and are very worried. In this context, I would like to briefly introduce you to one of nature's clever moves: the all-or-nothing principle.
In the first two weeks or so after fertilisation, only a healthy egg will implant in the uterus. However, if it is already (significantly) damaged, it will not divide any further and will not even implant, but will be rejected by the body. Nature has arranged it this way. The affected woman experiences this as a possibly "delayed" period and is unaware of this abortion.
However, as soon as you know you are pregnant, you should consistently abstain from alcohol. It would be even better to give it up during the "planning and trying" phase. So if you want to get pregnant or are already trying to get pregnant, it's best to stay away from alcoholic beverages right away. By doing so, you can make a valuable contribution to the successful fulfilment of a Desire to have children to perform.
Alcohol during breastfeeding
Alcohol and breastfeeding is also a combination that should be avoided. The famous "glass of bubbly", which is supposed to stimulate milk production, belongs in the realm of myth. Old wives' tale. In fact, alcohol can even impair milk production so that less breast milk is produced. Alcohol may also have a negative effect on the baby's sleeping and waking rhythms.
If the mother has drunk alcohol, her milk will have the same alcohol content as her blood. Your baby can still smell and taste even tiny amounts of alcohol - and would get used to it. It takes around one to three hours for the alcohol in an adult's blood to break down again. This process cannot be speeded up by black coffee, acidic foods, fish dishes or brisk exercise, for example. This means that very young babies in particular, who sometimes demand the breast at irregular or shorter intervals, are at risk.
It is therefore safest for you and your baby if you avoid alcohol in any form while breastfeeding. This is especially true for the period in which you are still feeding your baby exclusively with breast milk.
In addition to the physical effects, there is another important reason against the consumption of alcohol during infancy.
Caring for a baby is challenging and complex. Especially when the child gets into an emergency situation, for example because it is ill. Parents feel insecure in such situations. This is understandable. After all, these situations are rare and always come as a surprise to some extent.
But then it is important that parents make the right decisions quickly and react in a level-headed and correct manner. This is a Challenge, which is particularly high simply due to the normal lack of sleep of new parents. The additional consumption of even small amounts of alcohol makes such situations dangerous. On the one hand, alcohol encourages "risky decisions", on the other hand it slows down the already impaired reaction speed.
Therefore, the conclusion must be: Anyone who has the care of infants and children should refrain from consuming alcohol during this time!
In an emergency situation, it is important for the child that parents know the right moves and exude calm and confidence. This is because the calm that the child receives not only has an emotional effect, but also stabilises the cardiovascular system. The online first aid course is the perfect way to achieve this.
You can repeat the individual topics as often as you like. You can practise first aid with your own training dummy for as long and as often as you like until you are familiar with it. This way you will do everything right in an emergency.
Help to renounce
If you find it difficult to give up alcohol during pregnancy (or while breastfeeding): Don't be afraid to get support! It doesn't have to be uncomfortable for you. Getting help is courageous and shows a sense of responsibility for the baby.
Each Pregnancy counselling centre will help you to become or remain abstinent. Addiction counselling centres are also good places to go. The online platform IRIS The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) has developed a quality-tested programme specifically for pregnant women to help them stop consuming alcohol or/and the Smoking to quit. This service is free of charge and anonymous with personal psychological support or counselling via chat. However, your midwife can also be a good contact person, who can provide you with contact points of the Early help can be called.
Another appeal to those around mums on how to deal with alcohol
In order for a pregnant or breastfeeding mother to cope well with abstaining from alcohol and smoking, the support of her entire environment is also of enormous importance. Therefore:
Dear partners, refrain from drinking alcohol in the presence of your pregnant or breastfeeding wife/girlfriend and encourage her to abstain. It's best to abstain from alcoholic drinks together with her. This makes it easier for everyone involved and strengthens your sense of responsibility as co-parents. This also includes encouraging your wife/girlfriend to seek professional support for abstinence if necessary.
Dear relatives, dear friends, dear colleagues, You should also encourage and support the (expectant) mother in every way possible to give up alcohol completely. Praise her for it. Don't offer her a drink on any occasion and preferably don't drink alcohol yourself in her presence. By doing so, you are making a valuable contribution to the child's health.
Dear other fellow human beings, be generally critical of the way alcohol is handled in our society. And spread your knowledge about the enormous risks to the unborn or breastfed child from alcohol consumption by the mother. So that no more pregnant women are forced to have a drink and unhealthy "advice" such as Stella had to listen to will eventually disappear completely.
