How much wine can you safely drink while 6 weeks pregnant?
“The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recently conducted a large study including 400,000 American women, all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of fetal alcohol syndrome occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 8.5 drinks per week. 3 A recent review of research studies found that fetal alcohol syndrome only occurs among alcoholics. The evidence is clear that there is no apparent risk to a child when the pregnant woman consumes no more than one drink per day. 4” http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAl… I, uh, think it might be a bit much to try and test that too conclusively, though. The British gov’t advises no more than two units of alcohol per week; I think that’s a pretty reasonable guideline for the first trimester.
Women trying to get pregnant should only drink 1 or 2 units of alcohol, once or twice a week. As soon as you know you’re pregnant it’s recommended to quit drinking altogether until you’re in the second trimester, when it is then again recommended no more than 1 or 2 units a week maximum as alcohol can pass to the baby through the placenta and affect the baby’s development. We’re told to avoid altogether in the trimester as this is when the baby is developing most rapidly. As an alternative to wine you could try sparkling grape juice. If you’re worried friends will wonder why you’re not drinking try telling them you’re on antibiotics or detoxing, remember to limit your caffeine intake to no more than 300mg a day too.
