If you don't think the occasional drink during pregnancy is worth it, don't take the risk. Photo / 123RF
I wonder why no one would question serving a pregnant woman a coffee in a restaurant, but eyebrows would be raised if the same woman asked for a glass of wine.
It is known that drinking to excess during pregnancy can have very dangerous consequences and this should certainly be
avoided. Likewise, consuming too much caffeine is also unhealthy.
Back in the day, our mums freely admitted drinking and smoking during pregnancy. These days we know smoking is harmful to the health of the mum and the unborn baby, as is drinking heavily. I don't advocate this behaviour at all, but I also don't think we need to get the pitch-forks out if a woman admits she has the occasional drink during pregnancy.
The advice is confusing - What to Expect When You're Expecting says no alcohol, The Panic-Free Pregnancy says an occasional drink is fine. I think it's a matter of personal choice. If you don't think even the occasional drink during pregnancy is worth the risk - don't drink. Abstinence is of course the safest, but until there are solid guidelines in place, women need to measure the risks for themselves and make up their own minds. The same way she has to decide to eat soft cheese, or take a paracetamol for a headache.
A new report says up to 80 per cent of women in New Zealand have admitted drinking alcohol during the early stages of pregnancy. It also says that most women who admitted drinking in early pregnancy, stopped by six weeks - around the same time a pregnancy test would show up as positive.
