When
You Are Pregnant,
Drinking Can Hurt Your Baby
When you are pregnant,
your baby grows inside you. Everything you eat and drink while you are
pregnant affects your baby. If you drink alcohol, it can hurt your baby's
growth. Your baby may have physical and behavioral problems that can last
for the rest of his or her life. Children born with the most serious
problems caused by alcohol have fetal alcohol syndrome.
Children with Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome May:
• Be born
small.
• Have
problems eating and sleeping.
• Have
problems seeing and hearing.
• Have
trouble following directions and learning how to do simple things.
• Have
trouble paying attention and learning in school.
• Have
trouble getting along with others and controlling their behavior.
• Need
medical care all their lives.
• Need
special teachers and schools.
Here
Are Some Questions You May Have About Alcohol and Drinking While You Are
Pregnant.
1. Can I drink
alcohol if I am pregnant?
No. Do
not drink alcohol when you are pregnant. Why? Because when you drink
alcohol, so does your baby. Think about it. Everything you drink, your baby
also drinks.
2. Is any kind of
alcohol safe to drink during pregnancy?
No.
Drinking any kind of alcohol when you are pregnant can hurt your baby.
Alcoholic drinks are beer, wine, wine coolers, liquor, or mixed drinks. A
glass of wine, a can of beer, and a mixed drink all have about the same
amount of alcohol.
3. What if I drank
during my last pregnancy and my baby was fine?
Every
pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol may hurt one baby more than
another. You could have one child that is born healthy, and another child
that is born with problems.
4. Will these
problems go away?
No. These
problems will last for a child's whole life. People with severe problems may
not be able to take care of themselves as adults. They may never be able to
work.
5. What if I am
pregnant and have been drinking?
If you
drank alcohol before you knew you were pregnant, stop drinking now. You will
feel better and your baby will have a good chance to be born healthy. If you
want to get pregnant, do not drink alcohol. You may not know you are
pregnant right away. Alcohol can hurt a baby even when you are only 1 or 2
months pregnant.
6. How can I stop
drinking?
There are
many ways to help yourself stop drinking. You do not have to drink when
other people drink. If someone gives you a drink, it is OK say no. Stay away
from people or places that make you drink. Do not keep alcohol at home.
If you
cannot stop drinking, GET HELP. You may have a disease called
alcoholism.
There are programs that
can help you stop drinking. They are called alcohol treatment
programs. Your
doctor or nurse can find a program to help you. Even if you have been
through a treatment program before, try it again. There are programs just
for women.
For
help and information
You can
get help from a doctor, nurse, social worker, pastor, or clinics and
programs near you.
For
confidential information, you can contact:
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
check your local phone book for
listings in your area
Internet address: http://www.aa.org
National Council on Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence
20 Exchange Place Suite 2902
New York, NY 10005-3201
(800) 622-2255
Internet address: http://www.ncadd.org
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Suite 409
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
(301) 443-3860
Internet address: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
216 G Street, NE, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20002
(800) 66-NOFAS
Internet address: http://www.nofas.org
NIH
Publication No. 96-4101 1996, Revised October 2001
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