Pregnant women 'must not drink any alcohol' - new advice from Nice.

Pregnant women 'must not drink any alcohol'

Extract from the Telegraph:

"The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) previously said mothers-to-be could drink 1.5 units of alcohol a day, equivalent to a small glass of wine, after the first three months when the risk of miscarriage is highest.

But now, even though no new evidence has been published on the dangers of alcohol to babies, Nice is telling pregnant women to abstain altogether, especially during the first three months.

The new guidance warns women not to drink at all in the first trimester and ideally not at all until after the birth.

Excessive drinking during pregnancy causes foetal alcohol syndrome, which can leave children with impaired IQ and low birth weight, leading to severe learning difficulties and addiction problems in adulthood."

I heard a programme about the life-long suffering of a child born with FAS and it seems to me that abstinence from alcohol during the pregnancy must be well worth it not to put this suffering onto the child for life.

Pregnant mothers would also benefit by eating less salt during their pregnancy. This would reduce their risk of high blood pressure and of excessive weight gain and of developing diabetes during the pregnancy.