One or two drinks a week don’t seem to harm the child
Doctors advise women to completely abstain from alcohol during pregnancy, but drinking one or two units of alcohol a week doesn’t appear to raise the risk of developmental problems in a child, according to a new study. Experts looked at more than 11,000 five-year-olds and found no evidence of harm, although more behavioural and emotional problems appeared among the children of heavy-drinking women. Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman passes through the placenta and reaches the baby, who isn’t equipped to break it down. While heavy drinking has been known to casue damage, the effects of light drinking are less clear. The study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.