Wine while pregnant

Looks like the rules on drinking alchohol while you are pregnant have changed again. As new research suggests having a glass of wine a day during pregnancy may actually not harm your unborn baby.

Researchers in this new study have claimed that children of mothers who drink ‘moderately’ during their pregnancy actually grew up to have better balanced children.

That said, official guidance says alcohol is to be avoided at all costs during pregnancy, but some studies say light drinking does not adversely affect your unborn child.

This research says that up to seven glasses of alcohol a week does not harm fetal neurodevelopment of an unborn child. The professor who carried out the research John Macleod of Bristol University, said he still advises that pregnant women ‘play safe’ whilst they are pregnant.

However, Professor Macleod also said: "There is no strong evidence that moderate alcohol consumption of a glass of wine a day has important adverse effects on the child."

His study carried out research on 7,000 children and reported in the online medical journal BMJ Open. All children underwent a 20 minute assessment when they reached the age of 10 which included walking on a beam and static standing on one leg for 20 seconds with eyes open and then again with eyes closed. Each child had two attempts at the test. 

The results from parents drinking showed that more than half drank one or more glasses a week, and 1 in 5 parents said they drank one or more glasses a day. That said, most mums had drunk no alcohol at all during pregnancy (70 per cent), while one in four mum's drank between 1 and 2 (low consumption) and 3 and 7 glasses a week which is considered (moderate consumption).

Plus, 1 in 20 drank seven or more glasses a week. with (seven) classified as being a binge drinker, which is 4 or more glasses at any one time.

The National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence advises pregnant women to avoid alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy.

Binge drinking during pregnancy is linked to Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in children, which can cause a range of physical, mental and behavioural problems.