Today is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness day, but the attitude towards knocking one back while pregnant has slightly changed over the last year.
The theme of this year's Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) awareness day (also known as fetal alcohol syndrome awareness day) is "Let's Talk About It," Southwest Booster reported.
FASD is a life-long disability directly linked to the mother drinking alcohol while pregnant. It includes but is not limited to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is characterized by "Distinctive facial features, including small eyes, an exceptionally thin upper lip, a short, upturned nose, and a smooth skin surface between the nose and upper lip," Mayo Clinic reported.
Other symptoms include: joint problems, slow or stunted growth, hearing and vision problems, heart defects, and in some cases learning disabilities and mental retardation.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges pregnant women to stay completely alcohol-free during pregnancy.
"There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol," the CDC stated.
But attitudes towards alcohol during pregnancy may be changing. A recent study found alcohol might not be as harmful to neurological development as was previously believed, HealthDay reported.
"[There's] certainly no evidence that moderate alcohol use by pregnant mums is good for their kids, and [there are] reasons to be cautious about other messages around 'benefits' of moderate alcohol use by pregnant mums," John Mcleod, a co-author of the study, said. "But equally, [there's] no strong evidence for important harmful effects."
Moderate alcohol use was defined as three to seven glasses a week. The study found children of women who participated in moderate drinking actually had better balance than their peers, which is an indicator of neurological health.
Emily Oster, an associate professor at University of Chicago's business school, recently tested exactly how much wine, coffee, and sushi were acceptable to consume while pregnant and wrote a book about it, San Jose Mercury News reported.
Oster stated in her book, "Expecting Better," that two glasses of wine were harmless in the first trimester of pregnancy, and one glass a day during the second and third trimesters were also acceptable.
Despite these claims, many people are working to raise awareness this FASD Day.
"Why risk it?" the CDC asked on their website.
What do you think?
