Pregnancy and alcohol

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy or when breastfeeding, even in small amounts, can have a serious effect on the baby's health.

'Zero alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding' is the motto that all women should adopt to protect their baby's health.

Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman enters the mother's blood, crosses the placenta and then circulates in the baby's blood. When breastfeeding, any alcohol consumed also passes into the breast milk.

The main harmful effects of alcohol for the baby relate to the central nervous system. Various issues can arise depending on the amount of alcohol consumed:

• premature labour,
• low birth weight,
• behavioural disorders,
• anomalies in physical and psychological development.