Moderate Drinking After 12 Weeks of Pregnancy Is Safe

A new study out of Denmark surprises the would be mom's. The study suggest  that 5-year-olds whose mothers drank low to moderate levels of alcohol (between one and eight drinks a week) during early pregnancy showed no ill effects.

But this doesn't mean that, they should get habituated to this.  Because excessive drinking that crosses the moderate threshold causes lower attention span among five year olds.

The Danish researchers have produced five papers looking at the effects of low, moderate, high and binge drinking on five year olds. Women were recruited from the Danish National Birth Cohort at their first antenatal visit.

There were five papers produced by the researchers looking at the effects of low, moderate, high and binge drinking on neurodevelopment in five year olds. 1,628 women were recruited from the Danish National Birth Cohort at their first antenatal visit.

Patrick O'Brien, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RCOG said in a press statement: "These papers add to the large amount of research looking into alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It is important to note the difference in measuring alcohol levels between Denmark and the UK. The RCOG advises that if a woman falls pregnant, she should abstain from alcohol. However, if she would like to have a drink, the current evidence shows that one or two units, once or twice a week is acceptable after 12 weeks of pregnancy."

Despite the new study, something that the would be moms should realize is that the amount of alcohol in a standard drink is not the same in every country.