One glass of wine could stop a foetus breathing, says expert

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One glass of wine could stop a foetus breathing, says expert

Even one glass of wine can stop the foetus moving and breathing in the womb for up to two hours, an expert has warned. Professor Hepper, who conducted the report, said even one glass of wine or small measure of spirits can influence the behaviour of the foetus in the womb.

“Our study found even a single glass of wine can have a potentially long-term effect on the foetus in terms of its behaviour in the womb. We observed foetuses that stopped breathing or moving for several hours. That’s not normal,” he said.

“Some groups of women drink lower levels continuously while other women binge drink at weekends and don’t drink during the week,” he said. ““Binge drinking is potentially more harmful because there is more exposure to alcohol but I don’t think there’s any evidence to suggest that if you drink lower amounts of alcohol more regularly, it’s any less harmful or somehow more safe.”

Professor Hepper said very little research has been carried out on foetuses that have been exposed to alcohol anywhere in the world and said there is no such thing as a “safe level” of alcohol to drink during pregnancy.

“What we do know is that if you’re exposed to alcohol in pregnancy you may end up with foetal alcohol syndrome or disorders. If you don’t drink alcohol there’s absolutely no chance of your child having foetal alcohol syndrome and we know that a single glass of alcohol affects the foetus’s behaviour and its brain.”

maternity & infant

Originally posted 2015-04-10 09:27:24.