Is it advisable to drink when you're pregnant?

The Government's advice says pregnant women should avoid drinking alcohol. If you choose to drink, to minimise risk to the baby, you should not drink more than one to two units of alcohol once or twice a week and you should not get drunk. Click here to find out how much a unit is.

The Government's advice here is the same as for pregnant women: if you are trying to conceive you should avoid drinking alcohol.  But if you choose to drink, you should drink no more than once or twice a week, and no more than one or two units each time, and avoid getting drunk.

Your partner needs to watch his drinking too. Alcohol lowers the sperm count; and heavy drinking often causes temporary impotence, which obviously won't help.

If you drink when you're pregnant, alcohol from your blood crosses the placenta and enters the baby's blood.

Heavy drinking during pregnancy can affect the development of the foetus. In the first three months, heavy drinking can damage the developing organs and nervous system. After this, it can have the additional effect of stopping the baby from growing and developing properly.

Therefore, the official advice is to avoid drinking alcohol, but if you do choose to drink, stick to a maximum of one to two units, no more than once or twice a week and don't get drunk.

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the name given to a set of specific problems that are found in children those whose mothers were drinking heavily during pregnancy. These include facial abnormalities, poor growth and severe mental and developmental problems. Partial and less severe forms of such problems typically found in the full FAS have also been described, which may be linked in some cases to less heavy alcohol consumption. This wider group is commonly referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Although there is still scientific uncertainty about the precise impact of low alcohol consumption on unborn babies, the Department of Health take a precautionary approach and advise that pregnant women and women trying to conceive should avoid drinking alcohol.

Can you drink when you're breastfeeding?

The occasional drink - one to two units no more than once or twice a week - probably won't do any harm. If you regularly drink more than this amount, it can affect your baby in a number of ways:

• Your milk may smell different and put your baby off;
• The alcohol may affect your baby's feeding pattern; and
• The baby may have difficulties with digestion and problems with his or her sleeping patterns.

Alcohol clears from a mother's milk at the rate of around one unit every two hours. So try to avoid alcohol before breastfeeding, or plan ahead and express milk if you know you'll be drinking.