Wine consumption and pregnancy: what to do?

There are occasions when drinking alcohol, even if it is high quality natural wine, is not recommended. The most famous condition is pregnancy. But is it completely forbidden to drink even the slightest amount of alcohol when you are pregnant?

Alcohol and pregnancy

Of course, doctors and common sense advise you to completely avoid the consumption of alcohol in pregnancy, but maybe a glass now and then does not hurt so much. Future mothers, how many times have you wondered if a glass of wine can really be so harmful in your state? Here are some facts about alcohol consumption during pregnancy that will clear up some of your doubts.

Alcohol should be avoided during pregnancy

It is good practice to avoid alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but also in the planning and breastfeeding phases, as this substance could be harmful both for the future mother, but especially for the child. Alcohol can cross the placenta, enter the bloodstream of the baby and slow down the growth hormones, doing as the baby we carry is drinking the wine we consume. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to problems such as issues in intellectual faculties, behavioral problems and growth problems in the child.

Is the consumption of a minimum quantity harmful?

If possible, alcohol consumption should be avoided completely. But is a glass of wine occasionally allowed during the nine months? The truth is that there is no certain amount of alcohol that can be considered safe or harmful for the child. This means on the one hand that a glass can sometimes be considered acceptable, but on the other that one can never be sure of how much is bad for the fetus’ health. Avoiding alcohol at all would be the best solution, but in case it is good to limit yourself to truly negligible quantities.

Are non-alcoholic beer or wine a solution?

While one might think that non-alcoholic beer or alcohol-free wine may be a good solution to circumvent the problem of alcohol consumption in pregnancy, they are not recommended either: as seen in our related article, the dealcoholisation process makes the final product close to being alcohol-free, but not 100%. “Non-alcoholic” wine and beer actually contain alcohol, albeit in minimal quantities. Repeated consumption of these products can therefore increase the level of total alcohol consumed, effectively damaging the fetus.

Is a glass of wine occasionally allowed during pregnancy?

But what happens if you decide to drink a glass of wine anyway while being pregnant?
If you decide to drink a glass of wine once, there is a minimal risk. In particular, sometimes gynecologists and doctors even recommend half a glass with meals, as long as it is good red wine, to pregnant women because of the rich content of polyphenols, which helps keeping arteries healthy.

Wine in the kitchen: is it safe?

A method of using wine that has no risks is undoubtedly its use in the kitchen: when the wine is used to flavour recipes and dishes, there is no no risk because in a very short time the high temperatures used for cooking evaporate the alcohol present.

In conclusion: it would be better to completely avoid alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but if you really can’t do without a glass every now and then, limit your drinks to the minimum and prefer good red wine.