Ever since I can remember, the women in my life abstained from alcohol during pregnancy for fear of fetal alcohol syndrome. Everyone I interacted with knew a simple fact: too much is too much. As my female friends and colleagues have started to have kids more recently though, the question of whether a glass of wine "on occasion" would cause irreparable damage has generated debate. Heck, at nearly every baby shower I've been to in the last five years, the topic of what to eat/drink and what to avoid altogether comes up. Even the men I know struggle with these issues as, in solidarity with their pregnant wives, they too are impacted by the question of what behaviors will harm or benefit their unborn children. What's tricky is everyone's doctor seems to have a different take - and socially it is/has been unequivocally TABOO to do so. This week Wine Spectator took additional care to publicize an interesting study on this very topic of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Researchers in Britain found some alcohol was OK during pregnancy - and (through what I think is fairly inconclusive evidence) stated "their children performed better three years after birth when compared to children of women who did not drink at all". I invite you to read the full article here and then let us know what you think.
It seems to me if some alcohol is fine, it could be a dangerous conclusion for folks who may not know when "some" becomes just too much. (And, come on... I do not think that alcohol consumption during pregnancy is the reason these kids performed better. It's called other environmental factors, people!)
What's your take? Do you believe women can safely drink during pregnancy?