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Myth: There is a safe threshold of alcohol consumption in pregnancy.
Fact: According to MotherRISK - www.motherisk.org/women/alcohol.jsp - a safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy is not known. It is unlikely, though, that a single drink before you knew you were pregnant could affect your unborn baby. Avoid drinking when you know you are pregnant.

Myth: There are safe times in pregnancy when it's OK to drink.
Fact: Organ development is completed a few weeks after the first trimester. Brain development continues throughout pregnancy and after birth. Exposure to substances any time in the pregnancy can affect the baby's brain.

Myth: There's no point in diagnosing a person with prenatal damage because nothing can be done to help.
Fact: Research is ongoing on methods and treatments to reverse the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome disorders in children.

Myth: Many women drink throughout pregnancy and their babies are just fine.
Fact: While some alcohol-exposed infants do escape injury, others may have learning or behavioural problems that are not apparent until they begin school.

Myth: Small amounts of wine in pregnancy can help you relax, and is good for baby too.
Fact: According to MotherRISK, when a mother drinks alcohol it passes into her breast milk. Studies have shown that infants take in less breast milk when alcohol is present. Drinking alcohol may also reduce milk flow.

~ Courtesy of Damaged Angels: A Mother Discovers the Terrible Cost of Alcohol in Pregnancy, by Bonnie Buxton, published by Alfred A. Knopf C and MotherRISK