When You Are Pregnant... 

Drinking Can Hurt Your Baby 

When you are pregnant, your baby grows inside you. 

Everything you eat and drink while you are pregnant 

affects your baby. If you drink alcohol, it can hurt your 

baby's growth. Your baby may have physical and 

behavioral problems that can last for the rest of his or 

her life. Children born with the most serious problems 

caused by alcohol have fetal alcohol syndrome. 

Children with Fetal 

Alcohol Syndrome May: 

• Be born small. 

• Have problems eating and sleeping. 

• Have problems seeing and hearing. 

• Have trouble following directions and learning 

how to do simple things. 

• Have trouble paying attention and learning in 

school. 

• Need special teachers and schools. 

• Have trouble getting along with others and 

controlling their behavior. 

• Need medical care all their lives. 

Here are some questions you may have about 

alcohol and drinking while you are pregnant. 

1. Can I drink alcohol if I am pregnant?

No. Do not drink alcohol when you are 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pregnant. Why? Because when you drink 

alcohol, so does your baby. Think about it. 

Everything you drink, your baby also drinks. 

2. Is any kind of alcohol safe to drink during 

pregnancy?

No. Drinking any kind of alcohol when you are 

pregnant can hurt your baby. Alcoholic drinks 

are beer, wine, wine coolers, liquor, or mixed 

drinks. A glass of wine, a can of beer, and a 

mixed drink all have about the same amount of 

alcohol. 

3. What if I drank during my last pregnancy 

and my baby was fine?

Every pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol 

may hurt one baby more than another. You 

could have one child that is born healthy and 

another child that is born with problems. 

4. Will these problems go away? 

No. These problems will last for a child's whole 

life. People with severe problems may not be 

able to take care of themselves as adults. They 

may never be able to work. 

5. What if I am pregnant and have been 

drinking?

If you drank alcohol before you knew you were 

pregnant, stop drinking now. You will feel 

better, and your baby will have a good chance to 

be born healthy. If you want to get pregnant, do 

not drink alcohol. You may not know you are 

pregnant right away. Alcohol can hurt a baby 

even when you are only 1 or 2 months pregnant. 

6. How can I stop drinking?

There are many ways to help yourself stop drinking. 

You do not have to drink when other people drink. If 

someone gives you a drink, it is OK say no. Stay away 
from people or places that make you drink. Do not keep 

alcohol at home. 

If you cannot stop drinking, GET HELP. You may have 

a disease called alcoholism. There are programs that 

can help you stop drinking. They are called alcohol 

treatment programs. Your doctor or nurse can find a 

program to help you. Even if you have been through a 

treatment program before, try it again. There are 

programs just for women. 

For help and information 

You can get help from a doctor, nurse, social worker, 

pastor, or clinics and programs near you. 

For confidential information, you can contact: 

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) 

check your local phone book for listings in your area 

Internet address: http://www.aa.org 

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug 

Dependence (NCADD) 

22 Cortlandt Street, Suite 801 

New York, NY 10007-3128 

Phone: (212) 269–7797; Fax: (212) 269–7510 

HOPELINE: (800) NCA–CALL (24-hour Affiliate 

referral) 

Email: national@ncadd.org

Internet address: http://www.ncadd.org 

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

(NIAAA)

5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304 

Bethesda, MD 20892-9304 

(301) 443–3860; Fax: (301) 480–1726 

Internet address: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov 

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome 

(NOFAS) 

900 17th Street, NW, Suite 910 

Washington, DC 20006 

(800) 66–NOFAS; Fax: (202) 466–6456 

Internet address: http://www.nofas.org 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Facility 

Locator

(800) 662–HELP 

Internet address: http://www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov 

 

NIH Publication No. 96-4101 

Reprinted 2006