Check out the courses we offer

The Dangers of Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can be dangerous. Risks include premature birth, low birth weight and the most serious consequence – foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Until recently, the NHS was still publishing information that said it was safe to drink small amounts of alcohol whilst pregnant (1 to 2 units per week). However, further research into the subject has led to new advice which states it is safer to abstain from alcohol completely during pregnancy.

Women who continue to drink while pregnant put themselves and their baby at risk. There may be a number of reasons why they do this, including addiction, ignorance, advice from family members or due to mixed messages in the media. In this article we will highlight what effective strategies for raising awareness on the subject may look like, with the hope that, through education, people will make safer and more informed choices. 

This article aims to raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy by providing factual information and promoting safe practices. 

Understanding the Risks of Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy 

Current recommendations state that if you are pregnant or trying for a baby, it is best not to drink alcohol at all. This is to reduce the health risks for both mother and baby.

When a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, the alcohol enters her bloodstream and passes to the baby via the placenta. As the baby is still developing, they are not able to process the alcohol properly and it can stay in their body for a long time. An unborn child can be significantly damaged by the effects of alcohol, including damage to their brain and physical development in the womb. The more units of alcohol a woman drinks, the greater the risk to her pregnancy and unborn child.

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy comes with a risk of:

  • Miscarriage
  • Premature birth
  • Low birth weight

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can also result in serious, long-term consequences for the child including foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

FASD is a lifelong condition that has no cure. 

Some of the physical symptoms include:

  • Low body weight
  • Smaller than average height 
  • Unusual facial structure (including large eyes and a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip)
  • Vision or hearing problems
  • Heart, kidney or bone issues

Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder can also cause behavioural and cognitive issues, such as:

  • Poor coordination 
  • Learning impairments and intellectual disabilities 
  • Problems with emotional regulation and poor development of social skills
  • Problems with executive function such as hyperactivity and impulse control

Despite the documented danger of drinking whilst pregnant, many women continue to drink alcohol and put their babies at risk. This may be due to:

  • Lack of awareness of the dangers
  • A belief that moderate drinking is fine 
  • Cultural or family reasons (such as their mother saying “I drank when I was pregnant and my children were fine”)
  • Having an alcohol problem 
  • Not knowing they are pregnant 

Raising awareness is crucial to allow more women to make more informed choices. This will protect both their health and wellbeing and their baby’s health, as well as reduce the pressure and cost burden on the health service of caring for children born with lifelong complications. 

Raising awareness about alcohol

Strategies for Raising Awareness 

Before thinking about how to raise awareness, it is important to think about the different reasons why people drink alcohol, including:

  • For fun 
  • Out of habit 
  • To fit in 
  • Due to addiction issues 
  • As a coping mechanism to deal with trauma or poor mental health
  • Because it is a learnt behaviour 

In order to resonate with as wide a demographic as possible, it is important that different awareness strategies are designed to address each of the above motivations for drinking and to suggest alternatives or support options. 

Strategies for raising awareness about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy include: 

  • Public health campaigns 
  • Education in healthcare settings 
  • School and community programmes 
  • Leveraging social media and digital platforms 

Public health campaigns 

Governments and public health initiatives play a crucial role in spreading awareness about health issues. 

Benefits of official public health campaigns include:

  • They can disseminate information to a large number of people relatively quickly (using billboards, television, radio and print ads, commercials etc)
  • They have access to considerable resources 
  • Government information is often trusted by the masses and backed up by scientists 

Successful examples include the graphic warning labels that began appearing on cigarette packaging in 2008 in England. Levels of smoking in adults have been steadily declining in the years since and are now at an all-time low with only 11.9% of adults being smokers. 

Successful awareness campaigns should be evidence based and targeted towards the correct demographics. They should also strike a balance between highlighting the science and facts behind FASD with accessibility. This means they need to be free from jargon and complicated scientific explanations so that they can be understood by diverse audiences. Additionally, campaigns should not come across as preachy or patronising as this can cause people to disengage.

Education in healthcare settings 

Healthcare settings are uniquely placed to spread awareness. Doctors, midwives, community nurses, district nurses and sexual health workers may have direct contact with women of childbearing age and expectant mothers.

  • Training for healthcare workers should include how to speak to women about the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy
  • Open conversations about alcohol and pregnancy should be had during routine prenatal checkups
  • Educational pamphlets and posters should be displayed in the clinic or waiting room on the subject of alcohol and pregnancy 
  • Healthcare workers should be prepared to answer questions about the risks of alcohol from expectant parents and signpost them to support and educational resources 

Additionally, social workers who have had prior contact with women who have issues with alcohol should take steps to safeguard them with their future pregnancies – including signposting them to support services and informing them of the risks. 

Dangers of alcohol in pregnancy

School and community programmes 

Information about the risks of alcohol in pregnancy can be incorporated into lessons during health and sex education classes that deal with a range of social issues. Educators should take these opportunities to provide accurate, factual information to young people about the damaging effects alcohol can have, especially on unborn babies. 

Community programmes aimed at expectant mothers, women of childbearing age and their families may include workshops and seminars aimed at education on what FASD is and highlighting its preventable nature.

It is estimated that around 2% of women are at risk of alcohol exposed pregnancies; however, rates are significantly higher around more at-risk groups such as inmates, homeless women and women in rehab. It is therefore crucial that targeted steps are taken to ensure that the message reaches these high-risk groups, for example visiting shelters, prisons or rehabilitation facilities to provide education. 

Leveraging social media and digital platforms 

Social media and digital platforms can be used to spread awareness campaigns. Digital platforms allow information to be spread widely in a short space of time and also allows creators to track analytics and engagement and see how campaigns are performing.

  • Successful campaigns are eye catching and attention grabbing. People stop scrolling and pay attention because they see something fascinating or shocking
  • Consider using mixed media (infographics, videos, testimonials from affected families, candid ‘talking head’ type interviews) in campaigns
  • Fans get behind campaigns that feature celebrities. A number of famous Hollywood celebrities are rumoured to have FASD – leveraging their fame and getting them on board by sharing their personal stories is likely to project any awareness campaign to new heights 

Innovative ideas for awareness campaigns include:

  • A campaign aimed at fathers that challenges them to abstain from alcohol for the same amount of time their pregnant partner has to
  • A campaign featuring a woman pouring alcohol into her baby’s bottle then feeding it to them (this could be achieved using animation, CGI or special effects) accompanied by the slogan If you wouldn’t do this, why would you drink during pregnancy?
  • Partnering with alcohol-free drinks companies (especially ones that produce fun or novel drinks) to run ad campaigns aimed at pregnant women 

To be successful, campaigns should seek to engage and educate not only pregnant women but also their wider support network, including fathers-to-be, friends and family. 

Partnering with Non-Profit Organisations and Advocacy Groups

Partnering with non-profits and advocacy groups can further legitimise the message that drinking alcohol while pregnant is a bad idea. Misinformation and disinformation are a significant problem in today’s society. Partnerships between prominent organisations and community leaders, schools and maternal health organisations can foster trust and spread messages more effectively. 

Useful charities and organisations include:

  • NOFASD (National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder)
  • FASD Network UK
  • FASD Awareness 

Advice and advocacy need to be accessible to women who represent a wide range of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds with different educational levels and varying abilities to absorb information, especially during stressful times such as pregnancy. 

It is also important that when partnering with non-profit and advocacy groups the message does not become one that only highlights FASD. Information should be provided about the other dangers of drinking during pregnancy such as miscarriage or a baby being born too early, as well as the risky situation of not knowing about your pregnancy. 

Creating Support Networks and Resources for Pregnant Women 

Support networks are vital for all pregnant women to help them maintain their health and wellbeing and make good decisions about their care and their baby’s health. 

Support for pregnant women who are struggling with drinking alcohol includes:

  • Social workers 
  • Support groups
  • Online communities 
  • Helplines 
  • Counselling services
  • Rehabilitation programmes

If you are worried about your drinking you can speak to your GP or midwife who should be able to signpost you to the relevant support services for confidential support, such as:

  • Drinkaware national alcohol helpline called Drinkline; you can call the free helpline on 0300 123 1110 (weekdays 9am to 8pm, weekends 11am to 4pm)
  • We Are With You – a charity providing free, confidential support for drugs, alcohol and mental health problems, plus a directory of drug and alcohol services around the UK
  • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – a free self-help group; its 12-step programme involves getting sober with the help of regular support groups
  • National Organisation for FASD has a helpline – 020 8458 5951 (you leave a message and someone returns your call)
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy

Addressing Misconceptions and Social Pressures 

Peer pressure, social norms (particularly in the West) and family expectations can make it confusing and difficult for women to make informed choices about whether to stop drinking alcohol during pregnancy. 

Raising awareness about alcohol consumption during pregnancy includes addressing common misconceptions and highlighting social pressures. 

Key messages include:

  • Stressing how guidelines have changed and that new advice states there are no safe alcohol limits during pregnancy (even if you were told otherwise during a previous pregnancy)
  • The damage of peer pressure – aim messages at the people around the pregnant person stating that ‘Go on, you can have one’ is a harmful thing to say 
  • Ways to highlight the inaccuracy of the belief that you need to drink alcohol to have fun and suggest alcohol-free, pregnancy-safe alternatives to a night on the town 

Pregnancy is a challenging and transformative time. If you are surrounded by people who have damaging behaviour, including their drinking habits, do not be afraid to distance yourself from them to keep you and your baby safe.  

Monitoring and Evaluating the Impact of Awareness Campaigns 

It is important to monitor and evaluate the performance of any awareness campaign in order to measure its success, identify problems and make improvements and to maximise our ability to make informed, data-driven decisions. 

A subject like raising awareness about the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is one that requires continuous education as girls continue to grow up to reach childbearing age. It is also vital that future campaigns use social listening techniques to ensure that they remain relevant and will resonate with target demographics, keeping in mind any social or cultural shifts that are occurring within modern society. 

Conclusion 

Raising awareness about alcohol consumption during pregnancy is critical in preventing cases of FASD and other pregnancy complications. Public health campaigns, education and community support are essential in supporting women to make healthy, informed choices during pregnancy. 

We can all take steps to increase awareness and help to support public health, including spreading accurate information, flagging misinformation, modelling good behaviour and backing positive campaigns. 

safeguarding courses

Looking for Safeguarding courses?

Complete your next CPD course with us in just a few hours.

Learn more

About the author

Photo of author

Lily O'Brien

Lily has worked with CPD Online College since November 2023. She helps out with content production as well as working closely with freelance writers and voice artists. Lily is currently studying towards gaining her business administration level 3 qualification. Outside of work Lily loves going out and spending quality time with friends, family and her dog Mabel.