In 2017, mommy culture is out of its mind. We’re watching our friends with kids parent on Instagram, and it looks intense—homemade vegan foods, endless mommy-and-me classes, and on and on the list of things expected from parents goes. We’re all so educated on what it takes to raise a healthy, happy child—even if much of the information is contradictory—that moms are shamed for doing anything that isn’t 100%. However, it wasn’t long ago that healthy humans made it into old age without all these precautions, and new research says one of the biggest no-no’s of mommyhood—drinking alcohol occasionally while pregnant—might not actually be that big of a deal.
Before we get into the study and what it stipulates, we should mention the CDC and US Surgeon General guidelines maintain abstinence is best. “There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no known safe time during pregnancy or safe type of alcohol,” their position reads.
With that disclaimer out of the way, new research out of England states there is little evidence that light drinking—one to two drinks per week—has negative effects on baby. Though we don’t know any mommies who drink that much while expecting, we do know quite a few who sneak a glass of wine or champagne on occasion. This behavior is what proponents of the study hope to reduce shame around. David Spiegelhalter, Winton professor for the public understanding of risk at the University of Cambridge, said , “This valuable and humane study has shown that warnings about the dangers of drinking any alcohol at all during pregnancy are not justified by evidence. A precautionary approach is still reasonable, but with luck this should dispel any guilt and anxiety felt by women who have an occasional glass of wine while they are pregnant.”
