A new high profile campaign has been launched in Halton to advise pregnant women, or those trying for a baby, that they should not drink alcohol.
Check out the campaign at: http://www.haltonhealthimprovement.co.uk/no-alcohol-in-pregnancy/
The campaign, showing a curled up foetus with the headline “please stop drinking mummy” comes out of concerns locally that increasing numbers of children are being presented with damage (physical, learning and emotional) as a potential result of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Globally health professionals have always stated that it is impossible to say what constitutes to a ‘safe’ amount of alcohol a mother can drink, as every pregnancy is different, so the advice in Halton to mothers is “don’t take a chance with your baby’s health and don’t drink any alcohol at all”.
After extensive research locally it was clear that women felt the messages about what would be a safe amount to drink during their pregnancy was confusing and that they were unclear on all the risks that drinking alcohol could pose to the foetus, particularly at the conception stage and within the first few weeks of pregnancy.
Eileen O’Meara, Director of Public Health said;
“Women are bombarded with information when they become pregnant and there are lots of mixed messages when it comes to alcohol advice, so we felt that we wanted to make things very simple. As experts say there is no guaranteed safe time or amount to drink during pregnancy, we felt that by providing the facts and dispelling the myths, ladies in Halton could make informed decisions about whether or not they will drink while they are either trying for a baby or are pregnant.”
This campaign comes just after the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) released their official advice in line with the guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), that abstinence is the only way to be certain that the baby is not harmed.
Eileen O’Meara went on to say;
“If you cut down or stop drinking at any point during pregnancy, it can make a difference to your baby. However, in some instances, once the damage has been done, it cannot be reversed. If you have any questions or concerns about your alcohol consumption, talk to your midwife, GP or health visitor who can offer support and advice.”
Visit www.haltonhealthimprovement.co.uk for further information about alcohol in pregnancy, www.nhs.uk also has lots of advice and information about how to have a healthy pregnancy, from eating well to getting exercise and stopping drinking alcohol.