‘Don’t drink alcohol during pregnancy’
Expectant mothers have been cautioned against the intake of alcohol during pregnancy, since it can cause miscarriage or premature birth.
Advertisement
A principal nursing officer in charge of the Female Outpatient Department (FOPD) at the 37 Military Hospital, Mrs Edna Afia Kisseh, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said regular or binge drinking by pregnant women could cause miscarriage and premature birth.
Explaining further, she said alcohol was a toxin which was rapidly transmitted to the growing foetus through the placenta, via the bloodstream, when consumed by a pregnant woman.
“Too much alcohol can even increase the risk of your baby being stillborn,” she said.
Sensitisation
Mrs Kisseh gave the caution when she spoke with this reporter on the sidelines of a sensitisation programme on the effects of alcohol intake during pregnancy organised by the Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) in Accra on Friday.
The programme formed part of a week-long sensitisation programme organised by the ABL for over 400 women at the OPD of the Ridge Hospital at Adabraka, the Kaneshie Polyclinic, the Korle Bu Teaching and the 37 Military hospitals, all in Accra.
Healthy lifestyle
Touching on the negative impact of alcohol intake during pregnancy, Mrs Kisseh said excessive consumption of alcohol during pregnancy could permanently damage the cells of the growing foetus and the baby's nervous system which could possibly lead to the development of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs), with problems that could range from learning difficulties or social problems through to birth defects.
She, therefore, advised pregnant women who experienced uncomfortable feelings to abstain from alcohol and rather drink fruit juices and eat vegetables.
Other Trending Stories
Be responsible
Briefing the media, the Corporate Communications Manager of the ABL, Ms Joyce Ahiadorme, explained that the company decided to extend the sensitisation programme after it commemorated the FASDs Day on September 9, last year.
During the period, she said, over 1,500 pregnant women were educated on the need to live healthy lifestyles to enable them to deliver healthy babies.
She added that the company was enjoined by its sustainable development goals to create a sociable world where its alcoholic products were developed and consumed responsibly.
Ms Ahiadorme explained that expectant mothers were taken through topics such as the effects of alcohol on the mother and her unborn child and the effect of alcohol on the development of the foetus.
“It is time for us to sensitise pregnant women, adults, underage persons and drivers who are drunks to the need to take responsibility for their well-being,” she said.
FASD
According to the US Centre for Disease Control, FASDs are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother took to drinking during pregnancy, indicating that all types of alcohol are equally harmful, including all alcoholic wines and beer.
Babies with FASD tend to have facial, organs and brain defects and could possibly cause hearing and visual impairment.