How to interpret those baffling newspaper headlines? One week it's safe to drink alcohol, the next you should cut right down - then a week after that the press tells you to go teetotal for the whole nine months of your pregnancy.
Advice from the Department of Health (DoH) recommends that you should cut out alcohol completely while pregnant.
Meanwhile the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises pregnant women should abstain from alcohol completely during the first three months because there may be an increased risk of miscarriage. After that, limit your intake to no more than 1-2 units of alcohol once or twice a week.
It also strongly advises pregnant women against binge drinking (drinking more than 7.5 units of alcohol on a single occasion) or getting drunk because this can be harmful to the unborn baby.
Meanwhile, other reports claim there is no evidence that drinking causes damage when you are pregnant.
Claire Friars, midwife for Tommy's, the baby charity, gives her opinion.
'Too much alcohol during pregnancy can lead to foetal alcohol sydrome, affecting the baby's growth and mental ability, but this is usually only a problem in persistent heavy drinkers.
'However, the DoH's advice saying that women shouldn't drink at all during pregnancy aims to make things clearer because many people don't know what a unit of alcohol is.
'Tommy's follows the Government's guidelines, which is to err on the side of caution and avoid alcohol. But if you do drink, stick to the guidelines of 1-2 units once or twice a week as there hasn't been any research to show this is unsafe.'
The reports on binge drinking being OK when pregnant were based on a small study, which said they couldn't find a link between drinking and abnormalities BUT that more research needed to be done.
Dr Gillian Leng, Deputy Chief Executive of NICE says, 'We recommend that doctors and midwives should advise women to avoid drinking alcohol when trying to get pregnant and during the first three months of pregnancy.'
The Royal College of Midwives welcomes the new guidance, ‘There is indeed no evidence to suggest that low levels of alcohol are harmful to the baby after the first three months of pregnancy.
‘However, our advice is to remove all doubt and avoid alcohol whilst pregnant, and for women to stop drinking alcohol if they are trying to start a family.’
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) suggests pregnant women should follow Government guidelines. NCT CEO Belinda Phipps says, ‘There is no doubt that there is a risk with alcohol, that the more you drink the higher the risk. But alcohol is just one of the risks during pregnancy.
‘It’s very much a pregnant woman’s decision as to how much she drinks during pregnancy, as well as taking other risk factors into consideration such as whether to eat soft cheese or not.’
The guidance is there for you to make up your own mind.’
One unit of alcohol is equivalent to: half a pint of normal lager, beer or cider; a single shot or spirits; or half a medium glass of wine. A small glass of wine contains 1.5 units, as does a bottle of alcopops.
