Alcohol and pregnancy

If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all to keep risks to your baby to a minimum.

For helpful tips on going alcohol free in pregnancy, see Drymester.org.uk – the ‘sign-up’ doesn’t actually involve giving your contact details!

If you’re supporting a parent-to-be to go alcohol free, you can find top tips to support a parent-to-be go alcohol-free.

Going alcohol free during pregnancy isn’t always easy.

Book an appointment with your midwife or GP to discuss going alcohol-free safely. You can also find out more about the specialist support available directly on Live Well York.

If you suffer from symptoms such as shaking, sweating or feeling sick and anxious before the first drink of the day, then you should seek medical advice before stopping drinking completely. It can be very dangerous to stop drinking without the relevant advice and support.

Once baby arrives

Once baby arrives, an important thing to be aware of is that co-sleeping with your baby is very dangerous if you or anyone in the bed has recently drunk any alcohol – then it is always best to put baby in their own safe sleep space, such as a cot or moses basket. The Lullaby Trust have more advice on safer sleep.

See more information about alcohol and pregnancy from the Humber and North Yorkshire Maternity website.