One in five woman in Ireland drink while pregnant

Posted on Wednesday, December 01, 2010 at 01:29 AM

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A new study has shown by 20 percent of woman drank while pregnant and woman with the highest levels of education are most likely to consume alcohol during pregnancy.

The Growing Up in Ireland study which was published on Monday by the Minister of State, for Children Barry Andrews, found that woman who low levels of education are more likely to smoke during pregnancy.

“Drinking alcohol at some stage in pregnancy was highest for mothers with a degree-level education (26 per cent). Mothers with the highest education were more likely to drink at any stage of pregnancy, in all three trimesters . . . than their peers with the lowest education.”

The major study surveyed the lives of over 11,000 nine-month-old babies.

Some 20percent of mothers admitted to drinking at some stage of pregnancy while 18 percents smoked. Just three percent of expectant mothers with a degree smoked during pregnancy in comparison to 30 percent of mothers with only secondary education.

The Government-funded research found that just over half of all infants were breastfed at some point. It also revealed that Irish-born mothers were far less likely to breast feed than non-Irish born mothers.

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sirpeter | Dec 01, 2010, 09:43 AM EST

Big deal..whats the point in these surveys,unless a pregnant mother is getting maggoty drunk all the time it is unlikely to harm the baby.Alcohol in high doses is known to have a teratogenic effect. Whether a low intake of alcohol is teratogenic is not known.Which means drinking alcohol at a low level has little or no effect.So much concern over nothing.Now here is some real facts on how to harm babies.Each year in the USA alone,almost 250,000 children are injured in car crashes,meaning nearly 700 kids are harmed every day.Car accidents are the leading cause of death for kids between 2 and 14; About 2,000 children die each year in the USA alone from injuries caused by car accidents.Strange, No government or health campaigns to encourage parents not to put kids in cars or make it illegal considering you can't place your child in a more dangerous situation according to the facts.Place guilt on pregnant mothers for having a few measly glasses of wine that does little or no harm instead,but if mommy has to drive to drop the kids off to the baby sitter to help keep the wheels of industry going,the best they do is tell you buckle up and drive slow.

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jamieLM | Dec 01, 2010, 08:55 AM EST

When a woman drinks and/or smokes during pregnancy, so does her baby. Never a good thing.

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