HealthInfo Canterbury
Alcohol in pregnancy
Waipiro i te hapūtanga
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Even small amounts of alcohol can harm your pēpi (baby). This is because alcohol can affect your baby's developing brain. Although this doesn't always happen (which explains why some pregnant women have the odd drink without apparent harm to their pēpi), it's impossible to know when your pēpi will be harmed and when it won't.
Therefore, it's safest not to take the risk of drinking any alcohol while you're pregnant.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Alcohol Healthwatch – The online guide to making responsible decisions about drinking during pregnancy
This interactive website explores how alcohol affects pēpi (babies) and the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome. You can get the facts in a slide show, play a game or watch people's stories.
- Health Promotion Agency
- Don't know? Don't drink
Don't know? Don't drink is a campaign encouraging women to stop drinking alcohol if there's any chance they could be pregnant. This page has a video, a brochure and some posters.
- Evidence summary – alcohol and pregnancy
Find out how drinking alcohol at any stage of your pregnancy can affect your developing pēpi.
- Don't know? Don't drink
- HealthEd – Alcohol and pregnancy: when you drink alcohol so does your baby
Information on the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2021.
Review key: HIPRC-41255
