The fetus is exposed longer because its organs are still developing, therefore, taking the fetus twice as long to break down the alcohol (Walsh 2). As a result of this, the fetus" blood-alcohol level is much higher than the mother's, thus meaning that at the moment the mother starts to feel the effects of the alcohol, the unborn baby is about to pass out (Walsh 2). No matter how little or heavy the amount of alcohol a mother drinks, it will still affect the fetus. .
According to some people, the first three months is the safest time to drink. However, there is no safe time when a pregnant mother can drink. In fact, during the first three months, the fetus is at the highest risk of being harmed (Walsh 2). Researchers concluded "that major physical defects in the human embryo, the early developing organism, can be caused by exposure to alcohol in the first trimester-that is the first three months of pregnancy" ("Fetal Alcohol"). Exposure to alcohol in the third trimester can result in decreased fetal growth ("Fetal Alcohol"). "Mothers who drink later in pregnancy chance miscarriages and giving birth to premature or low-weight babies" (Walsh 2). Even after the child is born, alcohol can be passed through the breast milk, providing alcohol directly to the baby, that is, if the mother chooses to breast-feed her child (How Alcohol). So, technically, there is no safe time to drink even after the baby is born. .
The fetus is not the only one harmed by alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but the mother is as well. In fact, many doctors urge women who think they are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant to stop drinking ("Fetal Alcohol"). "One percent of all mothers consume fourteen or more drinks per week during the three months before pregnancy" (Walsh 3). To the average person one percent is not too large of a proportion. However, the volume of alcohol consumed is high during the time when a woman might be unaware of a new pregnancy (Walsh 3).
