Help give your baby the best start in life

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Looking after your health helps give your baby the best start in life. This page gives you information about alcohol and drug use in pregnancy and where to get confidential support if you need it.

Did you know?

Everything you eat, drink or take while you're pregnant can reach your baby. This includes alcohol, prescription medication, and recreational drugs.

Alcohol in pregnancy

Any amount of alcohol in pregnancy can result in permanent damage to your baby. Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of:

  • Miscarriage
  • Premature birth
  • Low birth weight
  • Learning and behaviour problems for your child later in life
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

It’s safest to not drink alcohol at all when you’re pregnant. Find out more. 

Drugs and medications

Using street drugs or using medication not prescribed for you or not for its intended use in pregnancy can affect your baby’s health and development. If you're regularly taking prescribed or over-the-counter medication, speak to a health professional before stopping or changing anything.

You're not alone

If you're using alcohol or drugs and want to stop or cut down, support is available. 

You don’t have to speak to your midwife or GP if you don’t want to - you can contact services directly.

Remember, services are here to listen, support, and never judge.

After your baby is born

Drinking alcohol, using drugs or taking medications can affect your ability to provide safe care to your baby. If you are drinking alcohol, taking drugs or taking medications which make you sleepy do not bed share or fall asleep in the sofa/chair with your baby. Baby should have their own clear, clean, safe sleep space and should be cared for by someone else who is not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Alcohol and breastfeeding

An occasional drink is unlikely to harm your baby. Heavy drinking can reduce your milk supply. If you do intend to have a social drink, you should avoid breastfeeding for 2 to 3 hours for every drink you have to avoid exposing your baby to any alcohol in your milk. You do not need to express to clear your milk of alcohol, the alcohol level in your milk will fall as the level of alcohol in your body falls, but you can express to relieve any discomfort. 

Drug use and breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has many important values and is encouraged for most babies, although it is always safest not to use drugs while breastfeeding.

If you do use drugs and would like to breastfeed, our specialist infant feeding clinic is here to support you. The team would be happy to see you before your baby is born to talk about the impact of drugs and medication on breastfeeding. Should you be unable to breastfeed your baby for any reason our team can support you to be able to express your breast milk.

You can self refer to our specialist infant feeding clinic by emailing: cddft.infantfeedingteam@nhs.net