With the festive season upon us, the local NHS is reminding expecting mums to avoid any alcohol during their pregnancy.
Katie Turner, a mum from Leeds who was pregnant last Christmas, is encouraging expecting mums to take up advice from the local NHS to avoid any alcohol.
Katie (pictured left), said: “The safest choice is not to drink any alcohol during your pregnancy to keep risks to your baby to a minimum. Some pregnant women may find it hard giving up alcohol but the festive season can make it harder, especially if you’re attending parties.
“There are a number of things that you can do to avoid any alcohol. Last Christmas I had Nosecco which is a non-alcoholic sparkling drink so I could join in with the toasting! I also had some non-alcoholic mulled wine. With the mulled wine I added some fruit and Christmas spices, which made it a really nice hot drink. You can also ask your friends, family and your partner to support you by not having a drink because you can feel left out when everyone else is having an alcoholic drink.”
Dr Jane Mischenko, Lead Commissioner for Children and Maternity at NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: “Drinking in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby and the more you drink, the greater the risk. It has been linked to preventable disabilities, such as birth defects, learning difficulties, behavioural problems and growth deficiencies.
“In Leeds, we’ve developed a local campaign called ‘No Thanks, I’m Pregnant’. You can visit the website (www.alcoholandpregnancy.org.uk) which has information about what harm alcohol can do to your baby and alcohol alternatives, like mocktail menus. If you need support or have any concerns about consuming alcohol during pregnancy, please speak to your midwife or GP.
“We’ve launched a social media campaign to raise awareness on the importance of avoiding any alcohol during pregnancy. If you see this on social media, please share with anyone that you know is pregnant.”
For further information about the ‘No Thanks, I’m Pregnant’ campaign, please visit www.alcoholandpregnancy.org.uk
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Notes to editors
Issued by the communications team at NHS Leeds CCG. You can contact the team on 0113 84 35528 or 0113 84 35470. Alternatively please email us: leedsccg.comms@nhs.net