Alcohol or other drug use during pregnancy and breastfeeding
Alcohol or other drug use during pregnancy and breastfeeding
On this page:
Description
Using any amount of alcohol or other drugs during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can affect the health and development of the infant.
Several factors, such as the type of psychoactive substances used, the pregnant person’s characteristics or their alcohol or drug use habits, contribute to the risk of harmful effects for the fetus or baby.
Possible consequences of alcohol use during pregnancy
Alcohol passes, in almost the same concentration, directly from the pregnant person’s bloodstream to the fetus’s through the placenta. So drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have serious consequences for the pregnancy and the unborn baby. Alcohol use can affect fetus development at any stage of a woman’s pregnancy, regardless of the type of alcohol (beer, wine or spirits), amount and frequency of use. The brain of a fetus is particularly vulnerable to alcohol.
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, she is believed to have a higher risk of the following:
Miscarriages
Premature births
Perinatal death (stillbirth)
That her child will have congenital anomalies
That her child will have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
Some people may have consumed alcohol in early pregnancy, before they knew they were pregnant. If you are unsure or worried about this, talk to a health professional or call Info‑Santé 811.
Possible consequences of alcohol use during breastfeeding
Alcohol consumed by a person is found in the milk they produce, at concentrations similar to those present in their blood. These concentrations in milk decrease as the blood removes the alcohol.
Drinking any amount of alcohol while breastfeeding can:
reduce milk production
reduce the ejection reflex
disrupt your baby's sleep
Regular drinking while breastfeeding can result in:
poor weight gain for the baby
negative effects on their intellectual and physical development
Possible consequences of drug use during pregnancy
Psychoactive substances used during pregnancy can cross the placenta. So, drug use during pregnancy can affect certain aspects of fetal development.
In particular, the neurocognitive development of the unborn baby can be disrupted in the medium and long term. The baby might experience mild cognitive impairment, language difficulties, behavioural disorders or hyperactivity.
Using drugs during pregnancy can also lead to a risk of transmitting viral infections to the baby such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV if the drug used is injected with a needle or syringe used by an infected person.
Some people may have used drugs in early pregnancy, before they knew they were pregnant.
If you are unsure or worried about this, talk to a health professional or call Info‑Santé 811.
Possible consequences of drug use during breastfeeding
The production, quantity and composition of milk can be disturbed by using psychoactive substances while breastfeeding. In addition, the drugs used can pass into the breast milk.
The possible consequences of exposing the baby to drugs through breast milk depend on several factors, such as the substance, the amount used and the health of the user and the baby.
For more details, consult a health-care professional or call Info-Santé 811.
Recommendations related to alcohol or other drug use
During pregnancy
There is no safe threshold for alcohol use during pregnancy. So the precautionary principle must apply: it is recommended not to drink any amount of alcohol at any time during pregnancy.
Because of the risks for both the pregnant person and the unborn baby, it is also recommended not to use drugs during pregnancy.
The partner and the family can support the pregnant person during this period of abstinence, in particular by:
planning other activities to relax or have fun (reading, walking, cinema, etc.)
avoiding encouraging them to use alcohol and other drugs during activities
offering the possibility of drinking non alcoholic beverages
changing their own alcohol and drug use (cutting down or quitting) during this time
While breastfeeding
The benefits of breastfeeding outweigh the risks associated with low alcohol use. A breastfeeding person may drink alcohol while taking the following precautions to avoid exposing the baby: