Transcript: !--StartFragment-->

Your whole alcohol MO has to change once you’re pregnant. But what if you were drinking before you knew you had a passenger? Whether you’re the daily cocktail type or you only imbibe on special occasions, you may accidentally consume alcohol during the early weeks of your pregnancy. If this happens, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself - after all, you didn’t even know you were pregnant! Fortunately, it is usually the case that when you drink alcohol at this stage of the pregnancy, it’s too early to negatively affect the fetus’s organs.  This is because there isn’t a strongly established blood connection between you and your baby during the time when you ovulate and the end of the month. Of course, this “safe window,” is short! Once you know you’re pregnant, or even suspect that you may be, you should stop drinking. There is, after all, a risk of fetal alcohol syndrome when you consume any amount of alcohol during pregnancy. But don’t worry, you'll have plenty of time for a glass of wine after the baby is born.  If you are breastfeeding, though, you'll have to wait until the baby is no longer nursing to enjoy that cocktail.