Make the moment you start trying the moment to stop drinking

Alcohol consumed at any stage of pregnancy passes directly to the baby and can damage their developing brain, body, and organs.

Learn more

Learn more

Every moment matters when it comes to alcohol – whether you are planning a pregnancy, currently pregnant or breastfeeding.

Woman smiling as she holds and looks at pregnancy test

Planning a pregnancy

Most people don’t know the exact moment they become pregnant. Find out why it’s important to be alcohol-free from the moment you start trying for a pregnancy.
Man and pregnant woman sitting together on sofa while looking at phone

Currently pregnant

Find out how alcohol can affect you and your baby and get support for staying alcohol-free for a healthy pregnancy.

Baby looking up at mother during breastfeeding

Breastfeeding

If you are breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for your baby. If you do drink, there are things you can do to ensure your baby has breastmilk that is alcohol-free.

Questions or concerns?

Support is available if you are concerned about anything raised on this website – or if you need help to have an alcohol-free pregnancy.

Speak with your doctor, midwife, or obstetrician for support. You can also speak with a range of services that can support you.

Find a service

Did you know?

Alcohol consumed at any stage of pregnancy can damage a developing baby’s brain, body, and organs. It can lead to a preventable disability known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Alcohol increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and babies being born prematurely, being small for gestational age, or with low birth weight.

Alcohol consumed during pregnancy passes from the mother’s blood to the baby’s blood via the placenta.

When alcohol is consumed during pregnancy, a developing baby’s blood alcohol level will increase as the mother’s blood alcohol level increases.

Alcohol can damage the development of all the organs and systems of the developing baby’s body, including the brain.

The baby’s brain starts developing very early in pregnancy, often before someone knows they are pregnant.

The moment you start trying to get pregnant is the moment to stop drinking alcohol to help avoid damage to the developing baby.

If you are finding it difficult to stop drinking, help is available. Talk to your doctor, midwife, obstetrician, or an alcohol and other drugs counsellor.

When breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is safest for the baby.

If there is alcohol in the bloodstream, then there is alcohol in the breastmilk.

Alcohol in breastmilk can disrupt the baby’s feeding and sleeping patterns and has been linked with developmental problems.

The only way to eliminate alcohol from breastmilk is to wait for your body to process the alcohol, which takes an average of two hours per standard drink. 

Community stories

If some of the information on this website is new to you, you’re not alone. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about alcohol, pregnancy, and breastfeeding. 

That’s why we’re sharing the latest information and research through this project, and stories about people’s experiences with alcohol, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Browse community stories
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pregnant young woman sitting in kitchen with girlfriend showing photo card of ultrasound snapshot, friendship