Over the years many causes of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have been proposed. A recent study of 33 Native American babies who died of SIDS found that binge drinking during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of SIDS sixfold.
Each baby who died of SIDS was matched with two healthy Native American infants with similar prenatal care, socioeconomic factors, obstetrical history, and other SIDS risk factors.
Nearly half of the mothers of the SIDS babies had one or more episodes of binge drinking during their first trimester compared to 20% of the mothers of babies in the control group.
No pregnant women should consume alcohol and binge drinking during the first trimester is especially dangerous to infants.
Family Practice News, 3/15/03, p. 40
May not be reproduced in any format without written permission.
