Assessment of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure
All mothers provided a retrospective report concerning their
drinking during pregnancy. Though retrospective reports are not
ideal, Ernhardt et al (1988) have shown that reports of concurrent
drinking during pregnancy correlated significantly (r 5 .67) with
5-year retrospective recall. Most mothers, including the alcoholic
women, decreased their intake by the second and third trimesters.
For the 11 alcoholic mothers who drank during pregnancy, an
average of 205 drinks was consumed during the pregnancy;
however, only three of these alcoholic mothers drank more than
two drinks per month after the first trimester. Less alcohol was
consumed by the nonalcoholic mothers who drank during pregnancy
(high and low risk): an average of 42 drinks, with the
largest quantity consumed during the first trimester. The remainder
(71%) reported no drinking during pregnancy.