Health chiefs warn there is no 'safe' level of drinking during pregnancy
New guidance has been issued today, 20 years after the last set of alcohol health advice was published.
Teesside mams-to-be are being warned that if they want to guarantee the safety of their baby, no alcohol should be consumed during pregnancy.
The UK's chief medical officers have updated the official health guidance on drinking alcohol, 20 years after they were last revised.
The new guidances takes account of new evidence on the increased risk of developing cancer from drinking, as well as the harms of binge-drinking.
For pregnant women, the advice is to avoid ALL alcohol, as the safety of their baby cannot be guaranteed otherwise.
Maria Catterick runs the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Network in Stockton.
They support children who have health problems as a result of drinking through pregnancy.
Maria has been campaigning for years to have the guidelines altered, after many of the women she spoke received conflicting advice from medical professionals.
She said: "I have sleepless nights about those who haven't been given the right information.
"Every single week there are new referrals coming in from women who weren't told the informaton and who're now raising children with very complex behaviours.
"We needed this information to happen, we needed this decison to be made and we're more than thrilled."
Men have had their weekly alcohol units dropped too, from 21 to 14, which is now on par with women's units.
People are being urged to spread their drinking out across 3 or 4 days, rather than consuming all 14 units within one night.
Professor Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's expert on cancer prevention, said:
"The link between alcohol and cancer is now well established, and it's not just heavy drinkers who are at risk."
"There is no 'safe' level of drinking when it comes to cancer - the less you drink, the lower your risk.
"Drinking levels in the UK are almost double what they were in 1960, so it's vital we invest in national health campaigns to provide people with clear information about the health risks of drinking alcohol, particularly at levels above these new guidelines.''