One in ten pregnant women do not believe getting drunk will do any harm to their unborn baby.
A poll found one in five women drink alcohol while expecting, with almost half of these mothers saying they didn’t think becoming intoxicated would do any damage.
A further 10 per cent of women admitted to smoking when pregnant, while almost half (44 per cent) said they drank more caffeine than is recommended.
They same group of women were asked to reveal whether they felt other people judged them for these behaviours and a majority of 91 per cent said they did feel judged.
Despite this, more than half said they would do the same should they become pregnant again.
During pregnancy, doctors advise avoiding certain behaviours to protect a growing foetus.
They recommend avoiding alcohol altogether, as it is can pass through the placenta and seriously affect the baby’s development.
Smoking during pregnancy is also severely frowned upon as it affects the baby’s heart and makes it work faster.
It also affects the development of the baby’s brain, increases the risk of stillbirth, and increases the risk of the baby being born underweight, which leads to problems later in life.
High levels of caffeine during pregnancy can also result in babies having a low birth weight, and so doctors recommend drinking no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day – the equivalent of two mugs of instant coffee.
Doctors also recommend avoiding eating certain foods during pregnancy as they can cause food poisoning, and certain bacteria, chemicals or parasites in some foods can harm the unborn baby.
Foods to avoid include mould ripened soft cheese – such as brie and camembert - and soft, blue-veined cheeses such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and Roquefort.
These types of cheese are made with mould and can contain listeria bacteria, which can cause an infection.
Avoiding all types of pate, including vegetable pate, is advised, it they can contain listeria.
While an infection is rare, a mild form can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn baby.
Raw eggs and unpasteurised milk, as well as raw meat and raw shellfish, are not recommended, as they can cause food poisoning.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) also advises pregnant women to take care when eating cold cured meats such as salami, chorizo, pepperoni and Parma ham.
These meats are not cooked but cured and fermented, so they could contain parasites which cause an infection cause toxoplasmosis.
Doctors advise avoiding shark, swordfish or marlin, which contain high levels of mercury, which can affect the baby’s nervous system.
Pregnant women should limit the amount of tuna they eat to two steaks a week, or four medium-sized cans, as tuna also has high levels of mercury.
Oily fish - such as salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines and pilchards - can also contain pollutants, and so doctors recommend just two servings a week.
The poll, carried out by VoucherCodesPro, asked 2,184 British women aged 18 and over questions about their behaviours and attitudes.
All respondents had given birth to a baby within the past 18 months and were quizzed on their pregnancy and their behaviour during that time.
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