paradigms do not include alcohol exposure during the third trimester equivalent. While pregnant dams could be continued on a liquid diet during the suckling period, it is uncertain how much ethanol can cross into the breast milk and the actual dose of ethanol consumed by the pups could not be controlled for. Dams consuming ethanol during the suckling period may also be less attentive to their pups and may not engage in appropriate maternal behavior leading to social and nutritional stress [see Ref. (25) for review]. Therefore, these models are normally only used to examine exposure during the first and second trimester equivalents in the rat and mouse. Because human mothers can often be unaware they are pregnant and inadvertently drink during these periods, these models still have significant legitimacy for the human condition.
