Actress Rachel Weisz reignited a controversy about drinking during pregnancy when she recently said that it was fine to have an occasional glass of wine after the first trimester, sparking condemnation from some health experts.

ABC News reported Nov. 15 that while the consensus among medical professionals is that pregnant women should avoid alcohol, some obstetricians say that a few glasses of wine per week won't do any harm. Research shows that about 12 percent of pregnant women continue to drink socially.

In addition to Weisz, celebrities Gwyneth Paltrow and Britney Spears have come under fire for drinking during their pregnancies. "If you're pregnant and you drink alcohol in any amount, you take a risk that it could be causing harm to the fetus," said Tom Donaldson, the president of the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). "Why play Russian Roulette with your baby's health? We say abstain from alcohol if you're pregnant or could be pregnant."

The American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommend complete abstinence during pregnancy. But many obstetricians disagree, and the British Health Ministry says it is safe for pregnant women to consume one or two alcoholic drinks once or twice per week.

"Give me a break," said Robert K. Zurawin, a gynecologist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "People who have a glass of wine on the weekend, it's not going to do any harm to the baby," he said, while adding, "In the first eight weeks when critical organs are forming, it's good to avoid alcohol and certainly smoking."

Some doctors want to see the guidelines modified to distinguish between light, late-term drinking and heavy drinking.

"You can't say that any alcohol, even the smallest amount, will lead to birth defects," acknowledged NOFAS' Donaldson. "But we also don't want to say that one drink a week is OK, because then people naturally say, 'Oh, if one's all right, then three can't be bad.'"