A pregnant woman, even with all the desire cannot “drink alone” – she will always be accompanied with a fetus. Alcohol easily passes through the placenta and gets into his body. It doesn’t operate there in a better way. Mothers have long been told that alcohol is not safe for the growing baby. However, it appears that some mothers may be drinking some alcohol, but choosing to do it quietly. The truth is that any amount of alcohol may harm your baby. There is actually a range of problems that affects babies exposed to alcohol, otherwise known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. These effects can range from subtle learning disabilities to central nervous system disorders and facial anomalies. In some cases, alcohol effects may not be seen for years. Researchers from the UK in a 2001 study saw more behavioral problems with children ages 6-7 if their mothers consumed even small amounts of alcohol during their pregnancies in comparison to women who did not consume any alcohol. A new study that was published online in the International Journal of Epidemiology in October looked at the impact of low-levels of alcohol consumption by pregnant women, which they defined as no more than two drinks on any given day and on no more than two days per week. The study looked at more than 12,000 new moms. The moms were asked if they drank during pregnancy, how much, and followed the children through their early years to assess behavior. The result was a finding that moms who had a low-level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy actually had kids with fewer behavior and cognitive problems than moms who didn’t drink at all. There is no certain answer as to whether alcohol is safe or not during pregnancy. Medical professionals both in the US and abroad fall on both sides — some saying that occasional drinks are safe while others say that alcohol is never okay during conception or pregnancy. They all, however, agree that drinking a lot of alcohol is unacceptable.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a serious health problem that tragically affects its victims and their families, but that is completely preventable. Causing a child to suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome is really nothing short of child abuse and it lasts for life. Babies born with FAS tend to weigh less and be shorter than normal.
They usually suffer from:
• smaller heads
• deformed facial features
• abnormal joints and limbs
• poor coordination
• problems with learning
• short memories
