Library of Frequently Asked Questions
Drinking and pregnancy
Any exposure of an unborn child to alcohol during the mother’s pregnancy may effect the fetus. Heavy use of alcohol during pregnancy may result in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, commonly known as F-A-S. F-A-S is one of the top three causes of birth defects and affects approximately one in every seven hundred and fifty babies. When a pregnant woman drinks, the alcohol passes through the placenta and into the fetus’s blood.
The fetus’s liver can’t effectively process the alcohol, so it remains in its system long after it has been eliminated from the mother’s body. FAS causes low birth weight; deformities of the limbs, joints, fingers, and face; a small head circumference; central nervous system dysfunction, and heart defects. Sometimes, the symptoms of FAS won’t appear until adolescence when the child suddenly becomes hyperactive or exhibits learning and perceptual difficulties. Then as the child enters his teens, physical problems may begin, including chronic ear infections, hearing loss, and dental and vision problems.
A woman should refrain from drinking while she’s trying to conceive, throughout her pregnancy, and after birth, if she’s breast feeding her baby.
Previous: Diet and exercise during pregnancy | Next: Diagnosing pregnancy
