Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?

FAS refers to the developmental defects that occur in children exposed to alcohol in the womb. According to some sources, alcohol is the leading cause of preventable mental and physical birth defects in the USA.

Pregnant women who drink alcohol run the risk of their babies being born with any or all of the following:

• Mental retardation
• Permanent brain damage
• Difficulty understanding basic concepts such as time or money
• Malformed or dysfunctional organs
• Epilepsy
• Learning difficulties
• Anxiety
• Delayed physical and mental development
• Difficulty making friends or relating to social groups
• Difficulty understanding the relationship between cause and effect
• Facial abnormalities
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsiveness
• Inability to concentrate
• Lack of curiosity
• Lack of imagination
• Poor language skills
• Poor memory
• Poor motor coordination
• Poor problem-solving skills
• Social withdrawal
• Stubbornness

Although some research seems to indicate that consumption of small amounts of alcohol (one or less drinks per day) might be okay, most medical professionals strongly recommend that pregnant women not drink any alcohol at all. This would seem particularly good advice for women who are alcoholic as the temptation to have more than one drink can be irresistible.

If you have an alcoholic in your life that is pregnant or trying to become pregnant, you need to do everything you can to help them to not drink. The alternative could be a life of struggle and pain for a child in your life.

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