Fetal_Alcohol_Syndrome

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome PREGNANCY AND ALCOHOL When women drink during pregnancy or are intoxicated during delivery they put their child at great risk. There are many problems that may occur if a mother chooses to drink while she is pregnant. A mother could cause her child to have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Effects, Alcohol Related Birth Defects, and in some cases death. All of these problems are completely preventable if a mother abstains from alcoholic beverages during her entire pregnancy. Women who drink heavily before they become pregnant usually continue to drink while they are pregnant. Approximately 3.3 percent of women consume two or more alcoholic drinks a day, (Thomas pg47). When pregnant women use alcohol it could interfere with the development of her fetus. The leading identifiable cause of mental retardation is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. When a mother drinks alcohol it passes through the placenta interfering with the ability for the fetus to receive sufficient nourishment and oxygen for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs. When a pregnant woman chooses to drink she is also making a choice for her child to drink. If the mother’s blood alcohol level is 0.2 alcohol, , fetal, syndrome, child, birth, effects, mother, during, pregnant, pregnancy, defects, drinking, problems, fetus, drink, related, born, withdrawal, while, woman, retardation, factors, development, individual, cause, alcoholic, after, women, through, symptoms, social, normal, mental, growth, cost