|
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a very dire consequence of what can happen if a woman drinks during her pregnancy. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to preventing this; the only real way to prevent it is to completely abstain from alcohol during the course of the pregnancy. If a woman was a heavy drinker prior to conception and is unable to quit, she needs to get help in order to protect the welfare of her unborn child. There are many symptoms and effects of what can happen to a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome.
The symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome start after a woman has been drinking during her pregnancy. During the pregnancy, the fetus of a mother who drinks alcohol will not grow as quickly as compared to a fetus whose mother has not drank alcohol. There is also an increased risk of a miscarriage, having a premature baby or having a stillborn baby if the pregnancy comes to term. A newborn with fetal alcohol syndrome will be unable to thrive in its surroundings and have a developmental delay and signs of mental retardation. The newborn will be fussier and cry more than other newborns as he/she goes through a sort of alcohol withdrawal, since it won�t be getting the alcohol from the mother after birth. There will also be irregularities of the face, strawberry birthmarks, poor muscle tone and be uncoordinated.
The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome vary from infant to infant. It depends on the amount of alcohol the mother consumed during the pregnancy. However, almost all infants with this do not have normal brain development. Severe cases may even have heart problems which can require surgery and other problems may exist with other organs. It can also lead to infant death depending on the severity of the effects of the alcohol.
With all the horrible side effects of drinking alcohol while pregnant, women who are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant need to be extremely strict in their role of not drinking. You can still go out with your friends while you are pregnant, just tell them you�ll be the designated driver. Because there is no safe limit of alcohol consumption, pregnant women need to avoid it all costs. The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome range from mental retardation to having problems with internal organs and can also lead to infant death, miscarriage or a premature delivery.
|
