When you are pregnant, there are a lot of rules you have to follow. Some seem silly, and others seem serious. From avoiding raw sushi rolls and deli meat and limiting coffee intake to avoiding smoking and drinking alcohol, there is a wide range of things to keep in mind while you are pregnant. Keep in mind, these are all in place for you to keep your pregnancy going well and your baby healthy. Avoiding alcohol while you are pregnant will prevent fetal alcohol syndrome.
How-to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Healthy Pregnancy
How it Happens
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is one of the most severe forms of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). These are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol while she was pregnant. In addition to FAS, there are 4 other types of FASDs that a baby can be affected by. While there are different opinions about this, there is no amount of alcohol during pregnancy that is risk-free. If you must go out for a drink or crave the taste of an alcoholic drink, there are many and non-alcoholic drink alternatives you can enjoy while you are pregnant.
A baby doesn’t have a fully developed liver while in the womb. This means that they cannot process or break down alcohol. Therefore, alcohol can easily get to and damage the baby’s organs. The most dangerous time to drink during pregnancy is during the 1st trimester, when the baby’s brain is developing. However, it is not much safer to drink during the 2nd or 3rd trimesters either. The best way precent fetal alcohol syndrome is to avoid alcohol all together during pregnancy.
Symptoms
FAS can cause mental, physical and behavioral issues. For each baby, these symptoms can vary in severity. Neurological symptoms can include problems with learning, coordination and balance, reasoning skills, hyperactivity and moodiness. Physical symptoms can include small head and brain size and hearing or vision problems. Also, there can be deformities in joints, limbs and fingers, plus certain distinctive features like small eyes, a thin upper lip, and a ridge between the nose and upper lip. Behavioral issues such as difficulty in school, and poor social skills or impulse control are common too.
There are no cures for FAS. Early diagnosis and treatment can best improve the child’s outlook. It is best to diagnose it by age 6. The best option is to just prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome altogether by avoiding all alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This will keep your baby healthy while in the womb and out of the womb too.
