Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

            Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the most leading known preventable cause of development and physical birth defects in the United States.  Each year in the United States, one in every seven hundred and fifty infants are born with F.A.S.
Some physical defects these children are born with are low birth weight, small head circumference, smaller eye openings, and flattened cheekbones.  These features stay with the child for the rest of their life.  In fact, the child’s mental defects intensify as the child grows into an adult.  These mental problems such as health problems, troubles with the law and being independent, poor memory, development delay, behavioral problems and poor motor skills, all exponentially tend to get worse as the child grows.
            It is well known for a pregnant woman not to consume too much alcohol when carrying a baby, but how does one know how much is too much?  Unfortunately, there is no evidence that can determine how much alcohol can be taken in throughout the whole nine months.  The reason for that is all women process alcohol differently, depending on age, if she had anything to eat or how often they drink.
            Drinking during the first trimester has the worst effects on the child’s development growth and is more likely to develop Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.  This is because the brain in the fetus is just starting to develop and with alcohol is present it makes it more difficult for everything to go smoothly. But overall, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in infants is a very preventable disorder.  It is always a healthy and smart decision to stay away from alcohol when pregnant and to get tested for the disease as well so the child can get as much help as needed in the earlier stages.


Stephanie Aboody

7 comments:

  1. Stephanie,

    This is important for all women to be familiar with. I agree with you that it is better safe than sorry. Staying away from alcohol throughout the entire pregnancy is the safest for the baby. It is very sad to see a child that has developmental disabilities, especially when it is preventable.

    Cara Murphy (3)

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    1. You are exactly right Cara, it is best to completely stay away from alcohol when one is pregnant but it is possible to have a little bit the question is how much is ok to make sure the fetus isn't affected. I think further research should be done to see how much is too much or what is the limit.

      Stephanie

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  2. You bring up a good point when you say, "how much is too much?" You can always just say don't drink any alcohol whatsoever but that might be unrealistic for some. In other parts of the world, and probably even many families here in the US, it's common to drink wine with meals. Is one drink ok? Or will even that small amount cause problems?

    Cole DiStasio (group 1)

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  3. It's important to note other lifestyle changes that are important to consider during pregnancy such as dietary restrictions, physical activity, rest, drug use and of course as you mentioned alcohol use. With regards to your post it's interesting to think if any alcohol intake during pregnancy has detrimental effects on the fetus or if moderate intake has a neutral effect.

    Allen Currier

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  4. It is very important to know your own body and how much it can handle especially when one is pregnant. The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome that you listed seem to be pretty drastic and if there is anyway to prevent your child from having such a disease, my personal opinion is to just avoid drinking alcohol at all during pregnancy.

    Sarah Ona

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    1. You are totally right, but tests have also been done to prove that a little bit of alcohol such as a glass of wine has no real consequences to the fetus. So it is overall best to stay away from alcohol, agreed, but there should be further research done to see what amount of alcohol is okay.

      Stephanie

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  5. This is a very important topic for all women to have knowledge on. If you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant it is very important to understand that it is not ok to drink alcohol. It is very sad to know that some of the disabilities that children have could of been prevented if their mom stayed away from alcohol. If that is something you are not able to do then they definitely should not be having kids. It is not fair for the baby.

    Rebecca Thomas

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