Analysis Of The Movie ' The Kids Are Alright '

Starting from the pregnancy of an alcoholic mother, her poor diet, and constant alcohol intake and possible cigarette smoking could lead to a deficiency and health complications of the infant. If both parents in this situation do not meet the dietary and medical needs of the infant this could lead to mental and or physical problems. If the father of the baby does not compensate for the mothers poor parenting then the baby could suffer or even die. It is very important for the parents and baby to bond so it becomes comfortable with them

Substance abuse during pregnancy can have a negative force on the health and wellness of not only the fetus, but that of the mother. The harmful effects of medications, alcohol and illegal drugs on an unborn child can be devastating and can have significant consequences to its use. Sometimes the effects can be faced and treated, and other times the outcome is a lifelong challenge. During the prenatal period, it is important that new mothers are informed of the different types of abuse, how they may affect the fetus, and the adverse conditions their child may be faced with before and after birth.

     Drinking during pregnancy is often thought of as no big deal. However, drinking during pregnancy is a very big deal. An unborn baby’s life is in the hands of the mother. If she decides to drink, she is risking the unborn’s chances of being as smart and healthy as it can be. Drinking during pregnancy opens the doors to a variety of harmful effects on the mother and her unborn baby, and until this is brought out in the open with honesty, it cannot be prevented.

The quality of life for these children is unfortunately not the best. They can have limb, facial, and organ defects, and will have stunted physical growth throughout young adult life. Prenatal exposure can also have a negative effect on motor skills, especially fine motor tasks such as writing and balancing. The disabilities depend on the mother and her drinking habits. The children of heavy drinkers while pregnant, have many more developmental problems than of those whose mother was a light drinker. The most common problems among these children with alcohol exposure are with balance, coordination, and how they are able to play and handle a ball.

According to Web MD there are many causes for the baby when the mother does alcohol while pregnant. One of the things that Web MD talked about is that the child will have distinctive facial features such as a small head, flat face, narrow eyes and this is obvious in the child at age two or three. It can be hard on a parent when they see a child in these condition but this website

Considering the multitudes of things that could go wrong during a pregnancy, why would mothers consume alcohol despite the warnings of possible birth defects? Many are familiar with the "Just Say No" campaign spearheaded by Nancy Reagan in the 1980 's to prevent drug and alcohol use among teens. However, many turn a blind eye to the warnings of the surgeon general stating alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in birth defects. When a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, she puts her fetus at risk from mild to severe physical, mental and cognitive disabilities. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the term that is used to describe an array of disorders that occurs as a consequence of women consuming alcohol during pregnancy. There are many types of FASD including fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol-related birth defects(ARBD), alcohol-related neurodevelopment disorder(ARND), and neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Although alcohol consumption during pregnancy is ill-advised, throughout the United States mothers continue to drink during pregnancy. Being FASD is the most preventable of developmental disabilities, I will examine the irreparable consequences of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and its behavioral, physical, cognitive and educational implications on the fetus and the family.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. The severely effected victims of the syndrome have a variety of congenital defects: mental retardation, coordination problems, and heart, eye, and genitourinary malformations, as well as low birth weight and slowed growth rate. Most apparent are characteristic facial abnormalities.

“Its the importance of intervening early, ideally in the first year or two of life or even before the child is born” (Kristof 51). Before a child is even born, there is steps every mother can take to ensure a good life for their child. A doctor cant always guarentee that a baby will be healthy, but a mother taking precautions in their own life and health can always give a better chance for a child to live a healthy life. “Within four weeks of conception, a human embryo has formed a neural tube, which then begins to produce brain cells. As the brain is forming, it is shaped by the uterine environment in ways that will affect the child for the rest of his or her life. A mother who drinks alcohol may leave her child with fetal alcohol syndrome,

Even though there are many studies that highlight the damaging effects of maternal alcohol use on a fetus in utero, there are a multitude of other substances that are used by pregnant mothers that have similar and even, in some cases, more extreme repercussions such as marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. When speaking about pregnancy and drug use, the most common drug that comes to mind is alcohol. During 12 years of schooling, most people are exposed, at one point or another, to the idea of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the detrimental effects of alcohol on a fetus in utero. The effects of maternal use of the aforementioned illicit drugs is less studied, partially because they are used less frequently. It is important, however, that as a population, we become more educated about these drugs and the potentially life threatening outcomes for babies in utero.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is an increasing problem in our world today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS form 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 6.7 per 10,000 in 1993 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In a report, Substance Abuse and the American Woman, sent out by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, at least one of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or other drugs during pregnancy (http:/www.nofas.org/stats.htm). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the

Fetal alcohol syndrome- It is frightening to know that doctors used to tell their patients that it was ok to drink a glass of wine when pregnant this is a big NO, even a sip can cause FAS. What is FAS? This is when a mother who is pregnant drinks alcohol and it reaches the fetus cause adverse birth defects. When ethanol (alcohol) is drank, it is met by enzymes who break down the substance, women have less of ADH then men making alcohol very dangerous for women just in general. Therefore when a women drinks even the littles drop it is hurting the baby in more ways than one and that one drop can cause FAS. When a drug like alcohol breaks thru the placenta barrier into the fetus there called teratogens (this is what causes the birth defect).

Many women that become pregnant are unaware of the consequences of drinking alcohol during pregnancy and the damaging effects it has on the fetus. When a woman who is pregnant drinks alcohol, the baby is also drinking alcohol. Furthermore, the amount of alcohol that is consumed by the mother is the same amount the baby receives through the mother's placenta. Many doctors advise that it is okay for the mother to have an occasional drink, however, some women cannot stop at one drink, and they continue to drink in excess throughout their pregnancy. Still, even moderate consumption of alcohol is not wise, because it is still unknown how much alcohol the fetus is able to tolerate without potential harm. Consequently, a fetus that has been

A pregnant woman’s lifestyle ultimately affects the development of her baby. Drinking alcohol when you are pregnant has been shown to cause harm towards the unborn baby as it develops in the mother’s womb. Mothers who drink alcohol while pregnant have a higher risk of their baby having long-term

The scientific community didn’t recognize the potential harm of prenatal alcohol exposure until 1973, when Dr. David Smith and Dr. Kenneth Jones at the University of Washington in Seattle, published similar findings in the medical journal Lancet. It was then that the term Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was coined (Stratton,1996). Since then, a spectrum of disorders connected to prenatal alcohol exposure has been recognised, with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome being the most severe.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by chronic alcohol use during pregnancy, but even occasional or binge drinking can result in birth defects (FAE and ARND). When mothers drink alcohol, the fetus receives a high concentration of alcohol, because alcohol can easily pass through the placenta, and fetuses can’t handle it as well as adults can. The worst problems are caused when mothers drink during the first trimester, because that is when most of the baby’s brain development occurs. However, there are still some developments during the second and third trimesters, so drinking even just an average amount of alcohol at any time can cause damage to the