Drinking While Pregnant Summary

National surveys show that about six out of every ten women of child-bearing age 18-44 years old use alcohol, and slightly less than one-third of women who drink alcohol in this age group binge drink. Excessive exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can inflict serious, permanent physical and mental damage on her child like Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders (FASDS), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), miscarriage, and premature birth. Although men are more likely to drink alcohol, and drink in larger amounts, gender differences in body structure and chemistry cause women to absorb more alcohol, and take longer to break it down and remove it from their bodies. Upon drinking equal amounts, women have higher alcohol levels in their blood than men, and

The fetus is not the only one harmed by alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but the mother is as well. In fact, many doctors urge women who think they are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant to stop drinking (“Fetal Alcohol”). “One percent of all mothers consume fourteen or more drinks per week during the three months before pregnancy” (Walsh 3). To the average person one percent is not too large of a proportion. However, the volume of alcohol consumed is high during

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.

Every year, about 40,000 babies are born with symptoms of prenatal alcohol exposure (Lupton, 2003). This number will only continue to grow if the risk of drinking alcohol while pregnant is not brought to the people’s attention. When the mother takes a drink of alcohol, so does the fetus, which will cause physical and behavioral problems after birth. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is completely preventable and irreversible. FAS awareness and prevention is important; expectant mothers need to know the background information about the syndrome, some common symptoms, signs, and treatments, and the mental and physical abnormalities that will occur because of this lifelong syndrome.

Whenever a mother drinks, her baby is at risk for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect. When a pregnant women drinks alcohol, her baby does too. It is not clear whether there is a threshold amount of alcohol that must be consumed before damage to the baby occurs. There is also no proof that small amounts of alcohol are safe.

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.

pregnancy. FAS is unique in that effects on the children are directly linked to maternal drinking

Alcohol is known as one the most dangerous teratogens. Every time a pregnant woman drinks, she allows alcohol to enter her blood stream and make its way into the placenta. Unlike the mother, the fetus is unable to break down alcohol that makes the blood alcohol level of the fetus the same or higher than the mother (Burk, 2013). Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are considered some of the most serious consequences of maternal drinking during pregnancy. Children can exhibit physical abnormalities such as a flat mid-face, a thin upper lip, a smooth groove between the nose and upper lip, along with growth retardation, and cognitive difficulties. The affected children also have cognitive difficulties which include intelligence, language, memory, and learning (Wacha & Obrzut, 2007).

The amount of alcohol that is safe for a mother to drink during her pregnancy hasn’t yet been determined, therefore the twenty-first century authorities say no alcohol should be consumed (Rank, J.). Alcohol is easily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract to the blood stream and circulates to the fetus by crossing the placenta. The placental blood flow to the fetus is weakened from ethanol by constricting blood vessels. This includes hypoxia and fetal malnutrition. The fetus metabolizes the alcohol slower than an adult, causing your developing baby’s blood alcohol concentrations to be higher than those in your body. This causes problems with the ability to the fetus to receive oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other organs. The damage that is done to the baby depends on the gestational period, dosage, and chronicity of abuse. (Mayo Clinic Staff 3, Rank J., Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). The women that do drink when pregnant can cause problems by the amount of alcohol that they consume. For a woman to drink a large amount of alcohol at one time is more dangerous than if she were to drink little amounts several times (Rank, J.).

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.

Through various articles and extensive research, it can be proven that prenatal alcohol exposure has a variety effects on people, children to be more exact. Prenatal alcohol exposure is the most widely recognized reason for mental retardation and the driving preventable reason for birth defects in the United States. Fetal alcohol syndrome is described by a mix of impeded development, face and body mutations, and disorders of the central nervous system. Behavioral, memory, and cognitive deficits are effects that is brought upon prenatal alcohol exposure. People should be more educated on the use of alcohol during pregnancy and its consequences.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a collection of multiple effects that happen because of exposure to alcohol in utero and can be a very serious problem that is prevalent. Fetal alcohol syndrome was first talked about and described in 1973 (Caley, Dunlap, Shipkey, Rivera, & Winkelman, 2006). Over the years a lot has become known about the dangers of exposing a fetus to alcohol and how common it really is (Caley et al, 2006). According to Krulewitch (2005), 1 in 10 women will consume alcohol after knowing they have become pregnant. Nurses have a key role in providing care and explaining to the newly pregnant mother the effects of consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

Drinking can also cause the baby to be born with certain features that are different from a non-alcoholic pregnant woman such as being skinny and the head size being smaller than

Even a small amount of alcohol has the potential to hurt the child. The unborn child of a person who occasionally drinks is at risk of receiving fetal alcohol effects. This condition causes children to receive some of the same of the same effects that come from fetal alcohol syndrome. A child may not receive any of these conditions due to a mother’s alcohol consumption, but there are still some potential effects. Evidence shows that when a pregnant mother consumes an average of two alcoholic beverages per day, her child may have a lower amount of intelligence and is also at risk for having mental retardation. Also, there is research that suggests that even low quantities of alcohol consumed during pregnancy can have contrary effects on the child’s behavioral and psychological functions, and can cause a child to exhibit behaviors such as hyperactivity, unusual nervousness or anxiety, and poor impulse control. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can also cause children to have less accuracy in their spatial and visual reasoning later in their lives. Due to these results, Sarah should be advised to not drink alcohol while she is

“Women who are pregnant or might soon become pregnant should not drink alcohol. Alcohol causes birth defects and more subtle long-term problems in babies. It's not known how much alcohol it takes or at what time during a pregnancy the damage happens. For this reason, it's important not to drink alcohol at any time during