| Fetal Alcohol Syndrome affects approximately 1-2 out | | | | developments are taking place, is what causes the |
| of every 1,000 births. Prenatal exposure to alcohol can | | | | facial distortions of babies with Fetal Alcohol |
| have many subtle side effects such as: trouble | | | | Syndrome. In the early weeks of pregnancy, women |
| learning, impaired development, mental retardation, | | | | may not even know they are pregnant. In France, |
| facial deformities and an inherited propensity to drink. | | | | more than half of pregnant women reported having an |
| When you are drinking alcohol, it enters your | | | | occasional glass of wine. |
| bloodstream and travels to the placenta, where it | | | | In fact, they see nothing wrong with drinking while |
| interacts with the baby. Since babies metabolize | | | | pregnant. In America, this is highly discouraged, although |
| alcohol content much slower than adults, the baby's | | | | doctors find it hard to pinpoint how much alcohol |
| blood alcohol content will naturally be much higher than | | | | consumption is too much and some say that one glass |
| his or her parent's. The presence of alcohol can | | | | of wine may actually help development. Of course, |
| deprive the baby of nutrients and impair regular | | | | binge drinking at any stage of pregnancy can certainly |
| development. | | | | kill a baby and most health professionals discourage |
| Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is one of the few known | | | | even trace amounts of alcoholic drink. |
| preventable causes of mental retardation. Physical | | | | To diagnose Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, doctors look at |
| features of someone with FAS may include any or all | | | | a few basic characteristics, such as unusually low birth |
| of the following: small eyes, a short upturned nose, | | | | weight and size, evidence of physical retardation, such |
| small head circumference, a thin upper lip, a cleft palate, | | | | as a small head, small eyes, short eye opening, |
| light sensitivity, hypoplastic kidneys, a short neck, and | | | | underdevelopment of the upper lip, a groove between |
| deformed joints or limbs. It's likely that prenatal | | | | the lip and nose, an upturned nose and flattened |
| exposure to alcohol will have side effects, like slow | | | | cheekbones, as well as intellectual impairment. FAS |
| physical growth/development before and after birth, | | | | can be difficult to diagnose before and after birth, may |
| vision or hearing difficulties, hyperactivity, poor impulse | | | | be confused with many other disorders and doesn't |
| control, extreme nervousness, learning disabilities and a | | | | have the scientific backing that many other disorders |
| short attention span. | | | | have, thus making it hard to deal with. |
| Drinking during the first trimester, when the most basic | | | | |