If you are the kind of person who loves to go to the bar, it is time for you stop drinking an alcohol if you think that you are pregnant. You cannot find any stage of pregnancy where drinking an alcohol is safe. Not even from 0 month to 9 months. A pregnant woman who drinks alcohol will just harm the fetus in her womb, because alcohol can pass through the blood going to the placenta where the baby gets her food. Alcohol can damage baby’s brain, spinal cord and other organs such as heart and liver will also be affected.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder tells the severity of alcohol effect to the fetus. It means the more alcohol you take, the more it can harm the fetus. This condition may affect the baby and the effect may be permanent. It could be effect on the baby’s mental or physical or both. When the baby is affected with alcohol, there is no way you can cure it, and the damaged cause by alcohol intake cannot be reversed. Meaning the symptoms will be there all through out your baby's health even when she or he gets old.
The effect of alcohol to the fetus may include the following:
• Abnormal facial aura. A baby may have a small head, narrow eyes and flat face shape, just like in a mongoloid baby.
• Stunted growth. Children who were exposed to alcohol while in their mother’s womb will have a retarded growth. He or she may e small from his or her age.
• Children who were exposed to alcohol while in their mothers womb will have difficulty in learning and have behavioral problem.
• Birth defect such as malformation of the extremity is most likely to occur.
• Children who were exposed to alcohol while in their mother’s womb will have difficulty in muscle coordination. They will have a poor hand grip and cross eye.
There is no known stage where a pregnant mother is safe to drink an alcohol. From the start of pregnancy up to delivery a pregnant mother should not drink an alcohol, although the risk is higher to those who are heavy drinkers, but still if you drink alcohol a little it will still affect the fetus.
Fetal alcohol syndrome distress is not visible right after the baby is born. Learning and behavioral problems are noticed when the child enters school. Facial deformity is visible only by the time the baby reaches two months old.