I
think we all know the importance and impact that brain development can have on
us and the importance of staying drug free during pregnancy. But exactly how
bad is it for an expectant mother, to have a drink or two?
Fetal
alcohol syndrome is a condition which children of mothers who drink heavily
during pregnancy are born with. Children with this syndrome tend to have the
following problems: hyperactivity, impulsiveness, difficulty maintaining
attention, varying degrees of mental retardation, motor problems, heart
defects, and facial abnormalities.
FAS
is a term coined over 30 years ago, despite the efforts to decrease alcohol
during pregnancy through public awareness, FAS remains the leading known
preventable cause of mental retardation.
How Alcohol Affects the
Brain
Alcohol
suppresses the release of glutamate, the brain’s main excitatory transmitter,
and enhances activity of GABA, the main inhibitory transmitter. Subsequently,
many neurons obtain less excitation and neurotrophins than normal, and they undergo
apoptosis, which triggers cells to basically auto destroy themselves.
Impact of Alcohol on Physical
Abnormalities
FAS
children may be identified by their
dysmorphic facial features. Know that features are not always present. As you
can see in the image below their facial features can include the following:
Underdeveloped jaw, thin upper lip, short nose, small eye opening, flat
midface, and smooth philtrum.
Statistics
*
12.2%
of pregnant women (about 1 in 8) reported any alcohol use in the past 30 days.
This rate has remained stable over the 15 year period.
*
Pregnant
women most likely to report any alcohol use were:
o
35-44
years of age (17.7%), College graduates (14.4%), Employed (13.7%), Unmarried
(13.4%
Resources:
I really enjoyed reading your blog and learned a lot of new information. I had heard about fetal alcohol syndrome and the possible side effects on children. But I did not know it was one of the leading causes of mental retardation in children. It is ridiculous and unacceptable that women while being pregnant drink alcohol beverages. Pregnant women might think one or two drinks will cause no damage to their baby, but it is not true. It is very important to let the public know the negative effects that children will suffer if women while being pregnant drink alcohol. If alcohol seems to be more important than their baby, then why become pregnant in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHey Maria,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job in explaining FAS, but what really shocked me is that 1 in 8 women reported drinking while pregnant. What is worse than the fact that 1 in 8 drinks is that these are only the ones who actually reported it which means that there are probably many more who drink and just do not report. The video really helped illustrate what a tough time these kids (eventually adults like Ricky) go through because a bad choice was made. Thanks for such an informative post!
Thank you for the information, it was a great read. Watching the videos really was an eye opener and really drove the point home of how detrimental Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be, especially the second video. It's heartbreaking to see the effect that alcohol can have on infants. Hopefully other's that read this can gain some better insight as to the true harmful effects alcohol can have, and maybe someone might just benefit from it. Great read
ReplyDelete