Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can have devastating effects on your baby and can cause a wide range of physical and mental birth defects. Even having just a few drinks throughout the week can be damaging. According the U.S. Surgeon General, women who binge drink (consume five or more drinks during any one occasion) and women who have five or more drinks a week during pregnancy have a significant chance of giving their unborn baby a range of disorders known as baby fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). These disorders can be lifelong afflictions and include physical, mental, behavioral and learning disabilities. The most severe effect of drinking during pregnancy is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a combination of physical and mental birth defects. FAS is one of the most common causes of mental retardation and is the only cause that is 100% preventable.
If you’re suffering from alcoholism, it’s absolutely necessary for your health and the health of your baby to get help now. Here’s what you need to know about alcoholism and pregnancy.
Alcoholism and Pregnancy: The Facts
• A recent survey by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that about 1 in 12 women drink during pregnancy, and that about 1 in 30 pregnant women report binge drinking.
• A 2008 study found that women who have five or more drinks a week are 70 percent more likely to have a stillborn baby than non-drinking women.
• Studies by CDC suggest that between 1,000 and 6,000 babies in the U.S. are born every year with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
• Alcohol can be passed to your baby through breast milk.
Alcoholism and Pregnancy: Effects on the Fetus
• Birth defects of the heart, face, liver, kidneys, eyes, ears, bones and other organs
• Mental retardation
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which is a combination of physical and mental birth defects
• Increased risk of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth
• Small and abnormally formed brain
Alcoholism and Pregnancy: Effects on Newborns
• Learning, emotional and behavioral problems
• Babies born with FAS are abnormally small and have characteristics of FAS that include small eyes, sunken nasal bridge, short nose, flattened cheekbones, a thin upper lip and smooth skin between the nose and upper lip instead of the normal groove. Most FAS babies will be mentally disabled, have poor coordination, and will have emotional and behavioral problems later in life.
• The effects of FAS last a lifetime and can include learning disabilities, speech and language delays, hyperactivity, psychological disorders, and poor performance in school and work.
• Temporary heart murmur
Alcoholism and Pregnancy: Getting Help
Many women have successfully treated their addiction to alcohol during pregnancy. The sooner you seek help, the better chance your baby will have of being born healthy and living a normal healthy life. Women who seek treatment within the first trimester greatly increase these chances. If you’re well into your pregnancy, don’t be discouraged. Your baby can only benefit from any help you receive, no matter what trimester you’re in.
In order to safely treat your addiction, including safe detox, during pregnancy, you should seek the help and guidance of a professional treatment facility experienced in helping pregnant women treat their addiction to alcohol.
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