Definition:
A mother that drinks alcohol during her pregnancy may expose her fetus and may place her baby to a condition of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).Negative effects vary from one child to another; severe effects can include serious physical, mental and behavioral problems.
Diagnosis:
There is no definite way to diagnose FAS before a baby is given birth. The doctor can look at the signs and symptoms of the child's initial months and years of life if your doctor knows you were been drinking while you were pregnant.
Treatment:
There's no treatment for fetal alcohol syndrome. Some defects like heart abnormalities require surgery and learning problems and child's behavior needs parent counseling and special services from school.
Symptoms and Signs:
Severity of signs and symptoms varies and may include heart defects; deformities of joints, limbs and fingers; slow physical growth development before and after birth; visual and hearing problems; mental retardation; and distinctive facial features, including small eyes, an exceptionally thin upper lip, a short, upturned nose and smooth skin surface between nose and upper lip.
Causes:
As a pregnant mother drinks, alcohol enters the fetus by crossing the placenta. Since a fetus metabolizes alcohol more slowly than the adult do, the concentration of alcohol is higher in the fetus.
It impairs nutrition for your baby's developing organs and tissues and can also damage brain cells which can lead to mental retardation. Prenatal alcohol consumption places the fetus at the highest risk for developing defects or even death especially during the first trimester of conception.
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