Alcohol and Pregnancy - The Problems
The consumption of alcohol whilst pregnant can cause a serious risk to your baby’s health. The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) impacts 1/100 babies, resulting in physical and mental disability, restricted growth and sometimes, heart failure.
FASD is the general term for many of mental, physical and behavioral problems associated with consuming alcohol during pregnancy, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. One drink is unlikely to cause FASD; however, no one knows how much alcohol results in this disorder. To prevent misunderstandings over what may be safe, most experts guide pregnant women to not drink at all. There are a few ways to conduct an alcohol drugs test if you suspect someone you know is drinking alcohol when pregnant.
Kids with FASD usually look to be normal however compared to other children, they behave abnormally; they are usually not as fast to understand things, stuff they learn is not stored for long (they aren’t processed into the long term memory), they have sudden mood swings and find social situations difficult.
There are a few physical hints of FASD including smaller and wide-set eyes, a thin upper lip and no groove between the nose and lip. but most don’t, which is a reason why their behaviour is often misinterpreted well into adulthood.
Drinking when pregnant is a very selfish thing to do as it harms your unborn child and can damage them for life. If you are having trouble abstaining from alcohol during your pregnancy, you need to go and see someone to help you to stop drinking.
Most kids with the disorder manage to adapt to social situations and can function well in some jobs, including some trades.
Testing for Acohol can easily be done at home by using a Urine alcohol testing kit, these tests are accurate, cheap and can be used at home.
In conclusion, if in doubt about how much you should drink when pregnant don’t drink at all, if you find you can’t stop drinking seek proffesional help for the sake of your baby.
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