Despite knowing the fact that excess alcohol consumption could cause serious health problems, we often find it utmost difficult to quit the perilous habits. The situation becomes even more complicated when our dreadful habits impact others.
Something similar happens to a pregnant woman, who finds it difficult to quit the alcohol consumption during her pregnancy. This could adversely impact her unborn, which could further lead to premature delivery, can damage the baby’s cell and can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
In this piece, we will be discussing the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in detail.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) which is now considered as the part of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) was first discovered in 1973. All these years much has been discovered about this syndrome.
What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is a birth defect that occurs in an infant, resulting from a woman’s use of alcohol during the time of her pregnancy. The children suffering from FASDs, show the signs of facial abnormalities, have serious troubles with their central nervous system and in some cases, their growth is slow as compared to other children.
As it damages the overall growth of a child, this birth defect is also referred as fetal alcohol abuse syndrome.
The risk of this disorder depends on the amount of alcohol consumed as well as the frequency of the consumption. Some other risks that might affect the child’s growth are smoking, a poor diet of the pregnant woman and also her age.
Now the question arises about the safe time and the safe amount of alcohol consumption. Experts say that there is no safe amount and no safe time of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. If you are consuming small amounts of alcohol, it may not cause facial abnormalities, but the chances of causing behavioral abnormalities increases. This is due to the fact that no matter what the amount of alcohol is consumed; it will cross the blood-brain barrier and affects the developing fetus.
What are the symptoms of FASDs?
The FASDs is diagnosed when a child shows following medical manifestations:
- Small Jaw
- Small eyes
- Eyes with drooping upper lids
- Short or upturned nose
- Thin lips, especially the upper lip
- Flat cheeks
- Flattened philtrum
These are the signs and symptoms of the facial disorder. A child with a central nervous system problem will show the following conditions:
- Seizures
- Mental retardation
- Impaired language development
- Hyperactivity
- Problems with learning
- Poor memory and judgment
- Distraction and Impulsiveness
- Delayed development of gross and fine motor skills, such as crawling, sitting, walking, grasping objects with the thumb and the index finger
Along with the listed symptoms, a child affected from FASDs may have a small skull, hearing disorders or even lower birth weight.
There are certain secondary conditions that impact the people who are born with the birth defects. These conditions include problems with their school life which can cause the suspension and expulsion due to disobedience or difficulty in getting along with other children, trouble controlling frustration and anger, frequent episodes of psychosis and depression, violent behavior, drug and alcohol abuse.
Main causes of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
As mentioned, the main cause of this disorder is the consumption of alcohol by a woman during her pregnancy. The alcohol consumed by the would-be mother travels through her bloodstream and when it reaches the fetus, it slowly breaks down alcohol. This increases the alcohol level in the fetus’s blood, which is higher than the level of alcohol in the mother’s blood. Hence, this exposure causes FASDs.
Whatever is the amount of alcohol consumed by a would-be mother, it directly or indirectly impacts the fetus. Studies have shown that no alcohol consumption during the pregnancy is always considered safe.
Treatment
There is no cure for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, but the treatment is possible. The treatment has proven to be more effective if the disorder is diagnosed in the early stage.
Teaching Behavioral Strategies
Also referred as behavioral interventions, these strategies are based on the learning theory. The strategies are followed by the parents, teachers, and the guardian to treat the affected child. FASDs affected person requires special education services and need to imbibe the principles of learning theory, outcome based on education and behavior modification.
Conventional Medicine
As the children affected with FASDs are exceptionally sensitive to distraction, a calm, peaceful and loving environment is recommended. No doubt, dealing with the FASDs affected child can be stressful and difficult for a family, stress and behavior management for the family members is helpful.
As far as the secondary conditions are concerned, proper educational, psychological and health services are available for the family and for the child. This includes working with the teachers, professionals, social workers, physicians, nurses and psychologists.
Prevention is the best treatment
Abstain from alcohol and prevent FASDs in your child. This means that a would-be mother has to avoid alcohol throughout her pregnancy period. If a woman who drinks alcohol occasionally and lightly before she realizes about her pregnancy, the chances are that she might or might not affect the fetus. Hence, it is safe that as soon as she suspects about her pregnancy, she should immediately discontinue alcohol consumption, which includes all the beverages which have less or more alcohol percentage, like beer, wine, whiskey, wine coolers, gin, vodka, tequila, rum etc.
Can alcohol consumption by father harm the fetus?
As of now, no study proves that alcohol consumption by the father can cause FASDs to the developing fetus. Preventing alcohol consumption when your wife is pregnant, will help her to avoid alcohol which results in a better and healthy future of your baby.
It’s time to consult your doctor
- Urgently see your doctor when you suspect pregnancy
- You have consumed alcohol while you are pregnant and you think that your child might suffer from FASDs
- During your pregnancy, despite all your efforts to abstain from alcohol consumption, you are failing every time.
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