Alcohol And Pregnancy

Pregnancy, needless to say, is a time when a mother has to take utmost care ensuring good health for herself and her unborn baby. As such, she should avoid and keep away from smoking, drug abuse, and alcohol consumption entirely, as indulging in any of these mentioned activities during the first and last trimester can cause irreparable damage to the baby. Therefore, before consuming alcohol, it is best if you understand that a glass of wine, beer, or cocktail that you drink is transferred to the unborn child in your womb as well. Thus, do not be misguided by the myth that any solid or liquid that you consume would not affect the baby. In fact, whatever you eat or drink during pregnancy directly travels into the placenta through your bloodstream. In the following lines, we have provided detailed study of the link between alcohol and pregnancy.

Harmful Effects Of Alcohol During Pregnancy

First and foremost, alcohol interferes with the unborn child’s ability to get sufficient oxygen and nourishment, necessary for its normal cell development in the brain and other body organs.
Researches indicate that a developing fetus has less tolerance levels for alcohol. Thus, the baby may end up having higher levels of blood alcohol than the mother. As such, infants born to alcoholic mothers tend to develop serious problems.
A mother consuming excessive amounts of alcohol during pregnancy is likely to give birth to a baby with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), wherein the baby can suffer from certain mental and physical defects, growth retardation, behavioral problems, and facial and heart defects, during his entire lifetime.
Babies with FAS are also likely to have abnormally small heads and brains, and heart, spine, and other anatomical defects.
Increased susceptibility to ear infections, brain damage leading to mental retardation, low birth weight, and difficulty in coordination, are some other deforming conditions that can be caused due to heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
For a mother who cannot survive without alcohol, just ask her to ponder about the health and safety of the baby. This, sure, would be sufficient to give enough strength to her to avoid it. Remember, even little alcohol can cause permanent damage to your unborn child. Hence, stay from beers, wines, hard liquors, and wine coolers.
If you want your baby to be born smart and intelligent, avoid alcohol simply because doing so will increase the IQ level of your child. Medical research indicates that too much alcohol exposure to the fetus can shrink the brain and affect the baby’s mental health. As such, these babies can suffer from poor concentration and memory loss during their life span.
Excessive consumption of alcohol (2-4 drinks per week) can increase the chances of miscarriages, premature deliveries, and stillbirths.
Even moderate drinking has been linked with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), causing a wide range of disorders that are likely to occur in babies and children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. These disorders include physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities.
Alcohol Related Neural Developmental Disorder (ARND) is a common type of FASD that includes functional or cognitive impairments.
Another more common FASD is Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD) that includes heart, skeleton, kidney, and other organ malformations.

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