Hi guys! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've made a post. Volunteer work and college related things were calling! But I now bring you a new entry...


Drinking & Pregnancy


Is it ever okay to drink at ANY time of your pregnancy? What if you didn't know you were pregnant? What would be the effects? And if you KNEW you were pregnant but drank anyway?

According to recent 2006 studies, even LIGHT drinking on the FIRST TRIMESTER resulted in a form of damage to the child in question.

"During the first trimester," said Willford, "45 percent of the women drank, on average, less than one drink per day." Despite these relatively low levels of alcohol consumption, researchers found an association with subtle difficulties with learning and memory in the offspring at 14 years of age, specifically in the auditory/verbal domain. "This indicates that drinking during the first trimester of pregnancy … has long-term effects on development. Many women do not realize they are pregnant and/or seek prenatal care during this critical time," said Willford.


Teen doing homework. Photo courtesy of Photobucket


Bear in mind, Mommies. There IS no safe drinking while pregnant.

Now that we've tackled if there's any point in a pregnancy where you can drink, what that does, etc.

What happens if you drink anyway? This leads us to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), is what happens mentally and physically to your child due to the consumption of alcohol while pregnant.

The mental effects of FAS are as follows:


+ Mental retardation; slow development.

+ Huge functioning issues with things such as talking, moving, and thinking.


Brain comparison. Image courtesy of HopeByTheSea.

This can obviously be devastating to any parent, any grandparent, any relation to the baby. And it makes life so hard on the child..harder to get through school, harder for social acceptance and making friends. Basically it sucks.

Now for the physical characteristics...

+ Very slow growth in and out of the womb.

+ Deformity.

+ Abnormal heart.



Photo courtesy of Medline Plus



And if it's not those problems...alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, still birth, and premature birth.


Pregnant woman. Photo courtesy of PhotoBucket.


+ 51% of women of child-bearing age between 18-25 and 53% between 26-34, report the use of alcohol within the past month.

+ An estimate of 1 child is born everyday with FAS in Canada.

+ FASD affects 1 in 100 infants each year, more than autism, and downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida and sudden infant death syndrome combined.

+ It's NOT genetic. If you have FAS, you will have perfectly healthy babies as long as you don't drink alcohol while pregnant.



Alcohol is a poison to your body. Why do you think you throw up if you drink too much? It's a toxic that you're body is trying to protect you from. Anything you consume while pregnant, your baby gets it too. Once you are pregnant, it's not just about your wants anymore, it's about what you should do for you and your child's health.

If you are struggling with alcohol, please seek a rehabilitation center in your area.

Don't know if you're pregnant? FIND OUT. Don't wait once you start noticing the signs.

If you have already drank some alcohol before discovering you were pregnant, STOP NOW. Stopping right away helps decrease the chance of your child getting FAS.



Credits

- Statistics were from National Organization of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

- Quotes on drinking during early pregnancy from About.Com: Alcoholism.