It is a known fact that pregnant women just shouldn’t drink. In case you are interested in what are some side effects of drinking alcohol while pregnant you should know that not even the specialists know the effects that the smallest amount of alcohol has on the unborn baby.
Information
When the mother consumes alcohol, the substance travels through the bloodstream, it crosses the placenta and it reaches the baby. Babies are too small to break down alcohol as adults do and as a result the baby could have higher alcohol levels than the mother.
In case you are thinking about the pregnancy alcohol consumption side effects on the baby you should know that this affects the baby in many different ways. For instance, it increases the chances of stillbirth and miscarriage. A drink per day can result in the baby having a low birth weight or him or her having speech, learning, attention span and language problems or suffer from hyperactivity.
The behavior of the baby
According to the studies, one drink a day can result in the child being more aggressive, and him or her having delinquent behavior. One of the studies showed that the girls whose mothers were drinking had more chances of having mental illnesses.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder
FASD is the term used to describe a range of problems linked to exposure to alcohol before birth. The most severe side effect is FAS or fetal alcohol syndrome. The effects of the syndrome can be seen during the entire life of the child.
FAS
The women asking what are some side effects of drinking alcohol while pregnant should know that FAS is connected to the babies having small brains, heads and spine, a damaged heart muscle or other anatomical defects. The central nervous system can also be damaged which results in mental retardation, hearing and vision problems and delays in the physical development.
The truth
As it has been mentioned before, FAS is the most serious adverse effect of drinking, but in the same time it is also 100% preventable. All mothers should keep in mind that they are the only ones responsible for avoiding this health issue in their babies.
