what kind of birth defects accure with drinking alcohol while pregnant?

Question

i have a friend whose girlfriend just found out she was pregnant but the thing is she had thoughts that she was before even taking the test and was getting drunk almost everyday. her last period was in january and i am just worried about what he might have to go through.

Answer 1

These are the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, keep in mind though like other woman said, many woman have drank without knowing. The chance is still there but she will have some idea of how the baby is developing through doctor visits and when she has her ultrasound. She also should tell her doctor that she drank.

low birth weight
small head circumference
failure to thrive
developmental delay
organ dysfunction
facial abnormalities, including smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and indistinct philtrum (an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip)
epilepsy
poor coordination/fine motor skills
poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating to groups
lack of imagination or curiosity
learning difficulties, including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills
behavioral problems, including hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal, stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety

Answer 2

Usually any alcohol consumption that occurs in the first month or so of pregnancy, before a woman know she is pregnant, has no effect. If she continues to have 2 or more drinks a day throughout her pregnancy, the baby will have fetal alcohol syndrome, which leads to mental retardation and some physical defects. There's also a lesser degree, that I don't remember what it's called, that leads to more mild symptoms, such as learning disabilities. A little drinking for a little while won't hurt, as long as she stops now.

Answer 3

Fetal alcohol syndrome..... Hopefully your friend at least quit when she found out she was pregnant for sure.

If she did, chances are good that there will be little or no lasting results on the baby, sometimes children have speech issues and small motor skill issues that don't show up till a little later in their childhood.

If she hasn't quit drinking, somebody needs to get through to her, even if it means getting socail services involved.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome


Fetal alcohol syndrome or FAS is a disorder of permanent birth defects that occurs in the offspring of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol crosses the placental barrier and can stunt fetal growth or weight, create distinctive facial stigmata (as seen in the photograph on the right), damage neurons and brain structures, and cause other physical, mental, or behavioral problems.[1][2][3]

The main effect of FAS is permanent central nervous system damage, in which developing brain cells and structures are underdeveloped or malformed by prenatal alcohol exposure, often creating an array of primary cognitive and functional disabilities (e.g., poor memory, attention deficits, impulsive behavior, poor cause-effect reasoning, etc.) as well as secondary disabilites (e.g., trouble with the law, mental health problems, drug addiction, etc.).[3][4] The risk of brain damage exists during each trimester, since the fetal brain develops throughout the entire pregnancy.[5]

Fetal alcohol exposure is regarded by researchers as the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world.[6] In the United States alone, the FAS prevalence rate is estimated to be between 0.2 and 2.0 cases per 1,000 live births, comparable to or higher than other developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome or Spina Bifida.[7] The lifetime medical and social costs of each child with FAS are estimated to be as high as US$800,000 across the lifespan.[8] While prenatal alcohol exposure does not automatically result in FAS, the U.S. Surgeon General advises pregnant women to abstain from alcohol use due to the risk of FAS.[9

Answer 5

A LOT of women drink while only being 1 month or so pregnant. The actual effects of drinking (and how much it takes) are still a little gray, but mostly its a smaller child, often who later has trouble concentrating and such. As long as she finds out soon and stops drinking, the baby should be fine.

Make her go take a friggin test! Buy it for her if you have to.

Answer 6

I heard that when you have sex, the sperm swims into your egg, and the process begins right there. The first three days are the most precious because the baby is developing their brain. However, women can't be sure to say that are pregnant or not, so they continue to drink or whatever until they get their period or not. A lot of people don't know that.

Answer 7

She should be fine as long as she stops NOW. I found out I was pregnant at 4 weeks and I had been at the beach drinking ALOT for a whole week. I found out I was pregnant the day I came back and my baby is fine. Good luck to her

Answer 8

They usually have low birth weight,born premature,fluid on the spine,fluid on the brain,even in some cases dwarfism.So if I was her I would definetly quit drinking now and hopefully she or her child won't have to suffer the consenquences. Good luck.

Answer 9

drink and drugs are the worst things any selfish mother could take during pregnancy.
Especially during earlystages when all is developing.

What a selfish woman its only 9 months she has to lend her body to her baby for with out abusing her body.

Me personally i dont agree with drinking smoking or taking drugs during pregnancy as every child needs a good start in life.But thats just my opinion

Answer 10

as long as she stops drinking NOW. she should be fine. the baby doesnt live off the mothers food (or alcohol) supply until 3 months. If she just found out .. she should be ok, with no complications.
If she continues to drink .. her child could come out with down syndrome .. or fetal alcohol syndrome .. or premature .. or still born.
she MUST STOP NOW.

God bless!