Alcohol During Pregnancy

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FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME Everyday and every hour a baby is born. But every year 5,000 of the babies born have FAS. FAS stands for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcolhol Syndrome is caused by mothers that consume alcohol during pregnacy. There is no specific amount of alcohol known to be safe during pregnancy so the best possible option is not to drink any alcoholic beverage during pregnancy. Three major factors that you should know and consider when thinking about FAS are who causes these problems, birth defects and how to care for a FAS baby. Many people probley think that young teenage girls are the major groups that have FAS babies but little to their suprise they are wrong. Women who are unmarried, have a college education, and women in households with an income greater than $50,000 a year. "These are results from a very recent survey of over 100,000 women conducted by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention published in the August 1998 issue of the journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology." Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a major problem in our society and is the leading known cause of mental retardation. But most persons with FAS have an IQ in the normal range. Children with FAS usually have a low birth weight and spend alot of time in the hospital when they are a baby. Symptoms that are easily noticed when looking at a child with FAS are small head and body and unquie facial characteristics. Symptoms that are not visable but are very evidant are behavioral problems, brain damage, attention deficits and obsessive/compulsive disorder. It is Nelms, 2 a proven fact that "Alchohol causes more neurological damage to the developing baby than any other substance. " Institute of Medicine report to Congress. A common term related to FAS is SCREAMS. This is a way to minimize screaming of the parent not the child. Children with FAS should have a daily routine that has simiple rules. When tring to teach a FAS child you should alway remember your consitancy. Another problem with FAS children is that they have little tolerence so their surrondings should be small and have little detail. Medication should be on time and given in proper doseage to be affective. One major consern with FAS children is supervision. FAS children should have supervision at all times because there is a lack of impulse control and poor judgement at all times.

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