Alcohol consumption while pregnant can cause your baby to have physical and mental problems. The most serious problem is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (FAS) FAS is the most common cause of mental retardation.
It is not known exactly how much alcohol should be consumed in terms of causing birth defects in the baby. This level can vary from woman to woman. For this reason, experts are of the opinion that no alcohol should be consumed during pregnancy.
What Are the Dangers of Alcohol Use During Pregnancy? Alcohol use during pregnancy leads to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The term FASD describes problems with prenatal alcohol use. These disorders include mental retardation; there may be learning, emotional and behavioral disorders, defects related to the heart, face and other organs. The most serious of these disorders is Fetal Alcohol syndrome (FAS); It is a combination of physical and mental birth defects.
Alcohol use during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. Studies on the subject show that alcohol use can also lead to stillbirths.
Although many women know that drinking too much alcohol during pregnancy can cause birth defects, they do not realize that even low alcohol consumption harms the fetus. Essentially, it is safe not to consume alcohol during pregnancy.
Since women may use alcohol without being aware of it in the first few months of their pregnancy, it is beneficial for women who are considering or trying to become pregnant not to drink alcohol at all during that period.
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, this alcohol passes to the fetus through the placenta. Alcohol is excreted from the undeveloped body of the fetus much more slowly than in an adult. As a result, the amount of alcohol in the baby's blood is higher than that of the mother and circulates in the blood for a longer time. For this reason, babies sometimes carry the effects of this throughout their lives.
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)? Morocco is the most known cause of mental retardation. It is the only preventable cause of mental retardation. Babies with fetal alcohol syndrome are very small at birth, and cannot bridge the gap as they grow. They have characteristic facial expressions such as small eyes and thin upward facing lips. Their organs, especially their hearts, may not work properly. Most babies' brains are also small and lack normal structures and features. Most of them have mental deficiency, poor coordination, lack of attention, emotional and behavioral problems. Fetal Alcohol syndrome is lifelong. Even if the mental intelligence is normal, psychological and behavioral problems and delinquent behaviors can be seen in adolescents and adults. It is difficult for them to have a job and live on their own.
If a pregnant woman drinks alcohol without knowing she is pregnant, will it harm the baby? It is unlikely that harm will come to the baby if a woman drinks a few drinks without knowing she is pregnant. The baby's brain and other organs begin to develop around the 3rd week of pregnancy, and are susceptible to damage at this early stage. Since it is safe to not drink alcohol at all during pregnancy, alcohol should be stopped immediately if pregnancy is strenuous or suspected.
Is it safe to drink alcohol while breastfeeding? Even small amounts of alcohol are passed to the baby through breast milk. According to a study, babies who are fed with the milk of a mother who drinks 1-2 glasses a day develop crawling and walking skills later than other babies.
For such reasons, breastfeeding mothers should not drink alcohol. While an occasional drink does not harm the baby, after drinking alcohol, at least 2 hours should pass before breastfeeding.
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