Alcohol and Your Baby

Glasses of wine

By the end of this session you will:
• Learn the difference between:
•Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
•Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE)
•Find out what happens to a fetus when a mom drinks.
•Learn the long term effects on a baby and family with FAS or FAE.

Please do not use ENTER to move through the fields, use the TAB key.

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Fetal Alcohol syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) are the number one preventable forms of birth defects today.

Diagram of an infant with FAS

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

•	Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the name of a group of mental and physical birth defects. FAS is the direct result of a woman drinking alcohol during pregnancy. There is no cure and no reversing the effects.

It is totally preventable. Don't drink during pregnancy!

•

FAS physical defects include:

•	small at birth
•	shorter size
•	underweight
•	deformed fingers and toes
•	develop slowly

•

Infants with FAS also tend to have a particular pattern of facial abnormalities such as:

•	abnormally small head
•	low nasal bridge
•	abnormally small eyes
•	flat midface
•	short nose
•	thin upper lip

Diagram of FAS

FAS also includes deformities in the major organ systems, especially the heart.

•

Mental defects:

•	low IQ's
•	permanent brain damage
•	learning problems
•	poor coordination
•	short attention spans

•

Emotional defects:

•	hyperactive
•	behavioral problems

These defects continue throughout the child's life.

•

What is Fetal Alcohol Effect?

•

Children with Fetal Alcohol Effect may show no physical signs and may have normal or above normal intelligence. They may have behavioral problems, attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity. They often show poor judgment and have trouble with the law. They tend to have problems with school, family and friends.

•

When Pregnant Women Drink so Does BABY!

•	Alcohol is toxic (a poison) and it passes directly from mom to baby across the placenta.
•	Alcohol can effect the way cells grow and join together as they multiply.
•	The baby's brain is particularly sensitive to alcohol and alcohol can reduce the number of cells growing in the brain. The developing brain is often smaller and the neurons (nerves that send messages) are found in the wrong places.
•	The first three months are the MOST CRITICAL to the development of the baby's internal organs. This is a time when many women don't even know they are pregnant!

Activity 1:

Simply answer True or False.

1. Kids with fetal alcohol syndrome have bad behavior all the time.	True	False
2. There is a cure for fetal alcohol syndrome.	True	False
3. FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) means that a baby is born drunk.	True	False
4. FAS can cause behavior problems.	True	False
5. FAS can cause learning problems.	True	False
6. FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation.	True	False
7. There are always physical signs in a baby with Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE).	True	False
8. The first three months of a women's pregnancy is the most critical time to the development of the baby's internal organs.	True	False

Stages of Developing Fetus
Guidelines of Care for children with Special Health Care Needs
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects
Minnesota Department of Health 1999

Diagram of fetal development

Activity 2:

• The most brain damage from drinking occurs during which weeks of pregnancy?

• Can the legs and arms be affected by alcohol consumption?

• Does damage start before most people realize they are pregnant?
Yes
No

Damage Caused by Alcohol:
1st Trimester:	causes greatest brain damage, facial malformations, miscarriage, damages heart, liver and kidneys
2nd Trimester:	impairs brain development, damages muscles, teeth, bones and skin
3rd Trimester:	impairs lung development, poor weight gain for fetus, causes early labor and delivery

Why should I Worry?

•

Recent studies in the United States indicate between 1300 and 8000 children are born with FAS. That's about 1 in every 500 births. Many more are born with FAE, about 1 in every 300 births.

"The consequences of prenatal abuse are likely underreported. Hospitals report some 2,700 cases annually of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. But because signs of this disease-physical deformities, stunted growth, behavioral abnormalities and mental retardation-are often not apparent at birth, many experts place the number of FAS babies at 12,000 a year." (National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.)

•	Recent CDC findings indicate that 1 in 8 women between 18 and 44 years age report "risk drinking". Risk drinking means having 7 or more drinks per week, or 5 or more drinks at one time.
•	One out of every 29 women who know they are pregnant report risk drinking.

Which Alcoholic Beverage has the Least Amount of Alcohol?
1. 12 oz. beer
2. 4 oz. wine
3. 1 oz. liqour

Select one:

	beer
	wine or wine coolers
	hard alcohol
	all of the above
	none of the above

All of the above. A can of beer, a glass of wine, a wine cooler and a shot of liquor all contain about ½ ounce of alcohol.

What Happens when Baby Comes Home?

•

Babies with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are often irritable. They are very sensitive to light, noise and touch. They have a difficult time feeding because of weak sucking and fatigue. They have problems with sleep, they're fussy and not easily soothed. They are jittery, nervous and cry excessively. There are often on-going medical problems.

•

As you can see any one of the problems above would put a strain on anyone. FAS baby's often have more than one problem. These problems don't go away. As the infants get older they may become upset easier, hyperactive and easily distracted. The child may show developmental delays and have problems using muscles. To checkout guidelines for care click here. This is only the beginning of a long a bumpy road for a fetal alcohol child. They often have difficulties getting along with others. Poor problem solving skills, judgment, impulse control and immature behavior cause problems with the law.

Activity 3:

1. Name three problems seen with a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome.
a.
b.
c.

If you would like more information on FAS, try one of the folling websites:

FAS FAQ - A fact sheet from the CDC (also in Spanish)
NOFAS.ORG - National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
FAS Alaska - A site by Deb Evensen, Director of FACTS

Which WIC Office do you go to?

AK Regional Hospital
Eagle River
L Street
Providence Hospital

Where are you taking today's lesson?

Activity 1:	1. False. Behavior problems vary 2. False. There is no cure or reversing damage caused by alcohol. 3. False, it means that a baby has been exposed and shows characteristics of alcohol the mother drank during pregnancy. 4. True, becuase it effects different areas of the brain that control reasoning and emotions. 5. True, FAS can cause mental retardation. 6. True, FAS is the #1 cause of mental retardation. 7. False 8. True. The first three months are the MOST CRITICAL to the development of the baby's internal organs. This is a time when many women don't even know they are pregnant!
Activity 2:	1. All 40 weeks 2. Yes 3. Yes, most start during the first trimester, when women don't know they're pregnant.
Activity 3:	1. FAS physical defects include: small at birth, shorter size, underweight, deformed fingers and toes, develop slowly. Infants with FAS also tend to have a particular pattern of facial abnormalities such as: abnormally small head, low nasal bridge, abnormally small eyes, flat midface, short nose, thin upper lip. FAS also includes deformities in the major organ systems, especially the heart. Mental defects: low IQ's, permanent brain damage, learning problems, poor coordination, short attention spans. Emotional defects: hyperactive, behavioral problems

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Revised: 06-12-2008