Introduction
In many countries of the world alcohol and dug abuse during pregnancy has been one of the major threats to child health and welfare. Although this fact is well known across many social divides, many expectant mothers across the globe still indulge in excessive drinking of alcohol during pregnancy. These women do this without knowledge that their unsuspecting unborn babies can develop a disorder known as fetal alcohol syndrome after birth (Hans-Ludwig, p. 13).
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a disorder which causes lasting birth defects in a newborn baby. It is associated with expectant mothers who overdrink alcohol during pregnancy. Scientists have not yet found out, if the volume of alcohol taken, the frequency of taking, or the time the alcohol is taken during pregnancy, is connected to a variation in the degree of injury done to the unborn baby. Hence it is advised that expectant mothers should completely abstain from the habit of drinking (Elizabeth, p. 8).
Causes of fetal alcohol syndrome
The main cause of fetal alcohol syndrome is the abuse of alcohol during pregnancy by pregnant mothers. When an expectant woman drinks alcohol it easily penetrates the placenta into the fetus body. Any amount of alcohol she drinks potentially exposes the unborn baby to definite risk of contracting fetal alcohol syndrome. Heavy drinking of alcohol can predispose the fetus to the disorder more than small doses of alcohol. The timing of alcohol consumption is also a very vital aspect in preventing the possibilities of an infant developing the disorder, since alcohol consumption in the first three month of pregnancy offers more risk to the infant than the following period of pregnancy. Although drinking alcohol at any other time can still predispose fetal alcohol syndrome. The primary disabilities an infant suffers from after birth as a result of fetal alcohol syndrome is usually caused by the central system damage damages before birth which had resulted from prenatal alcohol exposure. Most commonly the resultant primary disabilities in the newborn babies are usually confused with a child having behavioral problems although the central nervous distortion is the underlying cause of this problem. The functional disabilities which are the main feature in fetal alcoholism syndrome are caused by the central nervous system damages which occur in more than one way. The damage to the CNS by alcohol is still under research to establish the mechanism in which this phenomenon occurs (Hans-Ludwig, p. 3).
Effects of Fetus Alcohol Syndrome on the Born Child
The effects of ethanol on the fetus might be determined by the amount consumed by the pregnant mother and the time during pregnancy the alcohol was consumed. As mentioned earlier the first three month of pregnancy is more crucial as far as this disorder is concerned. The effect of Fetal alcohol syndrome varies from one child to the next, depending on a variety of factors such as, the amount of alcohol consumed by the mother during pregnancy and the physiological condition of the mother and the fetus before birth. One of the effects of Fetal alcohol syndrome includes development of a characteristic facial appearance, which always consists of small upturned nose, sagging eyelids, emaciated upper lip, inflamed forehead and thin chin. The children having this syndrome are usually characteristically thin and short in stature.
Babies suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome normally develop physical difficulties and deformities such as hearing difficulties, dental disfiguration, coronary problems, kidney problems, muscles and joint problems. There is also a manifestation of central nervous system problems such as affecting the cognitive and adaptive function ability of a child.
Conclusion
Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of the major causes of psychological retardation in children in the modern world. Hence sensitization and education of pregnant women about the cause, effects and prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome is imperative.
Work Cited
- Hans-Ludwig Spohr, Hans-Christoph, Alcohol: Pregnancy and the Developing Child, Cambridge University Press, 1996.
- Elizabeth M. A., Pregnancy Risk: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the Diagnosis of Moral Disorder, JHU Press, 2003.