The New Start

Alcohol is one of the drugs that can cross the placenta and affect fetal development. Recently research has shown that social drinking during pregnancy can produce newborns who show lower levels of arousal and body control than those mothers did not drink; many of these new born to also have been learning problems later.  Even more serious is fatal alcohol syndromes, which cause by heavy maternal drinking during pregnancy and result in a combination of physical and physiological defects. FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation and cause retarded physical growth and interference with brain development.

Because of alcohol’s effect on the fetal brain, the FAS newborn shows a variety of motor and learning problems, such as difficulty in sucking and weak reflexes. In addition, the effects of the FAS continue into adolescence and adulthood, as indicated by low IQ scores and tendency to be easily distracted and misperceive social cues. Because of the serious effects of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, many states and local government have required that signs be posted in bars and on alcohol containers to wean women about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.