Dr. Paul Lemoine was a pediatrician in Nates, France, who was the first person to describe Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) (Stewart 15). After awhile of studying mothers that consume alcohol while pregnant, Dr. David Smith and Dr. Kenneth Jones from the University of Washington, gave the name to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (17). “Some of the highest percentages of babies with FAS or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome occur in certain Native American communities where unemployment, poverty levels, and alcoholism are often much more prevalent than the national average (24, 25).” Studies have identified 0.2 to 1.5 infants with FAS for every 1,000 live births in certain areas of the United States. Over forty thousand babies are born with effects of alcohol each year
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When a pregnant mother consumes alcohol, it goes through her bloodstream, crosses the placenta, and reaches the baby. When alcohol reaches the baby, it breaks it down slowly so the baby ends up with higher levels of blood alcohol (Drinking Alcohol 1). A child with FAS is usually noticed through an ultrasound (Cavendish 198). There are three tests that doctors can use to test mothers while they’re pregnant to see if they are abusing alcohol or other drugs and they are: T-ACE, TWEAK, and AUDIT- C. If a mother breastfeeds her baby while consuming alcohol, it can cause the baby to have some of the symptoms as a baby with FAS (FAS 1). Alcohol can harm your baby at any stage during pregnancy (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 1). Even mothers that drink less, their babies can still develop this syndrome (Drinking Alcohol 1). “No evidence exists that can determine exactly how much alcohol ingestion will produce birth defects (Bartoshesky 1).” The amount of alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman, takes a different role on them all (Data & Statistics 2). In 330 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle noted, “Foolish, drunken and harebrained women most often bring forth children like unto themselves, morose and languid (Stewart …show more content…
“In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, some European scientists observed that women who drank alcohol while pregnant seemed more likely to suffer miscarriages or stillbirths or to have sickly, underweight children (Stewart 12).” Consuming alcohol while pregnant increases the risk of miscarriage and still birth by a lot (Drinking Alcohol 1). Children with FAS have mental health problems such as attention deficit disorder, conduct disorder, depression, and psychotic episodes. They have problems in school, including higher rates of suspension and expulsion due to difficulty getting along with others, disobedience and truancy. Teens with FAS get involved with the law more than their peers because they have anger problems and they also have a harder time holding a job and living independently (Feature, WebMD 1). “Babies with FAS may also have abnormally small heads and brains, as well as heart, spine, and other anatomical defects (Drinking Alcohol 1). Their height, weight, or both are lower than a normal baby. They will have a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip, thin upper lip, and a short distance between the inner and outer corners of the eyes, wide-spread appearance (Data & Statistics
When a pregnant mother consumes alcohol, it goes through her bloodstream, crosses the placenta, and reaches the baby. When alcohol reaches the baby, it breaks it down slowly so the baby ends up with higher levels of blood alcohol (Drinking Alcohol 1). A child with FAS is usually noticed through an ultrasound (Cavendish 198). There are three tests that doctors can use to test mothers while they’re pregnant to see if they are abusing alcohol or other drugs and they are: T-ACE, TWEAK, and AUDIT- C. If a mother breastfeeds her baby while consuming alcohol, it can cause the baby to have some of the symptoms as a baby with FAS (FAS 1). Alcohol can harm your baby at any stage during pregnancy (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum 1). Even mothers that drink less, their babies can still develop this syndrome (Drinking Alcohol 1). “No evidence exists that can determine exactly how much alcohol ingestion will produce birth defects (Bartoshesky 1).” The amount of alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman, takes a different role on them all (Data & Statistics 2). In 330 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle noted, “Foolish, drunken and harebrained women most often bring forth children like unto themselves, morose and languid (Stewart …show more content…
“In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, some European scientists observed that women who drank alcohol while pregnant seemed more likely to suffer miscarriages or stillbirths or to have sickly, underweight children (Stewart 12).” Consuming alcohol while pregnant increases the risk of miscarriage and still birth by a lot (Drinking Alcohol 1). Children with FAS have mental health problems such as attention deficit disorder, conduct disorder, depression, and psychotic episodes. They have problems in school, including higher rates of suspension and expulsion due to difficulty getting along with others, disobedience and truancy. Teens with FAS get involved with the law more than their peers because they have anger problems and they also have a harder time holding a job and living independently (Feature, WebMD 1). “Babies with FAS may also have abnormally small heads and brains, as well as heart, spine, and other anatomical defects (Drinking Alcohol 1). Their height, weight, or both are lower than a normal baby. They will have a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip, thin upper lip, and a short distance between the inner and outer corners of the eyes, wide-spread appearance (Data & Statistics