Fas

What do you think about drinking during pregnancy? Do you know what FAS is? Do you want your child to have FAS? Read on and I believe you will come to the same conclusion as I have about FAS.

FAS doesn't sound so bad, but in reality it is. FAS means Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. FAS is a combination of physical and mental defects first evident at a baby's birth. FAS is a direct result of a woman drinking alcohol during pregnancy. These defects continue through out the child's life. One in five hundred children are born with FAS.

Your baby is at risk no matter how much liquor you drink. It doesn't matter if it's beer, wine, or hard liquor. The chemicals in the liquor quickly pass through into the placenta, which means the baby absorbs as much alcohol as you do. Even a small amount of alcohol is harmful to a developing fetus. A baby's blood alcohol concentration is higher then an adults. Therefore, alcohol impairs optimal nutrition for a baby's developing tissues and organs. Alcohol impedes fetal brain development, affects intelligence, learning skills, and behaviour. FAS babies have lower IQ's. The most serious consequence can even cause mental retardation. The more alcohol a pregnant woman drinks, the greater risk it is to the baby. Key stages of development occur in the first trimester. Parts of development affected during the first trimester are impaired facial features, heart & other organs, bones and central nervous system. The brain develops during all trimesters, therefore; it is affected during the whole pregnancy. Some children experience symptoms in a far greater degree than others.

Characteristics of FAS babies:

Facial characteristics: Abnormally small head

Low or sunken nasal bridge

Abnormally small eyes

Flat mid-face

Short, upturned nose

Thin upper lip

Small teeth with faulty enamel

Other physical characteristics: Permanent brain damage

Heart and kidney defects

Long-term behavourial problems

Growth problems-shorter and smaller size

Deformed fingers and toes

Deformities of joints, limbs, and fingers

Slow physical growth before and after birth

Impaired vision

Short attention span

Hyperactivity

Extreme nervousness and anxiety

FAS is the most common preventable cause of birth defects. Alcohol produces the most neurobehavourial effects in the fetus than other drugs like cocaine, heroin, or marijuana. FAS causes irreversible physical, mental, and emotional effects. There is no cure or treatment for FAS and the effects last a lifetime. Between 10,000 and 12,000 new cases of FAS are reported each year and many more go undiagnosed.

There is not cure for FAS. Children with FAS can be helped, though. The treatment involves giving them good medical and dental care, and eyeglasses or hearing aids if these are needed, and placing them in special school programs.

FAS has the largest incidence of any major birth defect. In Canada and the United States, of 10,000 births:

3 out of 10,000 will have Muscular Dystrophy

4 out of 10,000 will have HIV infection

4 out of 10,000 will have Cystic Fibrosis

8 out of 10,000 will have Spina Bifida

10 out of 10,000 will have Down Syndrome

20 out of 10,000 will have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

100 out of 10,000 will have Fetal Alcohol Effects (which will probably never be diagnosed)

FAS Costs:

Some researchers estimate that each individual with FAS costs the taxpayer about $2 million in his or her lifetime, for health problems, special education, psychotherapy and counseling, welfare, crime, and the criminal justice system.

Individuals with FAS in Canada will cost the taxpayers about $600 billion during their lifetime.

Financially and personally we are all affected by the secondary disabilities of FAS, which are:

Learning disabilities

Early school drop-out

Juvenile delinquency

Poverty

Chronic Unemployment

Sexual acting-out (promiscuity, early pregnancy, prostitution or sexual assault)

Mental illness

Homelessness

Violence

Crimes against property

Alcoholism and addiction

Latest News:

April 13, 2005: US House of Representatives staff was briefed on the prevention of FAS, the leading cause of Mental Retardation. The event was held over a complimentary lunch in the Rayburn House Office Building.

March 16, 2005: Washington: Surgeon General's