I did find one site that offered a list of what was considered "safe drinking". http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FAS/FAS.html This site quoted a lot of different research. From the sites overview I gathered the following information. Anywhere from 7 to 14 drinks per week was okay. Majority of the publications stressed one drink per day. One drink was defined to be 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits or liquor. I know that the objective of this site was to relay information but I think that this information is harmful to the progress of educating women on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, especially since the effects of drinking during pregnancy are not fully known. Whose to say that one drink can't do damage to a growing fetus. Looking at the statistical data you can tell that not all women who drink are being completely honest since the reported number of women who drink is significantly lower than the number of children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Giving women false hopes on how much they can drink is not going to improve the number of women who report that they drink during pregnancy. After all according to these articles they consider one drink a day safe so what have the women done wrong? These articles also stated that the time of consumption is very important. The women who drank primarily during their first trimester had more problems than the women who drank during the last two trimesters. Assuming that women cannot abstain from alcohol during pregnancy is not the way the problem of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is going to be solved. .
Physical Abnormalities.
At first glance a child with FAS might not look that different, but as the severity of FAS increases the physical abnormalities increase. According to the following site (http://w3.ouhsc.edu/fas/) the physical abnormalities include a broad smooth philtrum, area between nose and mouth, with a small upper lip, a loss of the upper lips "cupid's bow", nostrils that are slightly forward, a low nasal bridge, flattened facial profile, unusual ear cartilage, small head size, and small eye slits.
He and his brother are foster children, both have been diagnosed with FAS. ... FAS affects many different parts of the brain and body. ... The precise site of damage that causes ADHD in FAS sufferers is not known. ... FAS children have poor judgment and a lack of understanding consequences. ... The extent of the damage to the hippocampus of those who have FAS varies. ...
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most recognizable form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). ... Those born with FAS often have behavioral and learning difficulties. ... Facial characteristics are the most notable in FAS. ... Most individuals with FAS have trouble living independently, however some can live "interdependently." ... Many people with FAS have normal IQs and do not qualify. ...
FAS is widely misdiagnosed and or under diagnosed. ... FAS is, however, 100% preventable when a woman abstains from alcohol. FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation. Approximately, one out of 750 live birth are born each year with FAS. ... FAS is not limited to any one group, race, culture, or socio-economic background. ...
FAS is characterized by distinctly abnormal facial features and central nervous system problems. People who suffer from FAS may either have problems with learning, memory, attention span, communication with others, vision, and/or hearing. ... FAS affects every aspect of an individual's life and the lives of the people around them. The one and only cause of FAS is women who drink during their pregnancy. ... Paul Lemoine created the first description of what FAS really was. ...
If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, her baby can be born with FAS. FAS is a combination of mental and physical defects. ... Fetal death is the most extreme outcome of FAS. ... A baby with FAS may have small body size and weight. A baby with FAS may be born as small as five pounds. ...
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the leading cause of retardation. ... FAS birth effects include facial abnormalities, growth deficiency, or brain damage. FAS children need guidance because they are easily distracted and forgetful. FAS does not go away because brain damage and birth defects are permanent. ... All of these problems associated with FAS and drug abuse are permanent. ...
( FAS) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS is the mental and physical defects of a baby at birth. ... A child with FAS requires more care than a child who doesn't have FAS. ... Caring for a child with FAS is very expensive also. ... Recent researchers found FAS to only affect alcoholics. ... FAS will remain in the back of my mind. ...
Purpose If women didn't drink alcohol during pregnancy, there would never be another baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). ... Abnormal facial features are the second indication that a child may have FAS. ... Studies of incidence of children born FAS tend to be difficult to conduct. ... There were 132 cases of FAS in N.D. ... The study also mentioned that nearly one-third of children born with FAS are raised in foster homes. ...