Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can have detrimental effects both on the mother and baby. Alcohol, when consumed during pregnancy, goes via the mother’s blood to the baby and can lead to certain issues like –
- Miscarriages,
- Premature delivery,
- Low birth weight babies,
- Sometimes stillbirth.
- When used in early pregnancy it can lead to physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).
Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics and behaviors-
- Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the philtrum)
- Small head size
- Shorter-than-average height
- Low body weight
- Poor coordination
- Hyperactive behavior
- Difficulty with attention
- Poor memory
- Difficulty in school (especially with math)
- Learning disabilities
- Speech and language delays
- Intellectual disability or low IQ
- Poor reasoning and judgment skills
- Sleep and sucking problems as a baby
- Vision or hearing problems
- Problems with the heart, kidney, or bones
It is preferable that when a woman is planning for pregnancy alcohol should be stopped few months prior and if a woman becomes pregnant while consuming alcohol she should stop it immediately. For more information, you can consult with the best pregnancy care in Indore.