Alcohol and Pregnancy – How it affects your childs development
The consumption of alcohol whilst pregnant can cause a major risk to your infants health. The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) affects one in 100 children, causing restricted growth and heart failure.
FASD is a broad term for a variety of mental, physical and behavioral problems related to drinking alcohol throughout pregnancy, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. One drink won’t cause FASD; however, no one knows exactly how much alcohol causes the disorder. To reduce misunderstandings over what is safe, many experts warn pregnant women to not drink at all. There are a lot of ways of alcohol drug testing if you suspect someone you know is drinking alcohol when pregnant.
Kids with FASD often appear to be normal but their behaviour is often different to children without any disorders; they are often slower to apprehend things, stuff they learn is not stored for long (they aren’t processed into the long term memory), they have sudden mood swings and find social situations difficult.
There are a few physical indications of FASD which includes smaller and wide-set eyes, a thin upper lip and no groove between the nose and lip. however, many don’t, which is why their behaviour is generally misunderstood well into adulthood.
Drinking when pregnant is unrecommedable and is even seen by some people as child abuse. If you are having trouble stopping drinking alcohol during your pregnancy, you need to go and see a doctor to help you to stop drinking.
A lot of people with the disorder manage to adapt to social situations and can function well in some jobs, including some trades.
Testing for Acohol can easily be done at home by using a Urine alcohol testing kit, these alcohol tests are cheap, easy to use and they can be used at home.
In conclusion, if in doubt about how much you should drink when pregnant don’t drink at all, if you find you can’t stop drinking seek proffesional help for the sake of your baby.