Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

             Every day, twenty out of about 10,600 babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Plant 6). This might not seem like a lot, but it is in fact one of the highest rates out of all diseases. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a result of a female's complete disregard for the fetus. To the woman, it is almost like carrying on as if the baby was never conceived. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a series of both mental and physical birth defects that can include mental retardation, growth problems, central nervous system dysfunction, behavioral problems, and a number of abnormalities (Plant 21).
             It is common sense to try and avoid smoking or drinking during pregnancy. However, some women either disregard this fact or simply don't know about the damage it can cause. Some of the most common results of thisforgetfulness? are growth abnormalities. They can be very significant and include differences in weight, length, and even head size (Stevenson 59). What's worse is that most of these abnormalities are so bad that the babies often have to be hospitalized due to their lack of function and survival skills. Some babies are born with what is called craniofacial abnormalities, which can easily be pointed out by their unusually small eyes and folds around them (Stevenson 59). Craniofacial abnormalities can also mean that the bridge of the nose is poorly developed, or the the ears are abnormally large. One of the saddest symptoms of babies born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is that they are often born with signs of alcohol withdrawal, very much similar to those that adults experience (Stevenson 59-60).
             These withdrawal symptoms often cause the baby to experience anxiousness,
             poor hand-eye coordination, and consistent difficulty in eating and sucking. However, one cannot blame the mother completely. It was found that most health care providers are not trained and are unfamiliar with substance abuse problems among pregnant women (WWW:Fetal Alcoho...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 06:21, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/15788.html