Preventing Pre-natal Alcohol Exposure
Preventing Pre-natal Alcohol Exposure A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that alcohol use by pregnant women can result in birth defects in unborn children. When alcohol crosses the placenta, it enters the fetal bloodstream in a concentration equal to the mother's bloodstream. This alcohol is oxidized much more slowly than the alcohol in the mother because of the underdeveloped nature of the fetal liver. During this time of slow detoxification, the developing fetus is certain to be overexposed to the toxic effects of alcohol. Tragically, mental retardation frequently develops. This exposure has additional disastrous consequences for the developing fetus. Low birth weight, facial abnormalities such as a small head and widely spaced eyes as well as heart problems are common occurrences in such infants. Behavior and intellect are also influenced as a result of exposure to alcohol. This combination of effects is called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Effect is a subtle version of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, entailing a lesser degree of symptoms. Dr. Enoch Gordis' publication for the Department of Health and Human Services, Alcohol Research: Promise for the Decade, es
The essential foundation for prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome basically lies in spreading awareness through !educational programs. Furthermore, women who have any reason to suspect they are pregnant should stop all alcohol consumption because of the critical growth and development that occurs during the first month of fetal life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. Statistics cannot possibly predict the exact rate of learning disabilities and behavioral abnormalities caused by fetal exposure to alcohol. According to Gordis, "even moderate maternal drinking may pose risks to a developing fetus, perhaps resulting in subtle effects in offspring" (52). In Studies of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Methodological Considerations, Ernest L. I do not believe that any addiction is worth the life of a baby, given no choice but to enter the world as drunk as the mother that bore it. We can only look down the road toward a bright future filled with hope for the lives of the many unborn children who will be given a fair opportunity to be born with the optimal God given health that everyone deserves as they enter into the world because their mother will choose not t!o drink as a result of her knowledge and educational base to rationalize her decision to diligently abstain from alcohol while she brings a new life into the world. Sources CitedCaleekal, Anuppa. Realization of the potential to ruin a new life before it has had a chance should be enough to deter even the most hard-core alcoholic. Ethanol freely passes the placental barrier and neonatal blood ethanol levels remain high for twice as long in the fetus as compared to the mother following acute exposure.
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