Why you shouldn't drink alcohol during pregnancy

According to statistics, 40% of women consume alcohol during pregnancy. We are not talking about systemic drunkenness, but many people allow themselves a glass of wine or beer on holidays. On the Internet, you can find advice from doctors that a sip of "weak" alcohol in the second or third trimester will not harm the fetus. However, none of the counselors mentions the impairments that can actually occur in a child. There are a lot of such violations, and together they can provoke fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in a baby. What is it, how it manifests itself and how can you help such children, says Olga Bolshova, head of the public organization "Children with FAS - this concerns all of us"

What is fetal alcohol syndrome

Alcohol during pregnancy causes fetal defects / istockphoto.com

Every September, gynecologists and pediatricians around the world remind that alcohol during pregnancy can lead to serious defects in the development of the unborn child. September is the month of dissemination of information about FAS, or Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It is the most severe fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) disorder. This is a diagnosis that a child will have to cope with throughout his life.

In different countries, the statistics of the appearance of children with FAS is different. In America, for example, 2-3 children are born per 1000 children with this diagnosis. In South Africa, there are 45 such children per 1000, and in the Slavic countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), according to some sources, from 20 to 30. At the same time, these figures are greatly underestimated - first of all, because many mothers do not even know about such a diagnosis. Meanwhile, if you identify it before the age of 6, problems in the development of the child can be corrected with special classes.

What factors increase the risk of developing FAS

There is no safe dose of alcohol during pregnancy / istockphoto.com

Objectively: the more and more often a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the higher the risk that the child will experience irreversible changes in development. Ethanol crosses the placenta and inhibits the synthesis of DNA and RNA in the fetus. Because of this, the process of the formation of the skeleton and internal organs is disrupted in the child, the development of the nervous system and the brain slows down.

At the same time, experts say that drinking during pregnancy is like a lottery: you never know how much alcohol will lead to disorders in the unborn child. Some women get away with drinking occasionally, moderately (for example, once every month), and in some cases, one glass of wine is enough for the development of fetal defects pregnancy.

Safe dose of alcohol during pregnancy, no, emphasizes Olga Bolshova. The use of any amount at any time can lead to the formation of FASD or FAS in the fetus. Therefore, not only a pregnant woman, but even one who is planning a pregnancy, must completely eliminate alcohol from her life.

How fetoalcoholic disorders manifest

In some cases, a child with FASD can be identified by external signs immediately after birth. Since alcohol affects the formation of the skeleton, these babies are often born with a reduced body weight. They may have pronounced microcephaly (a small head against the background of a delay in brain development). And also there are certain features of the structure of the face.

Facial signs of fetal alcohol syndrome in children / istockphoto.com

However, it also happens that external signs are not obvious. And to notice that something is wrong with the child, the mother begins in the process of his development. Primary fetal alcoholic disorders (which are caused by birth defects in the structure and function of the brain) include:

• Motor functions: awkwardness and clumsiness, poor development of general and fine motor skills, difficulties with tasks that require dexterity of the fingers (in childhood, this is drawing, at an older age, writing)
• Executive functions: very weak organization, narrow thinking and inability to apply some experience in practice, problems with cause-and-effect relationships and the implementation of assigned tasks, lack of self-discipline
• Cognitive sphere: poor perception and slow processing of information, problems with remembering and understanding the meaning of words, absent-mindedness, IQ level of about 60 units (mental retardation)
• Behavioral area: persistent or recurrent conduct disorder (attention deficit and hyperactivityoppositional disorder, sleep disorder, depressive and anxiety disorders)
• Social sphere: age immaturity, naivety, gullibility, openness, lack of fear of strangers, verbosity and superficial shallow communication

If you ignore these calls, then at an older age they can become a platform for the development of secondary disorders in a child, warns Olga Bolshova. This manifests itself through impulsive behavior, unwillingness to learn, low self-esteem, problems with choosing friends, defiant-aggressive reactions, "victim syndrome" or inappropriate sexual behavior. It becomes more and more difficult for such a child to control himself: he may leave home, go to prison or commit suicide.

How to help a child diagnosed with FAS

Children with FAS will have to adapt to life in this world / istockphoto.com

A neurologist or psychiatrist can make a diagnosis of FAS based on all of the above disorders. In this case, the child may have to undergo a number of additional examinations. It is important to move in the right direction here, because often such children are referred for MRI and genetics. However, experts say that MRI for FAS does not show any significant changes, and the geneticist will only throw up his hands at your visit, because this is not a genetic disease.

Those examinations that will bring real meaning include ECG and ultrasound of the heart. After all, brain damage is often combined with damage to the heart muscle. Also, such children often have various lesions of the musculoskeletal system (for example, non-closure of the palate, underdevelopment of the lower jaw, fixed spinal cord syndrome), therefore, consultation will be necessary orthopedist. In addition, children with FAS have an immature autonomic system: they are often thrown into heat and cold, and vascular patterns are noticeable on the skin.

Having identified physiological problems, the parents of such a child must learn how to cope with them. At the same time, do not forget that children with FAS primarily need psychological adaptation to this world. Olga Bolshova emphasizes: the development of secondary disorders can be avoided if the correct diagnosis is made at the age of 6 years and corrective therapy is started

Parents need to take appropriate courses that will teach them how to properly build a relationship with a child. In the upbringing and education of children with FAS, it is very important to focus on their strengths, not to criticize them for “backwardness” or “lethargy”. Studying here can fade into the background, while it would be good to choose a teacher who knows and knows how to support children with a similar diagnosis. But the main task of the family should be the development in the child of those qualities and character traits that in the future will help him to lead an independent or semi-independent life.

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