Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Don't Risk Your Unborn Child

The dangers of consuming alcohol whilst pregnant have only really become fully understood in recent years. When the pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it enters the bloodstream and reduces the ability of the blood in the placenta to provide adequate oxygen to the growing fetus. The infant is born suffering from the same problems as an alcoholic and is therefore subject to withdrawal symptoms from the moment he or she is born. These symptoms include irritability, sleeplessness, and poor appetite.

Around twenty percent of infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome will die shortly after birth. Those that live will have a lifetime of intellectual disability to a varying degree as well as physical disabilities.

The consequences of fetal alcohol syndrome include deformities and impeded development, though there are doubtless other consequences to this condition as well. It is actually a series of defects, the most serious characteristic being a group of deformities of the head. Children born with fetal alcohol syndrome are also likely to suffer from delayed growth and development.

The main problem with growth in an affected child is that of deficiency which results in the child being small and underweight.

There are also facial abnormalities such as small eyes, sagging eyelids, small jaw, defects in ear formation, and sometimes a hole in the roof of the mouth.

Skeletal underdevelopment results in deformities in the ribs and chest bone, dislocated hips, curvature of the spine, and a small head. Sometimes, these children are born with missing fingers or toes.

Another problem is the effect this syndrome has on the organs. Children born with fetal alcohol syndrome are prone to heart defects, kidney problems, and can even suffer from genital malformation.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is relatively rare and takes place only in the children of mothers who are alcoholic or at least drink regularly and heavily during pregnancy.

Approximately one third of children born to mothers who are alcoholic or who drink heavily during pregnancy are likely to suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome. It is even possible for a child to be born with this syndrome when the mother has drunk only a small amount of alcohol but has done so on a regular basis.

Sometimes a child may not suffer from the entire range of problems associated with fetal alcohol syndrome but the alcohol can still cause a child to be born with development problems which have taken place whilst in the uterus. There is some debate about how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy but it is believed that even small amounts, in the first trimester, can be harmful.

Obviously, the best way to avoid this problem is to avoid all alcohol during pregnancy. It is still possible to enjoy social occasions without consuming alcohol and putting your unborn baby at risk. There are many non-alcoholic wines and so forth available these days and this is a much safer option.

Copyright 2006 Anne Wolski

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About Anne Wolski

Anne Wolski has worked in the health and welfare industry for more than 30 years. She is a co-director of http://www.magnetic-health-online.com an information portal with many interesting medical articles and also of http://www.pharmacybyweb.com which has online physicians who can help you with any questions you may have.


And here is another random article you might be interested in...

A Great Retirement Job - Consultant

Becoming a consultant in retirement can be a rewarding retirement job. It can be rewarding both in self-fulfillment and in additional income.

You have worked for years at your full time job and you have developed experience and knowledge that will be invaluable to other people. Now it is time to take advantage of all that accumulated knowledge and create retirement income at the same time.

When you really analyze what you must do, you realize that YOU are what YOU are selling.You must market yourself and convince others that you have the answers to their problems; that you have already faced the problems and conquered them.

One of the best ways to gain respect is to publish articles about your area of expertise. When you include "author" in your bio, you immediately command additional respect. Start by publishing your articles on www.ezinearticles.com

In my opinion, it is the premier article site on the Net. Once your article is accepted and published on Ezinearticles, you can easily publish it on over 100 other business article sites. You can do this yourself or there are services that will do it for you for a very reasonable price. At the end of each article, your bio will point back to your website. Just think of the exposure that you get from one article published on over 100 business article sites.

If you are not already a published author, you will find that publishing on the Internet and being able to include "author" in your bio brings you added respect. This is expected of a consultant.

Consider establishing a blog and post to it frequently. This is a very quick and easy way to establish yourself on the Internet. It can be very effective in attracting attention to your consulting business.

Publishing a newsletter is a good way to gain exposure. Write articles that give your subscribers tips and current information in your area of expertise.

The most important thing that you can do is have your own website. You can build a website to describe your experience and area of expertise. This will show your prospective customer who you are and how you can solve his/her problems.

Having a website tells the world that you are serious about your business. It tells your readers that you own your own piece of Internet real estate.

You say, "I don't know anything about building a website." Well, it is not as hard as you think if you have the right tools. You need to do the research to find the right web host to make your website successful.

You need a website that sells a service which is what you as consultant are selling. You can provide this service in your local area or to a global market. The Internet allows you to do both. We all know about the global reach of the Internet. On a local basis, the Internet is rapidly replacing the yellow pages for locating consultants.

These are just a few suggestions. Let your imagination run wild and think of other creative methods of attracting customers to your new consulting business.

Your job is consultant, not webmaster. You should not become bogged down in the technical details of building and managing a website.

For more information and a free Masters Course on creating a website to sell yourself as a consultant, go to http://www.retirement-jobs-online.com/consultant.html

I wish you good fortune in your endeavors as a consultant.

Copyright 2006 John Howe, Inc.

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About John V. W. Howe

John V. W. Howe is an entrepreneur, author, inventor, patent holder, husband, father, and grandfather. He has worked with computers for over 44 years. He is an expert in website creation and web hosting. He has published over 60 articles on the Internet covering diverse topics. His website http://www.the-best-web-host.com helps people analyze their needs and match those needs to the best web host. He also publishes http://www.boomer-ezine.com an ezine for Internet entrepreneurs.