Drinking alcohol while a woman is pregnant can cause the child to develop fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The most severe is fetal alcohol syndrome. These disorders are caused by heavy drinking while pregnant. There is no specific amount of alcohol that is considered dangerous, any amount of alcohol can harm the baby and even lead to a miscarriage. Drinking alcohol during the first trimester can cause major birth defects. Further along in the pregnancy, alcohol can cause poor growth and brain damage. 

Having fetal alcohol syndrome can affect you your whole life. While you’re an infant you can be sensitive to light, noises and touch, you can develop slowly, and you have an increased chance of ear infections. While you’re a toddler, your memory can be very poor, you’ll have a lack of fear and be very hyperactive. As a teenager, you will have poor impulse control, and won’t be able to distinguish between public and private behaviors.

Drinking while pregnant can cause the baby to have many disorders ranging from mild to severe. The symptoms to these disorders can be problems with kidneys and bones, learning disabilities, trouble with coordination and attention, and problems with sleep and suckling as a baby. The symptoms will get worse as the child gets older. One major reason this happens is because as the baby is growing in the fetus, it doesn’t have a fully grown liver to process the alcohol, therefore it easily gets to the other organs and damages them. The most severe problems happen in the first trimester.

Alcohol can affect the baby at any stage during the pregnancy. People with fetal alcohol syndrome have growth problems, facial and nervous system abnormalities. Fetal alcohol syndrome isn’t curable, it last a lifetime. There are some treatments that can help. These include medicines to help with some symptoms and behavior therapy. Every child is different so each child can have a different treatment.

Fetal alcohol syndrome causes a variety of mental, physical, and developmental disabilities. While a woman is pregnant, any alcohol intake crosses the placenta to the fetus therefore damaging the developing cells of the fetus.The brain and central nervous system are very sensitive to alcohol and can suffer permanent damage. Any amount of alcohol can have a negative effect so there is no amount that is considered “safe”. Fetal alcohol syndrome occurs in about 1 to 3 of every 1000 live births each year. It is also estimated that about 1,000 babies will be born with fetal alcohol syndrome each year.