Alcohol Consumption D uring P regnancy

1. Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy The most common side affect of consuming alcohol during a pregnancy is called fetal alcohol syndromeFetal Alcohol Syndrome is one of the largest causes of mental retardation . It is 100% preventable which means this should not even be a disease in the first place. The effects are irreversible and last the bay’s entire life. The effects of FAS include: mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system problems, poor motor skills, mortality, and problems with learning, memory, social interaction, attention span, problem solving, speech and/or hearing. Also facial features can get severely malformed. Some of these features include small eyes, short or upturned nose, flat cheeks, and thin lips. Because of these facial features it is very easy to spot a child with FAS syndrome. The behavioral and cognitive impairments that go along with FAS seem to be from underlying structural or functional changes in the brain. MRI testing has been done which revealed reduced overall brain size in people with FAS and reductions in the size of specific brain structures. One example would be the basal ganglia. Damage to the basal ganglia impairs spatial. Alcohol metabolism is linked to increased vulnerability to cell damage caused by potentially harmful substances. An example of such a substance would be free radicals which can damage and ultimately kill sensitive brain cells at critical times of development in the first trimester of pregnancy.

2. Smoking Cigarettes while Pregnant Smoking during pregnancy is very dangerous for you and your developing fetus. If you smoke during pregnancy, you have a higher risk of having a baby with a low birth weight. Women who smoke during pregnancy usually give birth to a lot smaller baby than those born towomen who don't smoke. Low birth weight a main cause of illness and disability in babies, and also increases the chances of your baby being stillborn. Smoking while pregnant increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). This syndrome is also known as cot death. The baby gets a higher risk by four times if you have between one and nine cigarettes a day. This rises to eight times if you smoke 20 cigarettes or more a day. A baby in the womb gets everything from its mother. Nutrients and oxygen both come from the placenta and umbilical cord. Smoking exposes the fetus to toxins in tobacco smoke, andit also damages placental function. When someone smokes, some of the oxygen in their blood is replaced by carbon monoxide. If a pregnant woman smokes, her blood and her child's blood will contain a less amount of oxygen than normal. This can cause the baby’s heart rate to rise as they may struggles to get enough oxygen. Tobacco smoke contains different toxic substances that can change the blood's ability to work in a healthy and normal manner. This can sometimes affect the placenta that feeds the baby and keeps it healthy.