This pamphlet tells you about:

Why alcohol is harmful to your fetus How you can protect your baby How you can get help

The best course is not to drink during pregnancy. This will give your baby the best start in life.

Protect Your Baby

Pregnancy is an exciting time. A new life is growing inside you. Now is the time to take special care of your body. If you eat the right foods and avoid things that are harmful, you give your baby the best chance to be healthy.

Some things—such as alcohol—can harm your baby's health. The degree of harm depends on the amount of alcohol you drink, how often you drink, and when in pregnancy you drank alcohol. Early pregnancy, when many of the baby's organs are forming, is a time to be extra careful. If you have questions or concerns about any alcohol you may have had before you knew you were pregnant, talk to your doctor.

When you are pregnant, the baby inside you is exposed to what is in your bloodstream. A little bit of alcohol may not affect you, but it may hurt your baby.

Alcohol quickly reaches the fetus through your bloodstream. It crosses the placenta to the baby.

In adults, the liver breaks down alcohol. Your baby's liver is not yet able to break down the alcohol. Thus, its effects are more harmful to the baby.

Harmful Effects

Alcohol may affect the baby in many ways. The more you drink, the greater the risk.

Growth and Development

Drinking alcohol may cause a baby to be too small. This condition is called intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Alcohol use also increases the chance of having a miscarriage or preterm baby.

Alcohol use can cause heart defects. It also may affect the brain. This can lead to problems with memory, learning, speech, and behavior. You may not be able to see these problems until later in life.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a mixture of physical, mental, and behavioral problems. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe effect of drinking during pregnancy. It most often results from heavy drinking (two or more drinks a day) or binge drinking (more than three drinks on one occasion). Even a few drinks once in a while can put your baby at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome.

A baby with fetal alcohol syndrome may have:

• Short height or low weight
• Small head
• Problems with joints and limbs (such as club foot)
• Abnormal facial features
• Heart defect

Getting Help It may be hard to stop drinking. If this happens, you may need help. You may not know if you have a drinking problem. Here are some signs: Drinking alone when you feel angry or sad Drinking in a pattern (every day or every week at the same time) Planning activities around drinking Drinking to relieve pain or stress Drinking more than you meant to or after you told yourself you wouldn't Drinking to get drunk Thinking a lot about drinking Showing a personality change when you drink Talk to your doctor about your drinking habits. He or she can give you more information and refer you for counseling or treatment, if needed.

Some babies are born with all of these problems. Others show signs of only some of them. Severe ear infections and vision and dental problems may appear later in life.

There is no cure for fetal alcohol syndrome. The problems will be with these children all of their lives.

Finally...

Doctors do not know how much alcohol it takes to harm the fetus. The best course is not to drink during pregnancy. This will give your baby the best start in life. It is not easy to decide to stop drinking. Keep in close touch with your doctor, and ask for help.

Glossary

Fetus: A baby growing in the woman's uterus.

Miscarriage: The spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the uterus.

Placenta: Tissue that provides nourishment to and takes away waste from the fetus.