Alcohol is harmful to unborn babies since whatever the pregnant mother ingests goes directly into her bloodstream and into the placenta and unborn baby very quickly. The blood alcohol level of a drinking pregnant mom will always be the same as the blood alcohol level of her unborn child. Alcohol entering into the system of the unborn child affects the ability of the unborn child to absorb energy as well as the much needed nourishment which are both important in the normal cell development of the brain of the unborn baby as well as other body organs. Some research have confirmed that a developing fetus has minimal tolerance to alcohol such that infants with mothers who drank alcoholic drinks when pregnant develop serious problems.
Why alcohol is harmful to unborn babies? A mother who drinks excessively when pregnant can bear a child with mental and physical defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome. A baby with fetal alcohol syndrome can develop a serious handicap which requires special care for her or his lifetime. Other potential problems a baby of a drinking mother may develop are slower than normal development of the child, smaller child body size and weight, curved spine and hip dislocations, deformed rubs, facial abnormalities, small head, limited movement of joints, abnormal or missing fingers and/or toes, skin webbing in area between nose base and eyes, and small eye openings.
Why alcohol is harmful to unborn babies? A child of a mother who drinks when pregnant with the child can also develop drooping eyelids, heart defects or heart murmurs, thin upper lip, small jaw, poorly formed ears, organ defects, sunken nasal bridge, short upturned nose, failure of eyes to move in same direction, nearsightedness, flat or absent groove between nose and upper lip, hyperactivity in childhood, small brain, genital malformations, small brain, poor body, hand and finger coordination, learning disabilties, mental retardation, central nervous system handicaps, short attention span.
Why alcohol is harmful to unborn babies? There are a lot of problems, most of which are lifetime defects, which a child of a drinking mother can develop that is why it is important for pregnant mothers not even to drink even before they conceive or when planning to get pregnant. Pregnant mothers should stop drinking immediately if they have started to. Those who just cannot stop drinking should be adviced to seek help and support from their loved ones. It is important that pregnant mothers must always remember that there are no safe time in any stage of their pregnancy since alcohol can harm the unborn baby in any stage of pregnancy and there is also no safe amount of alcohol intake during any stage of pregnancy.