...Women who drink alcohol during pregnancy can cause harm to their unborn child. Many unfavorable outcomes can result from this including fetal alcohol syndrome, which is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother’s pregnancy. The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome can be detrimental to the infants health during pregnancy and after birth including, miscarriage, low birth weight, and physical defects. A mother that drinks alcohol during pregnancy is putting her child at an unnecessary risk for complications, not only during pregnancy, but after the child is born. The pregnancy could result in a miscarriage, because alcohol passes through the placenta. The infant cannot process the alcohol the same way adults do,...
Words: 285 - Pages: 2
...Fetal Alcohol Syndrome LaShalonda Marshall Vatterott College Dental Anatomy Courtney Oetting Pregnancy is a beautiful thing but sometimes it can have a turn for the worst for a child instead of the happy mom and baby outcome that we all expect. Some moms don’t know there could be effects that soon have the worst outcome on the baby or either some truly don’t care about being pregnant and do things while their pregnant that later down the line effects the child their caring. Birth effects can happen to a child because of genetics or simply because of alcohol and drug abuse during a pregnancy. One of the many birth effects during pregnancy due to consumption of alcohol massively during pregnancy is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).Everything...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) occurs when a pregnant mother drinks an excessive amount of alcohol. The alcohol travels through the mother’s blood to the placenta. Then from the placenta through the umbilical cord to the unborn fetus. FAS can range from mild to severe. The unborn fetus can have physical, mental, and behavioral problems. The symptoms will never go away. They will last a lifetime. FAS affects 40,000 births a year which is roughly 1% of the annual births. FAS impacts as many children as autism does but is not as widely known as autism. Alcohol is the most common environmental cause of birth defects in the US yet, it is 100% preventable. A child impacted by FAS will never live a normal life. He/she will need assistance in school...
Words: 1005 - Pages: 5
...Exposure to drugs in newborns are about 5%. Those exposed to alcohol are at 15%. These babies almost always end up with mental and physical disabilities and will spend time in the NICU going through withdrawals. The effects of drinking cause fetal alcohol syndrome which can imprint permanent facial deformities and decreased mental capabilities. A mother shows complications due to placenta previa; her physician advises her to stay home, refrain from sexual activity, and to seek immediate care if it happens again. The mother ignored the instructions, and she gave birth to a baby with massive brain damage. The police wanted to charge her with homicide seeing the child died at six weeks. The district attorney and judge dropped the charges...
Words: 372 - Pages: 2
...Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Table of Contents Table of contents…………………………………………………………… | 2 | Introduction………………………………………………………………… | 3 | Definition of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)…………………………….. | 3 | Characteristics of FAS……………………………………………………… | 4 | Affect of FAS on babies……………………………………………………. | 5 | Affect of alcohol on the brain……………………………………………… | 6 | The role the South African context has played in FAS…………………….| 7 | Conclusion………………………………………………………………….. | 8 | REFERENCES | 9 | Appendix A…………………………………………………………………. | 11 | Appendix B…………………………………………………………………. | 12 | Appendix C…………………………………………………………………. | 13 | | | Introduction South Africa has the highest rate of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in the world! The draft South African liquor bill released on Monday 6th February 2012 will prohibit the sale of alcohol to pregnant women if it is passed. It is the first time that the South African government has proposed legislation to assist controlling the alcohol intake of women. (“Liquor Surprise for Pregnant Women,” 2012) But is this enough to meaningfully diminish the consumption of alcohol by pregnant women in South Africa? Within this context the following questions will be addressed: What is Foetal Alcohol Syndrome? How is FAS characterised? How is a baby affected by Foetal Alcohol Syndrome? How does alcohol affect the brain? What kind of role has the South African...
Words: 2866 - Pages: 12
...this paper is fetal alcohol syndrome. This topic was chosen because I work closely with parents that expose their children to substance abuse before birth. Alcohol is one of those substances unfortunately that parents are exposing their children too. This is a major phenomenon in today’s society and is a relevant issue for many social workers. As a social worker I can use the science behind fetal alcohol syndrome to educate and inform my clients to make better decisions. This education can allow my client’s to live healthy life styles and became aware of their decisions. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is defined as a medical diagnosis in an infant or child whose prenatal growth is not up to par. The child may be under weight or length in the tenth percentile. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be rage on different severity levels and is defined on the amount of alcohol the mother consumes during prenatal care (Froschl,Bruner-Ziegler, Wirl 2013).The central nervous system and neurological system usually experience abnormalities in development. Behavioral dysfunction, intellectual impairment, and facial abnormalities are also signs for Fetal Alcohol syndrome (Pancratz, 1993). Due to the intellectual impairment the average IQ score of some one...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...Introduction Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is one of the leading causes of birth defects in the United States. Moreover, FAS appears to be the most common cause of preventable mental retardation. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.) Each year between 5,000 and 12,000 American babies are born with the condition. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.)Thus, each year roughly 5,000 to 12,000 American children are entering into the educational system. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.) Therefore, our nations public schools should be both properly funded and prepared in the classroom to educate children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.) Overview of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a collection of symptoms that when appearing together indicate the specific FAS condition. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.), see also (Wilkemeyer, Menkari, Spong & Charness, 2002) FAS is caused when by a woman's ingestion of any type pf alcohol during pregnancy. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.), see also (Wilkemeyer, Menkari, Spong & Charness, 2002) The alcohol travels through the pregnant woman's bloodstream and through the placenta to the unborn fetus. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.), see also (Wilkemeyer, Menkari, Spong & Charness, 2002) In other word's, the developing baby is also processing and metabolizing the alcohol that has passed to it from the pregnant mother. (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”, n.d.), see also (Wilkemeyer, Menkari, Spong & Charness, 2002) Once...
Words: 3760 - Pages: 16
...Alcohol Abuse and How it Affects Everyone S. Adams Should society care about alcohol abuse? Many people believe that to consume alcohol is a personal choice and an expression of free will. Some of those people don’t consider how alcohol use affects anyone other than the drinker. By listening to alcohol advertising and watching actors in movies one would get the impression that alcohol gives people an increased social status; they become self-confident, sexually attractive, and fun to be around. Initially people start out drinking for fun; it can relax and reduce inhibitions but at some point and for whatever reasons some people become addicted and can’t stop. What often begins as a fun escape and great stress relief can become a habit that can destroy everything good in life. Eventually everyone becomes affected by alcohol use in one way or another. The purpose of this paper is to prove that alcohol affects people who don’t drink alcohol at all or those who drink responsibly. Research suggests that alcoholism is a societal disease that negatively affects everyone because alcohol abuse creates higher crime rates, alcoholics cause more accidents and create higher costs in the workplace, and alcohol creates an increase in health-related issues. There is a strong correlation between alcohol use and violent crime, which is how the phrase “mean drunk” came about. People that abuse alcohol are six times more likely to commit a violent crime and thirteen times more likely to commit...
Words: 2517 - Pages: 11
...predominance of maternal drug and alcohol abuse. The conclusion of the study found that 72 of the 394 women, who had an average age of 25.38 years, admitted to abusing drugs during their pregnancy; this is equivalent to 18.28% (Kassada, Marcon, Pagliarini, and Rossi, 469). Cigarettes, alcohol, marihuana, cocaine, and alcohol in assocation were the types of substances that were reportedly abused by these women (Kassada, Marcon, Pagliarini, and Rossi, 469). Kassada, Marcon, Pagliarini, and Rossi (2013) concluded that one out of every five women has the potential to be a maternal substance...
Words: 666 - Pages: 3
...the dangers There are a lot of dangers in this world today that are caused by alcohol. Not only is alcohol one of the leading problems in todays society, but it is also a growing problem in Americas teenagers. I will be discussing several point in this paper from various studies to what exactly alcoholism is and the different dangers of this disease. This is a very personal topic to me so I hope you enjoy my research paper. The first point being addressed is what exactly alcoholism is. According to The Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, alcoholism “is a diseased condition resulting from the excessive use or persistent use of alcoholic beverages.” Alcoholism has divided into two major forms--alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence (Goodwin 1998). Alcohol abuse is the excessive consumption of alcohol which has detrimental effects on the people and situations surrounding an individual; whereas, alcohol dependence is a physical attachment to the alcohol. Alcohol abuse leads to hazardous behavior, such as drunken driving and continued drinking despite negative consequences on family, work, or social functioning. Alcohol dependence involves withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not used, and lack of control over drinking despite serious social and medical problems (Goodwin 1998). Various studies have been performed to show the relationship between alcoholism and genetics. New research on male twins show that genes play a critical role in the development of milder...
Words: 1594 - Pages: 7
...Qualitative Research Article Critique June Cleaver, RN NUR410: Research in Nursing Boston December 12, 2011 Title of Paper In order to obtain the greatest benefit from research, it is necessary to interpret results accurately. The development and application of critical thinking skills is paramount when reading and evaluating research articles, rather than to take the research as fact. The following paper is a critique of a qualitative research article published in 2007 by Journal of Critical Nursing, titled “The Effects of Different Maternal Positions on Non-Stress Test: An Experimental Study”. Title and Introduction The title “The Effects of Different Maternal Positions on Non-Stress Test: An Experimental Study” (Alus, Okumus, Mete, Guclu, 2007) accurately reflected the content of the article and research study. The abstract remained concise as well as provided more detail to the article. The objectives, background, study design, means of data collection and analysis, results; conclusion, and relevance to clinical practice were all mentioned in a brief paragraph. The importance of the study was clearly stated, obtaining erroneous results from non-stress tests, when, indeed, the fetus is healthy and well oxygenated. The authors further described the supine position showed the least fetal activity, increased maternal back pain as well as maternal shortness of breath. (Alus, Okumus, Mete, & Serkan, 2007). The introduction was informative and included additional...
Words: 1560 - Pages: 7
...Instances of hydrocephalus are not all associated with genetics, some other factors that have been documented are: congenital malformations, intercerebral hemorrhage, infection and maternal alcohol abuse. Two article will be discussed in the paper; one article is dedicated to genetics while the second article discusses environmental factors that have been associated with hydrocephalus. Article 1 Genetics of human hydrocephalus The article discusses that evidence is mounting that genetic factors play a role in the “pathogenesis of hydrocephalus”. Hydrocephalus has two forms; acquired and inherited. There are several documented instanced of genetic involved in hydrocephalus in animals, but the documentation that has been gathered to date is not as substantial in human hydrocephalus. “Hydrocephalus is considered complex and has multifactorial neurological defects.” It is believed that one of the possible causes is related to protein and signal disruption during the early development of the fetal brain. The article covers the documentation obtained on animals and believes that this is an initial phase in human research, but at this time human research has not developed into a significant number of studies. To better understand hydrocephalus and to develop better research tools, a large and diverse research study group will have...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...society alcoholism affect 1 in every 3 people. With the increasing pressure of life, many people have turned to alcohol to relieve their daily stress leading to uncontrolled alcoholism in the society. As the basic unit of the society the family has been affected in the same way increased breakdown of families and neglect of children by alcoholic parents. Alcoholism has run deep in American families and children have been affected in a particular way. This paper will research on alcoholism and the effects it has on the life of the family. It will first define alcoholism and then look at how alcoholism runs in American families. Later it will look at children of alcoholics. What is alcoholism? According to Harford (2006) Alcoholism can be defined as drinking of alcohol to an extent that it interference with individual physical and mental health and their ability to perform their duties and responsibility and to live with the rest to the society and family members. Alcoholism is a disease condition which result from excessive consumption of alcoholic beverage. According to Silverstein (1990) there are three distinct features which are used to diagnose the condition according to American Psychiatrist Association. The three criteria include: i) Physiological problem including hand tremors or blackouts ii) Psychological problem including obsessive consumption of alcohol iii) Changes in behavior like disruption from social work, failure in ones duties and responsibilities ...
Words: 2775 - Pages: 12
...ALCOHOL DESTROYS FAMILYS ALCOHOL DESTROY’S FAMILY’S CURTIS J COFFIN GEN 200 09/07/2010 LESLIE PIRTLE This paper will examine the disease of alcohol and physical and psychological effects alcohol has on the family members. The Center for disease control states that in order for something to be classified as a disease it has to contain three characteristics. It has to be progressive, it has to be treatable, and it has to be progressive. All of these characteristics are prevalent with alcohol therefore it is considered a disease. The disease of alcohol has plagued and destroyed family life since before the beginning of Christ. In fact today, alcohol impacts one in every four families. (Silverstein, 1990). Seventy six million American families have been exposed to alcoholism. Alcoholism is known as a family disease according to Silverstein. It effect’s husbands, wives, sons, and daughters. It sometimes starts in the womb where alcohol directly effect’s the developing fetus. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) could be totally avoided with more education about the end results for expecting mothers who continue to drink. The dependence of alcohol on alcoholics is so powerful that even educating the expecting mothers of the historical end results attributed to alcohol, is sometimes not enough to deter them from drinking. Alcohol travels through the bloodstream and is absorbed through the placenta, a direct route...
Words: 441 - Pages: 2
...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR RUSH THEO 330 – B02 CHRIS PORTER 29 Jun 2014 The abuse of alcohol is a problem in our society; a social disorder that causes physical and emotional injuries to people and family life. Alcohol is the oldest drug around. It is also the most widely-used and almost 50 percent of people aged 12 and over have consumed alcohol in the United States. Most people are able to consume alcohol responsibly. However, for one reason or another, some people abuse alcohol and develop addictions. Alcohol can destroy persons who depend on its effects to solve their problems. Not only does the use of alcohol create serious health disorders for those who drink heavily during their lifetime, but also causes serious health disorders in children whose mothers drank while pregnant. Individuals who drink alcohol are often responsible for injuring other innocent people. Each year in the United States, nearly 85,000 people die from alcohol-related causes, making it the third leading preventable cause of death in our country. (NIAAA) Many automobile accidents involve drunk drivers. People who drink endanger themselves and everyone around them. In addition, business and industry suffer financial loss because their employees drink. What might begin as casual drinking can become heavy drinking and alcoholism. Because the abuse of alcohol has a negative effect on men, women, and children, that same abuse on alcohol is a threat in our...
Words: 2160 - Pages: 9
