1. Objective: Examine the impact of the mother’s and father’s use of alcohol on the prenatal development of the child. Be ready for test on Thursday

2. Alcohol and Pregnancy 20% of pregnant women admit to using alcohol and /or other drugs

3. Drinking during pregnancy is like… Alcohol passes from the mother’s bloodstream to the fetus through the placenta. The alcohol run’s through the fetus's bloodstream, out into the amniotic fluid that surrounds it, and is taken in a second time. The level of alcohol in the fetus’s blood is often two times higher than in the mother’s blood

4. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (defined in 1973) FAS affects 1,200-8,800 babies a year in the US

5. Alcohol During Pregnancy Baby could be born with mental and physical birth defects. The most serious is called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

6. Effects of Alcohol Exposure During Pregnancy Cont No level of alcohol use during pregnancy has been proven safe Alcohol passes through the placenta directly to the baby’s bloodstream. Drinking early in pregnancy can cause physical birth defects like heart defects. Drinking late in pregnancy can cause growth problems in your baby.

7. Effects of Alcohol Exposure During Pregnancy Cont Drinking at any stage of pregnancy can affect development of your baby’s brain. Drinking alcohol increases your risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and having a low- birth weight baby. The effects of FAS and other alcohol- related conditions last a LIFETIME!

8. Drinking by the Father & Father- to-Be Alcohol consumption affects the process by which sperm are selected Heavy alcohol use as a teen may permanently change the DNA in a man’s sperm Heavy alcohol use is linked to infertility, low birth weight and long- term, permanent damage to the child

9. If a woman stops smoking before the 16 th week of pregnancy, there are no known damages to the fetus, but this is NOT TRUE OF ALCOHOL! Alcohol can damage baby from the beginning till the end! Shirley Secrest RN CNM CCE Peninsula Regional Medical Center