But because his mother drank alcohol while pregnant, Phillip suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome and has learning and attention problems and physical developmental delays. The youngster regularly visits a birth defects specialist who checks on Phillip's progress. These kinds of developmental delays can be caused by alcohol consumption while the mother is pregnant, and most women are not aware of the danger.
Alcohol passes through the placenta to the baby and stays longer in the baby than in the mother.
Alcohol causes changes in the brain of the fetus, and most women are not aware of this danger. No one knows if there is a safe amount of alcohol consumption for pregnant women, but most experts agree that it is best for the baby if the mother avoids all alcohol while pregnant. She advises women who drink to avoid pregnancy until they can abstain from alcohol for the nine months from conception to birth and also while breastfeeding. Ethen also encourages all women to visit their doctor early to confirm suspected pregnancy and receive prenatal care. As many as 600 are born in Texas each year.