FAS results from the toxic effect of alcohol and its byproducts on the developing brain. The alcohol enters the baby's bloodstream through the placenta. Doctors aren't sure when alcohol becomes a danger. The equivalent of one to two ounces of straight alcohol a day is enough to cause real damage. Although the fetus may be in greatest danger early in a woman's pregnancy, studies have found that mothers who drink only during the later part of their pregnancies have more premature and small babies than women who abstain.
Pregnant women are on safest ground when they avoid alcohol completely.
Donna Nimec, M.D., coordinator of the Kids in Need program, Denver, Colorado and the Colorado Fetal Alcohol and Substance Abuse Coalition, says that every FAS child is different. Facial Defects Small head - known as microcephaly Small eyes, these may look wide set. Hearing problems Children with FAS may suffer from mental retardation, poor muscle coordination, chronic middle ear infections, and dental and vision problems. Dr. Nimec emphasizes that diagnosis is made on the basis of physical characteristics, because behavioral defects can be so varied and diagnosis made on the basis of behavior can be very subjective. Most likely one drink a week will not harm the fetus, but because alcohol affects different women in different degrees, even light drinking may be harmful.