Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Drinking alcohol while you are pregnant can hurt your baby. Your blood carries the alcohol into your baby’s body. This can cause permanent brain damage and physical and learning disabilities. The consumption of alcohol during pregnancy is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects and childhood disabilities in the United States.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a set of permanent physical and mental birth defects found in babies whose mothers drank beer, wine or liquor while they were pregnant.

Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) is a milder set of birth defects found in some babies of women who drank during pregnancy.

How Does Alcohol Affect My Baby?

Children whose mothers drank during pregnancy often:

• are smaller when they are born
• have brain damage
• have problems with their heart, lungs and kidneys
• have more behavioral problems when they get older
• are mentally retarded
• look different than other children
• sometimes have facial deformities
• have a hard time learning
• vision problems

These problems will last the child’s whole life. Women who drink during pregnancy are more likely to have a miscarriage.

How Much Alcohol Is Safe To Drink?

There is no safe amount to drink if you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding. Even if you already drank during your pregnancy, it’s not too late to stop. Stopping now can increase your chances of having a healthy baby.