Alcohol During Pregnancy: What is FAS?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the name given to a group of physical and mental birth defects cause by a woman drinking heavily during pregnancy. Children with FAS may:
- Be born small.
- Have deformed face and limbs.
- Have heart problems.
- Have problems eating and sleeping.
- Have problems seeing and hearing.
- Have trouble following directions and learning how to do simple things.
- Have trouble paying attention and learning in school.
- Have trouble getting along with others and controlling their behavior.
- Need medical care all their lives.
- Need special teachers and schools.
Babies born with "fetal alcohol-related effects" may look perfectly normal, but have many of these problems.
Your Baby's Brain: Exposed to Alcohol
See for yourself: these MRI images show a healthy baby's brain, and a baby's brain whose mother drank alcohol while she was pregnant.
You can also read the booklet "FAS: A Parent's Guide to Caring for a Child Diagnosed with FAS" (pdf) to learn about the problems a child with FAS faces throughout their lifetime.