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There is an overload of information for pregnant women whether it be in books, magazines, on the Internet or through well-meaning friends and relatives. The bottom line is that no amount of alcohol during pregnancy is safe. Every substance ingested by the mother is passed through the placenta to the developing fetus. Alcohol is a teratogen, which is basically saying that it is a poison to a developing child. In a healthy adult, alcohol kills brain cells. These cells do not regenerate, once lost they are gone. When a mother drinks, she is essentially damaging her developing child's brain. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)is a result of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This disorder used to be known as Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) but has been amended to FASD to include a wider range of disabilities and severity. As someone who has worked with children with this disorder, the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy are severe, organic, and lifelong. Children born to mothers who drank can have behavioral, physical, and mental problems. These can range from facial deformities, difficulty concentrating and retaining information as well as severe behavioral problems and lack of social skills. Some of these problems can be treated through various medications and therapy, but overall, children with FASD have significantly more problems than children of mothers who did not drink. As infants, these children are difficult to soothe and may experience with drawl symptoms if the mother was a chronic drinker. As these children grow into adults, they will continue to experience problems and setbacks. Some pregnant women panic when they find out they are pregnant because they may have consumed alcohol before they missed their period or took a pregnancy test. Although, there may be some risk to the fetus, as long as the mother abstains from consuming any more alcohol for the duration of the pregnancy, the baby will most likely be fine. For women who are trying to conceive, alcohol consumption should ideally be stopped a few months prior to wanting to conceive and she should start taking prenatal vitamins with folic acid as well. This may sound unreasonable, but if you are planning on having a child, you should be willing to adapt your life and start becoming healthier. Planning ahead is the best way to give your child the best start in life. Many people drink alcohol socially and many pregnant women may find that they still want to be a part of social activities, particularly if their husband/partner is still drinking or going to bars. Besides alcohol consumption, pregnant women should also stay away from bars or events where there is a lot of secondhand smoke. There are many other ways to be social without putting yourself or your child at risk. Try having friends and family to your place for dinner, movies, cards or boardgames. Go for a walk and scope out places where you may want to go once you have your child to get out of the house. This could be a playground, recreation center, coffee shop or even mall. Go to the movies with friends and have a fruit smoothie or frozen yogurt for a treat. Making changes while pregnant is a way of easing yourself into a new mode because once your baby arrives, life is going to change!

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