No. 93 (Updated 08/06)

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, pregnant women should not drink any alcohol. Women who are thinking of becoming pregnant need to be aware of the very serious negative effects of alcohol on their developing baby (fetus). Prenatal alcohol exposure is the most common cause of birth defects in the United States. Exposure to alcohol during pregnancy damages the brain and behavior of children—these effects are 100 percent preventable.

Thousands of children are born with the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. While many people drink, alcohol is poisonous for the baby growing inside you. Drinking even one alcoholic beverage per day during pregnancy puts the developing baby at risk of serious birth defects. Small amounts of alcohol can cause permanent harm to the child. Alcohol during pregnancy can cause many serious problems in children and adolescents:

• Infants may have slow growth and delays in their development, unusual facial features, irritability, brain and neurological disorders, mental retardation and problems with attachment to parents.
• Toddlers and school age children may have learning problems, poor frustration tolerance, poor social boundaries and reading difficulties.
• Adolescents may have continued learning problems, depression, anxiety and sexually inappropriate behavior.

Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) describes the negative and bad effects caused by drinking alcohol while you are pregnant. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a more specific set of symptoms caused by drinking alcohol while you are pregnant. A child is diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) when there is prenatal alcohol exposure and:

• Facial deformities.
• Slow or delayed growth.
• Brain and neurological problems.

Children who are suspected of having FAE should be carefully evaluated by a pediatrician, child and adolescent psychiatrist or other experienced clinician. Fetal alcohol exposure is frequently missed as the cause of a child’s behavior problems. The effects of alcohol on the developing brain during pregnancy cannot be reversed. However, early intervention can reduce the severity of the disability and improve the child’s chance for success. Early intervention for FAE or FAS includes occupational therapy, special education and speech therapy evaluations.

If you are pregnant and find yourself unable to stop drinking, talk with your obstetrician to help you stop. It is important to get treatment to stop drinking as soon as possible. Inpatient, outpatient and residential treatment programs are available. Local self-help programs (For example, Alcoholics Anonymous “12-Step Program”) can provide support in quitting.

For additional information see Facts for Families:
#3 Teens: Alcohol and Other Drugs,
#17 Children of Alcoholics,
#23 Mental Retardation,
#31 When Children Have Children,
#41 Substance Abuse Treatment for Children and Adolescents: Questions to Ask,
#45 Lead Exposure.

Web sites for parents to learn about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) include:

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
www.nofas.org

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochure.htm

SAMHSA – FASD Center for Excellence
www.fasdcenter.samhsa.gov/index.cfm

SAMHSA – FASD Information in Spanish
www.fascdcenter.samhsa.gov/fasdsp/index.cfm

CDC’s Information on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas/

See also: Your Child (1998 Harper Collins) / Your Adolescent (1999 Harper Collins)

Click here to order Your Child from Harper Collins
Click here to order Your Adolescent from Harper Collins

If you find Facts for Families© helpful and would like to make good mental health a reality for all children, please consider donating to the Campaign for America's Kids. Your support will help us continue to produce and distribute Facts for Families, as well as other vital mental health information, free of charge.

You may also mail in your contribution. Please make checks payable to the AACAP and send to Campaign for America's Kids, P.O. Box 96106, Washington, DC 20090.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) represents over 7,500 child and adolescent psychiatrists who are physicians with at least five years of additional training beyond medical school in general (adult) and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Facts for Families© information sheets are developed, owned and distributed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and are supported by a grant from the Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation. Hard copies of Facts sheets may be reproduced for personal or educational use without written permission, but cannot be included in material presented for sale or profit. All Facts can be viewed and printed from the AACAP website (www.aacap.org). Facts sheets many not be reproduced, duplicated or posted on any other Internet website without written consent from AACAP. Organizations are permitted to create links to AACAP's website and specific Facts sheets. To purchase complete sets of Facts for Families, please contact the AACAP's Development and Communications Assistant at 800.333.7636, ext. 140.

The information on this website is provided for general reference purposes. It does not constitute medical or other professional advice and should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your child and adolescent psychiatrist or other physician. Only a qualified, licensed physician can determine the individual treatment that is appropriate for your particular circumstances. All decisions about clinical care should be made in consultation with a physician.

If you need immediate assistance, please dial 911.