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What Causes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?
Are all babies who were exposed to alcohol (heavy drinking) before the mother found out she was pregnant doomed to have fetal alcohol syndrome or fetal alcohol effects? The mother was 14 weeks pregnant before finding out and drank heavily and of course stopped when pregnancy was confirmed. The baby will be 2 and has a speech delay. Does this mean he will definitely have other problems growing up? Thank you.
Thu, 12 Nov 2015
Hi! thank you for choosing healthcare magic.
Not all babies born to mothers who drank alcohol will have fetal alcohol syndrome. The risk depends on the amount of alcohol ingested and also the timing of alcohol intake during pregnancy. Moderate to large amounts of alcohol as well as intake during the first 3 months of pregnancy will have increased risk. We also take into consideration additional maternal risks such as advanced maternal age,low socioeconomic status and binge drinking. Fetal alcohol syndrome has distinct facial characteristics such as small head with narrow, small eyes, small upper jaw, smooth and thin upper lip. Also the baby has poor growth while still in the mothers tummy and after birth aside from the developmental delay that becomes noticeable while the child is growing up. Have you observed any of these aside from the speech delay? Its very hard to tell if the speech delay is due solely to the alcohol intake of the mother because there are also other factors to consider. How is the motor skills of the baby? Is it just the speech that is delayed? You also have to rule out any problems with hearing because this may affect his speech. It is best to have her assessed by a pediatrician for you to be guided on what to do. If your doctor sees that there's really developmental delay he may refer you to a developmental pediatrician. It is good that you've observed it early so that proper intervention can also be done immediately.
I hope I was able to help you.
Sincerely,
Hannalae Dulay-See, M.D.
Pediatrician
Not all babies born to mothers who drank alcohol will have fetal alcohol syndrome. The risk depends on the amount of alcohol ingested and also the timing of alcohol intake during pregnancy. Moderate to large amounts of alcohol as well as intake during the first 3 months of pregnancy will have increased risk. We also take into consideration additional maternal risks such as advanced maternal age,low socioeconomic status and binge drinking. Fetal alcohol syndrome has distinct facial characteristics such as small head with narrow, small eyes, small upper jaw, smooth and thin upper lip. Also the baby has poor growth while still in the mothers tummy and after birth aside from the developmental delay that becomes noticeable while the child is growing up. Have you observed any of these aside from the speech delay? Its very hard to tell if the speech delay is due solely to the alcohol intake of the mother because there are also other factors to consider. How is the motor skills of the baby? Is it just the speech that is delayed? You also have to rule out any problems with hearing because this may affect his speech. It is best to have her assessed by a pediatrician for you to be guided on what to do. If your doctor sees that there's really developmental delay he may refer you to a developmental pediatrician. It is good that you've observed it early so that proper intervention can also be done immediately.
I hope I was able to help you.
Sincerely,
Hannalae Dulay-See, M.D.
Pediatrician
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