When
You Are Pregnant,
Drinking Can Hurt Your Baby
When you
are pregnant, your baby grows inside you. Everything you eat
and drink while you are pregnant affects your baby. If you drink
alcohol, it can hurt your baby's growth.
Your baby may have physical and behavioral problems that can
last for the rest of his or her life. Children born with the
most serious problems caused by alcohol have fetal alcohol syndrome.
Children
with Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome May:
• Be
born small.
• 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.
Here
Are Some Questions You May Have About Alcohol and Drinking
While You Are Pregnant.
1. Can
I drink alcohol if I am pregnant?
No.
Do not drink alcohol when you are pregnant. Why? Because when
you drink alcohol, so does your baby. Think about it. Everything
you drink, your baby also drinks.
2. Is any
kind of alcohol safe to drink during pregnancy?
No.
Drinking any kind of alcohol when you are pregnant can hurt
your baby. Alcoholic drinks are beer, wine, wine coolers, liquor,
or mixed drinks. A glass of wine, a can of beer, and a mixed
drink all have about the same amount of alcohol.
3. What
if I drank during my last pregnancy and my baby was fine?
Every
pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol may hurt one baby more
than another. You could have one child that is born healthy,
and another child that is born with problems.
4. Will
these problems go away?
No.
These problems will last for a child's whole life. People with
severe problems may not be able to take care of themselves as
adults. They may never be able to work.
5. What
if I am pregnant and have been drinking?
If
you drank alcohol before you knew you were pregnant, stop drinking
now. You will feel better and your baby will have a good chance
to be born healthy. If you want to get pregnant, do not drink
alcohol. You may not know you are pregnant right away. Alcohol
can hurt a baby even when you are only 1 or 2 months pregnant.
6. How
can I stop drinking?
There
are many ways to help yourself stop drinking. You do not have
to drink when other people drink. If someone gives you a drink,
it is OK say no. Stay away from people or places that make you
drink. Do not keep alcohol at home.
If
you cannot stop drinking, GET HELP. You may have a disease called
alcoholism.
There are
programs that can help you stop drinking. They are called
alcohol
treatment programs. Your
doctor or nurse can find a program to help you. Even if you
have been through a treatment program before, try it again.
There are programs just for women.
For
help and information
You
can get help from a doctor, nurse, social worker, pastor, or
clinics and programs near you.
For
confidential information, you can contact:
Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA)
check your
local phone book for
listings in your area
Internet address: http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.org
National
Council on Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence
12 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
(800) 622-2255
Internet address: http://www.ncadd.org
National
Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism
6000 Executive Boulevard, Suite 409
Bethesda, MD 20892-7003
(301) 443-3860
Internet address: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov
National
Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
1819 H Street, NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20006
(800) 66-NOFAS
Internet address: http://www.nofas.org
Prepared: September 1998
|
.gif)
