Babies fetal alcohol syndrome

All of the CNS depressants can pass through the placenta. Newborn babies with dependent mothers may be physically dependent themselves and have withdrawal symptoms that include tremors, irritability, hyperactivity, and feeding and breathing problems. There may be birth defects such as fetal alcohol syndrome, which consists of abnormal facial features, a small head, mental retardation, and poor coordination. 

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental and physical defects that develops in some offspring when exposed to alcohol in utero. The first trimester is the most susceptible period. Some babies with alcohol-related birth defects, such as lower birth weight and body size and neurological impairments, do not have all of the classic FAS symptoms. These outcomes are often referred to as fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Currently there is not total agreement among medical scientists concerning the precise differences between FAE and FAS. In addition to growth retardation, the most common outcomes of fetal alcohol syndrome include psychomotor dysfunction and craniofacial anomalies. 

The observed growth deficiencies are associated with an inability of the baby to catch up due to a slower than normal rate of development. Other infrequent outcomes include skeletal malformations such as deformed ribs and sternum, scoliosis, malformed digits, and microcephaly. Distinctive facial anomalies have been associated with a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome small eye openings, epicanthal folds, failure of eyes to move in the same direction, short upturned nose, flat or absent groove between nose and upper lip, and thin upper lip. Visceral deformities may also be present heart defects, genital malformations, kidney, and urinary defects. 

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