What effect does alcohol have on a fetus?
A woman who drinks alcohol while she is pregnant may harm her developing baby (fetus). Alcohol can pass from the mother s blood into the baby s blood. It can damage and affect the growth of the baby s cells. Brain and spinal cord cells are most likely to have damage. The term fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes the range of alcohol effects on a child. The problems range from mild to severe. Alcohol can cause a child to have physical or mental problems that may last all of his or her life. The effects of alcohol can include: • Odd facial features. A child may have a small head, flat face, and narrow eye openings. It may be hard to pick out one trait. But in general, a child’s head and face just don’t look right. This gets more obvious by age 2 or 3. • Growth problems. Children who were exposed to alcohol before they were born may be smaller than other children of the same age. • Learning and behavior problems. • Birth defects. Problems can occur that involve parts of the bo
