We all know that during pregnancy it is very important to take of yourself and your baby. For example, if you want a healthy baby there are several things you must do like undergo prenatal care and maintain a well balanced diet. Since I've NEVER been pregnant, I decided to research online to see what exactly one should do to maintain this healthy lifestyle. Articles from Kids Health and March of dimes have listed a variety of ways in which you can do so. But aside from the things you SHOULD do while being pregnant, there are also several things that you AVOID!!!
Teratogen, for example, is a substance or a process that interferes with normal prenatal development. It usually causes some sort of birth defect that can affect a child's life forever. One common teratogen is the effects of alcohol during pregnancy. Im sure you have heard that you shouldn't drink alcohol during pregnancy. Have you ever you wondered why?
What exactly is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and what are the affects?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a disorder that a child develops due to alcohol drinking of the mother while being pregnant. The outcome causes growth, mental, and physical problems to the child. Basically when a mother drinks the alcohol crosses the placental barrier and which can create many damages to developmental neurons and brain structures. Usually causes many cognitive and functional disabilities.
Below is a video of the story of Iyal, a boy who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and how his family dealt with his disorder.
This video is important so we can all understand the effects of alcohol during pregnancy and how much it can later on change the families and individual's life.
Attending college and being surrounded by many people who are "barely adults," I felt this is an important message to get across. Many girls get pregnant and for some reason find it okay to continue to party and drink (knowing their pregnant of course). I see it all the time! and its sad because they think that if they drink only a little bit it wont really make a huge difference. Little do they know that sometimes "the amount" is not the determining factor, but the time (term of pregnancy) of when your drinking. There are higher risks during the beginning stages of brain development. I personally feel that you just drink period! Its not worth it. A baby is an innocent human being who shouldn't suffer because of the dumb choices we all make. And If you feel that you are one who has had issues with being able to control your drinking prior to being pregnant then maybe you should seek some kind of help.
This is a very important syndrome that ALL women need to be aware! Like you stated some young mothers are unaware of the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy! I truly believe that the parents are responsible for the majority of the child development and having the right care for your child is essential to minimize the probability of any brith disorder or defect. The story of Iyal is very insightful, i got to witness the behaviors to look for in my future field! Like him there are many not getting the adequate care to cope with this disorder, because the mexican culture looks at the child being "chiflado" children go on developing without health allied care and face deeper consequences. Thank you! very interesting blog.
ReplyDeleteThis list is extremely familiar to me. I saw this list on my Lifespan class of spring 2012 and we actually had to make a discussion about the teratogens. Personally I found it really interesting to know that there A LOT of substances that interfere with normal prenatal development. I choose AIDS and went into detail about the life threatening consequences of having AIDS and the worst part is that the baby is completely innocent of having AIDS and death at a young age is very likely. Let me go back to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. It is true that a lot of teenage expectant mothers find it easy to drink "only one more cup," to me it does not make any sense because drinking should not be such a habit for anyone (especially if someone is underage!), especially if someone knows they are expecting why would they want to put their child at danger and then live with the repercussions of their poor choices all their lives? Still, not only teenage girls do this, even mature ladies will continue to drink and think it is no big deal. I would never put my child in danger by drinking, consuming drugs or anything else. Prenatal care is vital for an unborn baby. I always knew that someone with fetal alcohol syndrome could be hyperactive but I didn’t know that they could be so emotional too! Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I think women are tough because they can give birth to babies. Secondly, I am glad to be a “man”. So then teratogen is simply another word for diseases? Bizarrely enough, some women know that they are doing badly by drinking alcohol and yet they still do. Fetal Alcohol Syndrom is truly a scary thing. Pobre Iyal, it is tough. Women should simply say “NO” to alcohol while pregnant. If their significant other still drinks while a woman is pregnant, they should tell them “You know what is good for you and it is not that” and then wink at them. I guarantee that they will stop drinking on the spot. It’s not just the girls fault some doctors tell them to drink a little bit, I remember my mom tells me that, that’s what the doctor would tell her before I was born. Personally, I think you are going to make a great mother because you seem to truly care about the little babies.
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