Babies

PARTNERS FOR PREVENTION IN ALLEGANY COUNTY
... Having a healthy & joyous pregnancy ...

Facts about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of
conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank
alcohol during pregnancy. These effects can include
physical problems and problems with behavior and
learning. Often, a person with an FASD has a mix of
these problems.

Cause and Prevention

FASDs are caused by a woman drinking alcohol during
pregnancy. There is no known amount of alcohol that is
safe to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time to
drink during pregnancy and no safe kind of alcohol to
drink while pregnant.

To prevent FASDs, a woman should not drink alcohol
while she is pregnant, or even when she might get
pregnant. This is because a woman could get pregnant
and not know for several weeks or more. In the United
States, half of pregnancies are unplanned.

On behalf of PPAC, we would like to thank nurses Katie Mills,
Nancy Saupe and Jones Memorial Hospital for their
commitment to our community and our coalition! We are
proud to have them on board!

Please visit them on the web at
www.jmhny.org

FASDs refer to the whole range of effects that can happen
to a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy.
These conditions can affect each person in different ways,
and can range from mild to severe.

A person with an FASD might have:

•Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge
between the nose and upper lip (this ridge is called the
philtrum)
•Small head size
•Shorter-than-average height
•Low body weight
•Poor coordination
•Hyperactive behavior
•Difficulty paying attention
•Poor memory
•Difficulty in school (especially with math)
•Learning disabilities
•Speech and language delays
•Intellectual disability or low IQ
•Poor reasoning and judgment skills
•Sleep and sucking problems as a baby
•Vision or hearing problems
•Problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones
For more information, please visit
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/facts.html