Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 29, 1987 Page: 7 of 32
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Burleson Star, Thursday, January 29. 1987—7 A
Drinking, pregnancy don’t mix
iti mi vur jou.\t m n un,!
Don t Drink
\lrohol!
f etal Alcohol Syndrome Is the third leading cause of mental retar
datlon according to the Association for Retarded Citizens. Prenatal
care Is Important and It Includes not drinking alcohol. Alcohol
passes from the mother directly into the fetus’ bloodsueam In as
short a time as 10 minutes after Ingestion.
ALL IS FORGIVEN.
Return your overdue Burleson l*ublic
Library books to your local Burleson
VVhataburger restaurant and get a free
small order of French Fries.
No fines charged on overdue Burleson
lYiblic Library books if returned to your
local Burleson Whataburger restaurant
between February 2 and February 15.
IhcGieat Bigksfc\bu'n;HungoR)r
WHATABURGER
Mothers-to-be run untold
risks if drinking alcohol
c
BY JOLENE RUTLEDGE
Waiting for the birth of a babv
is a joyous time in a couple's life.
After the great announcement,
the parents-to-be discuss whether
it will be a boy or a girl. The most
important thing to the couple is
"We just want the baby to be
healthy.''
“Prenatal care is important!”
said Murrell Whelan, program
coordinator for the Association
for Retarded Citizens (ARC). Ac-
cording to ARC, prenatal care in-
cludes not drinking alcohol —preg-
nancy and drinking don't mix!
Numerous research studies
show that drinking alcohol dur-
ing pregnancy can be harmful to
the fetus bv causing mental retar-
dation and physical handicaps,
as reported by ARC
"Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is
the third leading cause of mental
retardation after Down's Syn-
drome and early oxygen depriva-
tion," said Whelan.
She noted that statistics come
from their national office and
research resources from nation-
wide studies.
FAS IS A specific pattern of
altered growth, structure, and
function in the offspring of
women who consume alcohol
during pregnancy The syndrome
was first discovered as a disease
in the United States in 1973 The
symptoms are not apparent until
the child is bom and they occur
in one of 750 births
Depending on various factors,
FAS symptoms may be mild or
severe. According to the Wiscon-
sin Association on Alcoholism
and Other Drug Abuse, the fac-
tors include how much alcohol is
consumed and at what stage
of pregnancy
Exactly why some women can
consume alcohol during pre-
gnancy and give birth to a
healthy child is unknown. W helan
said, "Some people can tolerate
more alcohol than others Women
should check with their personal
physician '
ARC noted that researchers are
unsure of what constitutes a safe
level of alcohol consumption
during pregnancy. Full-blown
FAS symptoms have been clearly
linked to heavy alcohol use.
However, some research has in-
dicated moderate alcohol intake
(one to lour drinks per day) can
increase the risk of spontaneous
abortion, lowered birth weight,
unusual physical development,
lowered IQ, and central nervous
system damage.
Burleson physician Dr Nelda
Cunniff said, "Drinking alcohol
while pregnant is risky Trie first
day a woman misses her
menstmal period through the se-
cond month is a high risk time
People just don't realize how
toxic dnnktng is'"
ACCORDING TO \R( the
most tragic aspect ot fetal
alcohol syndrome is that alcohol-
related birth defects are com-
pletclv preventable. Alcohol, as
well as other drugs such as caf-
feine and nicotine, passes from
the mother directly into the fetus
bloodstream in as short a time as
10 minutes after ingestion Tins
is especially significant in that
damage can occur before the
woman realizes she’s pregnant
Whelan said, "The purpose ot
ARC is to focus on prevention
Prevention is the issue Fiftv per-
cent of mental retardation can be
prevented. This is a very delicate
issue We don’t want people who
weren't aware ot the issue (drink-
ing while pregnant) to feel guiltv
We want to speak to thoce who
still have the opportunity to
have children."
In addition to the increased
chance for birth defects, the
Georgia Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Services reports that women who
consume alcohol while pregnant
have a greater chance for spon-
taneous abortions and stillbirths.
Effects on the fetus stemming
from binge dunking are less
clear and are based on the
results of animal studies Accord-
ing to a report prepared tor ARC
bv Ken Jones, M D . and Gerald
Chemoft, Ph D. a high blood
alcohol level duting a critical
time of fetal development is
necessary to produce FAS
The report suggested small
amounts of alcohol consumption
on a daily basis may not be as
significant as the maximum con-
centrations obtained through
binge drinking at a critical mo-
ment Binge drinking, especially
in early pregnancy before a
woman realizes she’s pregnant,
has been linked to brain mal-
formations
FAS CAN MANIFEST itself in
the following ways: small size
and weight, abnormally small
head, a flattened face with
narrow eves and drooping lids,
flat upper lip, blunt jaw, and
receding chin: heaii or kidney
problems; trouble bending arms
and legs; mental retardation,
brain damage, or other learning
disabilities; cleft lip or palate, or
malformed hands or feet
According to the surgeon
general of the United States, the
best precaution is to totally abs-
tain from alcohol beginning
when the woman decides she
wants to become pregnant or, if
the pregnancy is unplanned, im-
mediatelv upon learning she is
pregnant
Women should continue to
abstain from alcohol and other
drugs not only during this time
but also during the period when
thev are nursing their babies.
Alcohol can be transferred to the
baby through the mother’s
milk.
I’he effects of alcohol use on
the father's part in the concep-
tion of a fetus are still unknown,
but research into the question is
ongoing Scientists do know,
however that alcohol can harm
the testicles and that heavy drink-
ing (five or more dnnks per day)
is linked to low sperm count.
Even before a woman becomes
pregnant, there are things a cou-
ple should know about prevent-
ng mental retardation and other
birth detects. ARC suggests
couples follow four basic rules
before conceiving a child. The
tules include (1) follow habits of
proper nutrition. (2) avoid
alcohol and tobacco; (3) beware
of too much exposure to X-ravs;
(4) a couple should ask their
doctor about genetic counseling
if mental retardation of unknown
cause has occurred in their
families.
Whelan said, "We want people
to become more aware of the ef-
fects of alcohol and drugs. We
want to do anything we can do to
prevent mental retardation "
Foi more information about
the Association for Retarded
Citizens, call the Fort Worth of-
fice at (817) 831-0572 or write
National Headquarters. P 0. Box
6109, Arlington 76006.
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Moody, James. Burleson Star (Burleson, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 32, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 29, 1987, newspaper, January 29, 1987; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth761134/m1/7/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Burleson Public Library.