International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day 2023: alcohol while expecting. However, because the alcohol was administered intravenously, the expectant woman could still receive the treatment and become intoxicated even after passing out.
Before two physicians raised the alarm, the deleterious effect of this form of treatment was unknown. In 1973, the University of Washington Medical School’s Drs. Kenneth Lyons Jones and David Weyhe Smith coined the term Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. In eight unrelated children born to alcoholic mothers, they identified a pattern of skull, facial, limb, and cardiac defects linked to prenatal growth deficiency and developmental delay.
Due to the fact that the adverse effects of alcohol exposure depend on the timing and quantity of alcohol consumed during pregnancy, fetal alcohol characteristics vary from child to child. This presents a challenge for diagnosticians, as the lack of observable symptoms means that it is frequently undiagnosed. Nonetheless, F.A.S.D. sufferers frequently exhibit memory issues, sluggish thought processes, and hyperactive behavior.
On September 9, 1999, the first International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day was observed. Bonnie Buxton and Brian Philcox, parents of fetal alcohol children, along with Teresa Kellerman, director of the FAS Community Resource Center in Arizona, conceived of this day. September 9 was chosen so that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that women should desist from alcohol during the nine months of pregnancy.
5 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ALCOHOL
- One in eight women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, consumes four or more intoxicating beverages at a time.
- All alcoholic beverages, regardless of their alcohol content, are detrimental to pregnant women.
- In the United States, alcohol consumption is the primary preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disorders.
- Specialists such as developmental physicians, child psychologists, and clinical geneticists assist in the diagnosis and treatment of F.A.S.D. in children.
- Australia has F.A.S.D. advice cards that fit in a wallet. If their children experience sensory excess in public, parents and guardians distribute these to bystanders.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERNATIONAL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDER AWARENESS DAY?
Since F.A.S.D. is preventable, pregnant women who abstain from alcohol are assured of having healthy infants.
More individuals must be made aware of the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This day is ideal for awareness-raising.
When infants are delivered healthy, families celebrate. This holiday promotes healthier children and happier families.
INTERNATIONAL FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | September 9 | Saturday |
| 2024 | September 9 | Monday |
| 2025 | September 9 | Tuesday |
| 2026 | September 9 | Wednesday |
| 2027 | September 9 | Thursday |
