Friday, September 9, 2011

Think before you drink

A glass of wine

A beautiful summer evening, dinner out with friends, a glass of wine...sounds great, doesn't it? But not if you're pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant.

When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders, known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in the United States, yet it is 100% preventable.

Today is FAS Awareness Day. The first FAS Day was celebrated on 9/9/99.  This day was chosen so that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from alcohol.

To read about how FAS has affected my daughter's and my lives, read Downey mother and daughter reflect on FAS Awareness Day from today's Downey Patriot. To learn more about FAS, see the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's web page on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs).

And remember to protect that baby!

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