Page 13 - Zero for nine: Reducing alcohol use during pregnancy via health counselling and Internet-based computer-tailored feedback

central nervous system during the foetal development. Finally, alcohol 1 may contribute to excessive death of cells, for example in the brains
(Goodlett & Horn, 2001). Not all unborn babies will suffer in the same way
from prenatal alcohol use. The likelihood and severity of these effects
increase with the mother’s quantity and frequency of alcohol intake, her number of pregnancies, age and unhealthy nutritional habits; they decrease with the mother’s weight (May, et al., 2008), her genetics (e.g. presence of allele ADH1 B*3; Scott & Taylor, 2007) and the speed with which her liver breaks down the alcohol (Chernoff, 1980). As not all risk and protective factors are known before birth, it cannot be calculated beforehand which consequences of prenatal alcohol use result from the interference of prenatal alcohol use with the cellular processes during prenatal development.
Consequences of prenatal alcohol use during pregnancy and after birth
When prenatal alcohol use interferes with cellular processes of the developing foetus, several consequences can be expected, varying with the stage of the pregnancy in which alcohol is being consumed. During the first weeks of pregnancy, alcohol can increase the risk of miscarriage (Armstrong, McDonald, & Sloan, 1992). In the first trimester, alcohol can deform body parts including the heart, arms, eyes, legs, teeth, palate, external genitals and ears, which are formed in this period. In the second and third trimester, alcohol consumption can have a negative influence on the growth of the foetus. As the central nervous system develops throughout the pregnancy, alcohol use during the whole pregnancy can cause neurological damage (Coles, 1994).
After birth, various effects of prenatal alcohol consumption may become visible. These effects are irreversible. Due to the negative influence of alcohol on the growth, the child may be smaller or lighter than average (e.g. Whitehead & Lipscomb, 2003). Children exposed to prenatal alcohol may also have facial abnormalities. The most severely affected children have narrow eye slits, a smooth philtrum (gutter between nose and upper lip) and a thin upper lip. Other facial abnormalities may be a low nasal bridge, low ears, a narrow chin, abnormalities of the teeth and a high palate (e.g. Sulik, Cook, & Webster, 1988). Finally, neurological damage can manifest itself in behavioural and neurological abnormalities
General Introduction
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