Each year, approximately 40,000 babies are born with symptoms of prenatal alcohol exposure (Lupton, 2003). This figure will only increase if the risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is not brought to public attention. When the mother drinks alcohol, so does the fetus, which will lead to physical and behavioral problems after birth. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is completely preventable and irreversible. Awareness and prevention of FAS are important. Pregnant women should know general information about the syndrome, some common symptoms, signs and treatments, and the mental and physical abnormalities that will occur because of this lifelong syndrome. The term fetal alcohol syndrome was first described in 1973 after it was recognized. of a specific profile of craniofacial, limb and cardiac malformations in unrelated infants born to alcoholic mothers. Since the term was coined, fetal alcohol syndrome has gradually been recognized as a public health problem. The first medical criterion for diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome was developed seven years later, in 1980 (Watts, 2004). When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes easily through the placenta to the fetus. The placenta is the organ that develops during pregnancy and provides the fetus with the nutrients it needs to develop. This means that when the mother drinks a glass of wine, so does the fetus. Alcohol breaks down much more slowly in the baby's body than in the adult's, so the baby is drunk longer than the mother. This is very dangerous and can cause permanent damage. Alcohol consumption stunts the baby's growth. A baby may not grow properly if he doesn't get the oxygen and nutrients he needs to thrive. If the baby stops growing before birth, an intrauterine injection...... middle of paper ......ction. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002469/• Johnson, A. (September 8, 2011). Alcohol's risk to the fetus is long-term, health advocates warn. Columbus Expedition. Retrieved from http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/09/08/alcohols-risk-to-fetus-stressed-as-long-term.html• Jones, K. (2012). Fetal alcohol syndrome. Retrieved from http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/alerts/l/blnaa13.htm• Lupton, C. (December 11, 2011). The financial impact of fetal alcohol syndrome. Retrieved from http://fasdcenter.samhsa.gov/index.cfm• Storck, S. (March 21, 2010). Alcohol and pregnancy. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007454.htm• Watts, R. (March 9, 2004). The chilling irony of fetal alcohol syndrome. Times Colonist, • Zolotova, E. (2011, November 2011). Disappointed hopes; lives damaged. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,