It can be easily deduced from the general name of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorders that they are all caused by the substance named alcohol. In fact, it has not yet been stated conclusively how much alcohol is capable of causing a detrimental effect on the health of the baby. But there is one thing that is certain - by making alcohol consumption a constant habit mother places her unborn baby at a considerable risk of developing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Alcohol consumption can also have a detrimental effect on the potential baby if a woman is only planning to get pregnant. It order to give a quick outline of how alcohol influences the developing baby it is necessary to point out that alcohol is the substance that is capable of infringing the placenta's barrier and thus reach towards the baby. Even a couple of drinks can be actually crucial for the baby. It is certainly undesirable for the woman to give birth to a baby with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders because they include the following symptoms which are generally named as Fetal Alcohol syndrome. A baby with this kind of disorder can be born abnormally small, there is also a risk on mental retardation and heart problems. Another condition which is a rather frequent occurrence when it comes to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders is the distorted facial features, such as cleft lip. Other defects to be mentioned are kidney and liver problems as well as hearing and vision disabilities. It has been confirmed by research that babies born with Fetal Alcohol syndrome do not necessarily have all of the features mentioned above. Speaking about the harmful influence of alcohol consumption by a pregnant woman, it is necessary to point out that women who have made drinking alcohol a habit of theirs also stand a much greater chance of having miscarriages or a stillborn baby. Every drink may be crucial and a pregnant woman should correlate whether it is worth the potential negative effects. It would be safest to ignore alcohol at all if a woman is planning a pregnancy or if there is a chance that she is already pregnant. In the recent years numerous experiments and profound research has demonstrated the strong connection between the risk of childbirth defects development and malnutrition of the mother on the early stages of pregnancy. And as it has been mentioned above, drinking alcohol during pregnancy, be it beer or wine or other, is an almost certain cause of disorders. Every pregnant woman should realize that by drinking any type of alcohol, she is making her baby to drink it too, as it passes through the placenta and reaches the baby. Unfortunately not all women realize the gravity of the detrimental effect produced by alcohol and all of the possible fetal alcohol effects. Therefore one of the things you can do to protect the unborn baby of your friend or partner is to make they are fully aware of the risks involved in the alcohol consumption by pregnant women. It may also be a good idea to refer the woman to treatment professional that will provide useful assistance.