The Foothills Fetal Alcohol Society is hoping expectant mothers will keep their child's health in mind when they head out to enjoy the holiday season.

Danna Ormstrup, Executive Director of the FFAS, says alcohol is the number one leading substance that goes right through the placenta.

"There's not a lot of filtering that goes on so directly from mom to baby. The outcome for some people is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and that's a medical condition that effects both body and brain to a whole continuum of effects," she explains. "So some cognition issues, something we call executive functioning which is planning, learning from consequences, prioritizing, those kinds of skills, to adaptive functioning and all kinds of body things as well."

Ormstrup says friends and family can act as supports.

"We put the call out to all those who are around pregnant people this Christmas because it's really hard. I know lots of people that say "if I just had somebody with me just reminding me' because the temptation is to have that one glass of wine, so sometimes it takes a good friend or a partner, sister, or a neighbour to say 'let me go get your drinks for you tonight so you're not going to be tempted', or whatever other options there might be."

Foothills Fetal Alcohol Society offers assessment diagnosis in their office.

The society currently supports about 100 families.

To learn more about assessments and the society click here.

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