Melanie, who is 18 years old, continued drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes during her pregnancy. when she gave birth at 34 weeks, her daughter weighed 4 pounds. now 9 months old, her daughter is not sitting up by herself and is showing signs of other motor control difficulties. she may have:

The answer is Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal development of the brain or damage to the developing brain that affects a child’s ability to control his or her muscles.  

Certain research suggests that smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of cerebral palsy in offspring. Other research also suggests that heavy maternal alcohol consumption is a direct cause of pre/perinatally acquired cerebral palsy.

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