Cindy Ellis – mother of 7 says, “All I saw was a little girl who was age 1 and 11 pounds, and she was tiny and had needs.”

Cindy is talking about pictures of her adopted daughter Serena who has had multiple surgeries and faces a lifetime of problems. All because her birth mother drank during pregnancy.

Cindy says, “We were even told by a neurologist that Serena…would probably freeze in time, that she would not probably progress past age 5 or 6.”

Unfortunately, the birth mother didn’t stay sober long enough to deliver Serena’s little sister – Samantha.

Steve Ellis – father of 7 says, “Samantha when she was born, they said she was hung over basically.”

Cindy says, “Samantha ended up having 3 open heart surgeries by the time she was 4 months old.”

Joann Condie, RN – counselor, Focus on the Family says, “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a medical term that’s used to describe a list of birth defects found in children whose mothers were drinking during their pregnancy… mental handicaps, physical problems, neurological issues, behavioral problems, it’s a lifelong permanent issue.”

Life long issues that have presented the girls with enormous physical challenges.

Cindy says, “They were both hearing impaired. They’re about 2 years behind in growth, they have to take shots ever day to try to help with that… dental is a major issue, both girls have had a couple of surgeries… because it just basically eats away at the enamel of the teeth.”

Doctors have also told the Ellises to expect many developmental problems, as well.

Cindy says, “What you might have taught them today, they don’t remember tomorrow. Like a spelling test, they can know all the words one day and the next day they would act like they have never even seen the words before.”

Joann says, “When the mother ingests alcohol, it passes through the placenta to the child and the child is not able to metabolize it like an adult would… which then starts doing damage for the developing child.”

So how much alcohol can a pregnant woman safely drink? Actually, the answer is none at all. We’ll explore that issue in the next segment of this special series.