ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- A doctor for a woman whose baby died from alcohol poisoning minutes after birth is angered that his patient will avoid a seven-year prison term if she completes an alcohol treatment program.

But treatment advocates say the sentence is the proper way to help Sherri Lohnstein battle alcoholism.

Lohnstein, a 34-year-old from Lincoln County, pleaded guilty last week in St. Charles County Circuit Court to involuntary manslaughter.

She was sentenced to four months in a substance abuse treatment program in the Missouri Department of Corrections. If she completes the treatment program, a judge can place her on probation, but she also will have to complete drug court, a program that monitors defendants to help them kick addictions.

"It's very frustrating," said Paul Tapia, the doctor who delivered Lohnstein's baby and had told Lohnstein to stop drinking while pregnant. "I think the help is there; I think that people don't utilize it. I just feel bad for the children. ... They aren't even born yet and they are already getting abused."

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sunday that some experts and counselors are applauding the decision to give offenders like Lohnstein treatment instead of prison time.

"The emphasis should be on prevention, getting women to understand the dangers and if they can't stop drinking, how to get help," said Melinda Ohlemiller, director of prevention services at St. Louis Arc, an agency that helps those with developmental disabilities, including fetal alcohol syndrome.

Prosecutors say Lohnstein was drunk the day she gave birth, with a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent. Her daughter Zreanna was born several weeks prematurely on Sept. 9, 2006, with a blood-alcohol level of 0.17 percent, and died of acute intoxication.

Lohnstein also smelled of alcohol during one checkup, and her blood-alcohol level registered 0.22 percent. In Missouri, a driver is considered legally drunk at 0.08 percent.

Lohnstein allegedly told a nurse she thought a few drinks wouldn't hurt her unborn child.