To be disappointed in hearing that many UK woman drink during pregnancy [shock]

[Leati]

Yesterday, I was on a thread when some of the women started questioning about US policy on drinking alcohol during pregnancies. One of the women had heard that if you have a glass of wine, you could be arrested. I assured her that wasn't true but there was chance that if you were visibly pregnant that the restaurant or bar might exercise their right to refuse service. And if a pediatrician became suspicious of drug or alcohol abuse, they could have the baby?s blood tested at birth. If the baby is found to have these in their blood, the child will be taken away. Another woman pitched that she found it disturbing that restaurants had signs warning pregnant women.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. These women seemed to believe it was actually okay to drink during their pregnancies. Hadn't they heard of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. So today, I did a little research and was shocked to learn that it is a big problem in the UK and that there is little education about it there.

Women who are angry over mothers choosing the bottle over nursing are damaging their children by drinking alcohol. This is not minor damage, in some case it is equivalent to severe mental retardation and in others it less obvious cognitive problems. Overall nearly 10% of babies born in the UK are suffering from some sort of cognitive problems directly related to alcohol exposure in the womb.

What broke my heart the most is that I have been on this site and I know that the mothers on this site care so much for their children. That while I may not always agree with everything said and our perspectives are not always the same, that we share a common love for our children. So I felt compelled to start this thread and share the information. I hope that you will share it, with your loved ones and it may spread.

I have attached some sites so you can research this yourself. These sites are both from the UK and the US.

www.fasaware.co.uk/

www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/west/series2/fetal_alcohol_syndro mfaspregnancydrinkinglearning_difficulties.shtml

www.healthychildrenproject.org/glossa ry/

I am giving Leati short shrift because she is posting innaccurate and therefore highly misleading statistics.

I said in an earlier post that she had a point to make, but that she was making it in a massively unhelpful fashion.

Okay, I admit...I did the math and the numbers were really off. Does that mean that you are okay with 135 of these babies are born with Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder and 19.5 per 10,000: Natl Org. of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome .

Okay, I admit...I did the math and the numbers were really off. Does that mean that you are okay with 135 of these babies are born with Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder and 19.5 per 10,000: Natl Org. of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome .

You are talking solely from your own opinion.

Are you not self aware enough to see the difference ?

VeniVidiVickiQV. Thank you. That is a deffering opinion that is well voiced and reasonable. I accept and respect your views. Listen up, Leati.

crikey leati it is 2.30am now in California! go to bed woman.

Leati - do those stats not tie up with the number of alcoholics giving birth? I would have thought that was quite obvious really.

Maybe she's pissed

good point bobsmum

Gizmo

Obviously, not every mother who drinks gives her baby FAS. But she does expose her infant to the risks of having birth defects.

Would you let your infant drink wine?

Would you put it in your infants bottles because it puts her or him to sleep and makes you feel "less stressed"

I agree that Paeds, MW's, HV's and GP's are behind on latest research, guidelines and advice. It certainly reflects that on information they pass on regarding b/feeding and weaning guidelines.

Haven't got time to read all replies so I'm sure this has already been said but...

FAS is only a problem if you drink to excess. Having a single glass of wine once or twice during the week will not harm you or you baby.
Stop scaremongering! Don't you think there are enough scary things about being pregnant and enough blooming rules!

Actually, I don't see anywhere on the site or on the page that shows those babies were born strictly to alcoholics or not born.

Leati - read my link:

\link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1012007.stm/1 in 20 Britons hooked on drink}

my mum used to dip my dummy in whisky

Links

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Hooray. Now we're getting somewhere.

So if not every mother who drinks gives her child FAS, then what do think makes the difference between those mothers who drink and whose children get FAS, and those mothers who drink and whose children do not get FAS?

Could it be the amount they are dinking, perhaps?

Actually, my mother put brandy in my cousins milk bottles one night because they were crying non-stop, and it didnt do them any harm

She didnt tell their mother at the time, or to this day that she'd done it though

1 in 20

No, Leati, because the stress is a factor when the child is subjected to high cortisol levels in your body. Don't be ridiculous.

thanks LL i was getting all funny eyed looking at all the URL's!

Or drinking, even?

Leati
i am very concerned about your child and that you are feeding him/her gluten at 5 months .

please go google all the effects of it
but please don't cut and paste it on here for us. we know all about it in the UK.

there are far more children with intestinal/digestive problems from early weaning/inappropriate food than there are from FAS.

why are you choosing to ignore this advice?

Somebody quoted WHO and CDC website earlier. Both websites recommend that mother substain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

you mean abstain?