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/

Lovely synopsis - have you thought of offering your services to the Reduced Shakespeare Co??

Good synopsis LittleLupin and good Foreword Marina

parts of it were... dodgy english

I think it's meths I'd need it if I had to live with someone so supercilious & perfect!

Oh yes - was more shocked by the grammar and spelling. She teaches.

tee hee hee thanks LL. Marina - not just me then.

Look, I found this on Google, it must be true - men will be able to give birth!

A leading British fertility expert, Lord Winston, says it should be possible for a man to carry a baby to term and then deliver it by a Caesarean section. In Winston's view, modern medical technology will soon allow homosexual male couples to bear children, or allow a heterosexual male to carry a child if his wife is unable to for medical reasons.

"Male pregnancy would certainly be possible and would be the same as when a woman has an ectopic pregnancy outside the uterus although to sustain it, you'd have to give the man lots of female hormones," Winston told the Times. He will outline the concept in his new book, The IVF Revolution. IVF stands for in vitro fertilization.

Bring it on!

LL - you were funnier than me there

do they shoot pregnant drinkers in the states ? or is it the leccy chair?

yes but it'll never happen LL as they won't be able to drink.. one drop.. not even a sniff...

So what about if a heterosexual man's wife is able to, but doesn't want to? I honestly don't think they would cope with the pg let alone the birth.

like the movie with schwartzenegger!

To add a smidgen of seriousness - I think women who smoke when pregnant are NUTS. But while it is still legal to buy a packet of fags, I will always defend their right to do so.

And the same applies for alcohol - they are legally allowed to, they have the choice.

my synopsis

DS1 Genius (confirmed) I spent first 9 wks of being pregnant with him (unaware) quite seriously pissed.
dd - rare genetic condition -abstained from booze.. - mostly due to 30 wks of hyperemesis, but abstained nonetheless.

ds2 - odd half glass of Guinness or lager, not as often as weekly. He is a fabulous baby.

The info is there for the reading, we all make informed decisions

I am certainly as well read as OP
And am far too clever to be patronised by OP

So bog off and be sanctimonious elsewhere, go donate to charity and make a difference to someone for real.

I'm going to find haychee, she's easily as tenacious as Leati, hopefully she's on our side!

My friend of a few years ago used to smoke all through her four pregnancies. As far as I know the kids are all Ok and she's a great mum, but it had me baffled. I never commented on it but we rarely speak nowadays...don't understand each other...

I have a friend like that too - all 4 kids are fine and healthy, and were big babies. I couldn't agree either but it was her choice as is everything in life!

Having watched a doc on FAS last year I can truely say, you will not give this to your child if you have the odd glass of wine when carrying a little one. You have to be drinking regular and fairly large amounts.

It is something we know little about in the UK, but it is very hard to pinpoint this syndrome.

Love LittleLupin's synopsis - for anyone joining this thread - THERE IS NO NEED TO READ ANY MORE THAN THAT!

LL - your synopsis was good, but didn't quite capture the air of sanctamonious patronism

is patronism a word? Those bottles of whiskey are slowly killing my brain cells

Do you know - no matter how many times I load this page or restart my browser, Marina's post is always blurry like it's been encrypted or something - is there some kind of conspiracy going on? What does it say??

Weirdy weirdy.

Ha ha, can just see the headlines now........................................."BRITISH WOMEN CARE MORE ABOUT GOOD GRAMMAR THAN THE HEALTH OF THEIR UNBORN CHILDREN: SHOCKING EVIDENCE OF MODERATE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION DURING PREGNANCY"

It says:
I think a lot of well-informed people have wasted a great deal of time trying to engage in courteous debate with the OP. Like Kewcumber I lost the will to keep reading after the second lot of poorly formatted wodges of cut and pasted text.
Hardly a glowing endorsement of intellectual superiority through more virtuous living.

Very odd (your computer, not her post)

Do you think she's ever going to return to explain why some recommendations have to be adhered to fanatically and some can be ignored if you shock think for yourself?

ladylush PMSL
"THE ODD DRINK IN PREGNANCY LEADS TO PEDANTRY
...OH AND FAS"