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/

oh gosh yes morphine is marvellous I agree.
after my section I was given paracetemol all day ten some lovely mw gave me liquid morphine in a cup.
god I could have kissed her

I don't really give a toss what the WHO says. It is merely a guideline.

Besides, my meeting is now in 17 minutes... can't really get into the whole preferred method of birth debate this morning.

So the population of the US is 600,000, is it?

I don't think so.

Am waiting to hear whether it's likely that everyone in the western world prior to clean running water and tea, had FAS.

Sorry but I'm still faintly amused by 'disappointed'.

"I am really disappointed by your behaviour UK mothers. You're letting your children down, you're letting your country down and most of all you're letting yourself down"

No I don't like opiates - felt weird after my EPRC. Would much rather have an E

what's a guideline???
no it really isn't
it is an estimate. and a goal.
over medicalised birth is a far bigger issue to mother and baby health than moderate alcohol intake.
imo.

OK, I don't know where Leati got her figures from, everything I can find in the literature suggests that there is a vastly higher incidence of FAS in the US than the UK, whilst recognising that it may be somewhat under-diagnosed in the UK. Bit of a non-story there then.

Did Henry VIII have FAS?

Did Martin Luther?

Did Mary Queen of Scots?

Did Erasmus?

Etc etc.

Add your own favourite candidates...

Ha ha Orm - sounds like Alan Sugar in the apprentice "You let me dahn son, you let the team dahn, but most of all - you let yourself dahn"

Bach
Galileo
Newton

Oops ERPC - see, I do my own proof-reading

Possibly best to keep certifiable syphilitic loonies like Henry VIII out of this, eh

US pop is some 302,000,000

Medicalised birth is safer for mother and baby in my view. We best agree to disagree.

I've just been reading about one of his wives - Anne of Cleves (apparently she wasn't a minger at all )

"Let me say this Leati - whether we drink in pregnancy or not will be a moot point if the US doesnt start to look at its policy towards pollution and global warming."

This is exactly what I've been wanting to say. The future does seem bleak for our children and grandchildren anyway.

the FAS "capital" of the world is South Africa, there's lots of research going on there because there are so many cases

And as for royalties, this is taken from the main Talk page: "If you are a representative of a media or other organization you can ask our members' help with a particular article/ programme/ project for a £30 fee."

Which suggests: (a) Yes, you should pay; AND (b) You should ASK people first and tell them what you're doing.

LOL, I am building up a case which says that the reason westerners never stumbled on gas, electricity etc. until the nineteenth century was because they were all alcohol damaged. Once they sobered up, we had the industrial revolution, electricity, progress and the first world war.

Timings are a bit out though, and it doesn't explain why Asian people (who didn't have alcohol as a default drink) didn't stumble on all that stuff either.

Dammit, I'll have to wait until Leati wakes up to pursue the proposition. I'm sure she'll be able to find some "evidence" for it.

An interesting proposition Bella, and at least as valid as many on here

If you look at Holbein's picture of her, she looks very pretty by modern tastes.

Apparantly she smelled though, and had big breasts so he didn't fancy her. She probably had FAS as well, so that would have counted against her. Although as he would have had it too, surely he wouldn't have noticed?

£30 seems a bit mean. Might be more agreeable if it was £300 (per person) What does everyone else think.? Shall we negotiate our terms?

Very witty littlebella I like the theory.

Maybe Holbein had it too, and it affected his painting skills?

Nah, that was the heroin