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/

Haychee, do you ever do anything but moan about MN and its users?

Honestly, why are you still here?

Can I point out that when other people have come on and agreed with Laeti, but been prepared to have a debate about it, the responses have been more adult and positive

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oh dear now miscounting 18!

can I be the first to do an evuil laugh? MWAHHAHHAH!

thanks.

Haychee you rock. I am SO going to think of you as a reasoned poster after you called us all evil. Rational debate. Love it.

where has she gone to

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she has gone somewhere else to have a 'rational debate' of course!

.

im not going anywhere expat. Just because some of you have been coming here for years does not entitle you to say who and who should not be allowed to have an opinion or a concern on certain issues.
I think some of the comments made to leati here and some made to me previously are simply out of order and in no way constuctive and are actually childish and bitchy.

There is a world of a difference from someone who has a passinate view and wants to debate it, Haychee, and someone who starts posting on MN with a drive to 'tell us all where we are going wrong'.

I well remember a pervious poster who dropped in to MN to rant (and I use the word advisidly) about the evils (ditto) of vaccination. Now, I'm the veteran of lots of informed debates on vaccination, and feel I have benefitted massivly from them. People debate passinatly, but they do debate, not simply rant.

If the op wants to be listened to, she needs to listen herself, not simply lecture to us.

im telling my mum of you

one woman's childish and bitchy is another's pointed and pithy. Calling people evil for having an opinion is just... childish and bitchy.

if you dont want to listen to a lecture then go elsewhere. Leati obviously has done alot of reading on a topic that has affected her personally she wanted to share her concerns with us here to raise awareness not to lecture.

I could say the same about some 'members' of MN, haychee .

But that's okay, keep on posting!

But MN is for discussion and debate - which is what we were trying to do, but she was having none of it

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I wonder if this has reached capacity by the time I've read through and had a chance to post?

Oh, and Hi Haychee! I love your persistence, girl.

Childish and bitchy is good too.

Mumsnet is GREAT!

I was calling some of you evil for some of the comments that slandered leatis character. Some of her posts were taken out of perpective with the aim of ridiculing leati.

she wants to get the last post she does

let it rip!

im always good for a feisty thread with lots of heated posts. Makes life much more interesting i feel.