Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

[FTMF30]

Will cut to the chase. . .
I drank a bottle of cider twice when I was pregnant. Once would have been around 3 weeks conception and the other approaching 12 weeks. I had no idea i was pregnant at the time and, when I found out, i was wracked with guilt.
Fast forward and my baby is now 10 weeks old. He was born at 6lbs 5oz and came a couple of days before due date. I know he doesn't fit into the 'low birth weight' category bu tthats still pretty small isn't it?Could this have been due to alcohol consumption? He's had his checkups and doctors, HV, midwives have all been happy with his growth rate. But everytime family, friends, etc. comment about how small he is, it really bothers me.

The other thing is that he is really demanding and fidgety. He's constantly moving his arms when awake, sometimes fanatically and I have to constantly hold him or he cries . Sometimes he pants like he's excited and overall just seems really hyperactive. He has suspected silent reflux but i can't be sure if his whole full on temperament can be put down to that. He spends most of his awake time crying if I don't hold him and walk around the house with him. Could this be an early sign of ADHD or autism and foul my early alcohol consumption be to blame?
Sorry if I found ridiculous. I admit I may have post natal anxiety but this is a genuine concern of mine.

No your child doesn't have foetal alcohol syndrome!! Please do not worry about that.

Of course they don't have foetal alcohol syndrome from 2 occasions of drinking cider. I don't even think the placenta would have been supporting the baby at 3 weeks old. Don't know exactly when it takes over

You really really don’t need to worry!
It’s not FAS, your HCPs know what to look for and they obviously haven’t found anything worrying.
Babies ARE demanding, and fidgety, and TBH you are probably looking for things that aren’t really there.
Talk to your HV or midwife, or even your GP if these thoughts are taking over a bit

FAS is seen in the babies of heavy drinkers/alcoholics, and even then most babies are fine. Are we talking a bottle of Koppaberg (eg a couple of units?) or White Lightening?

The advice of 1-2 units once or twice a week is conservative. Studies have found no effects from mothers drinking up to 8 units a week.

Remember a couple of generations ago and for hundreds of years before that everyone drank in pregnancy.

Oh bless you. Your DC will not have FAS - it can be hard to diagnose but it is extremely unlikely given the minimal amount of alcohol consumed. Their behaviour is completely normal too.

I feel for you. My DS is adopted but I have lots an anxieties about his behaviours and what they might indicate, but an excitable baby is an excitable baby.

Your baby sounds fine to me! DD was only a couple of ounces heavier so we get all the small baby comments too (she's 16m now and people still comment) but she's fine and happy and developing in line with her peers.

Please please mention your worries to your GP or HV. They'll be able to reassure you.

No he doesn’t have foetal alcohol syndrome. Post war women until 60s were told to drink a pint of Guinness regularly to reduce risk of anaemia.
His birthweight was fine. Not huge but fine.
Babies are fidgety at 10 weeks. They used to be swaddled because of this as it looks like they’re panicking sometimes when in reality they’re just becoming aware of the control they have over their limbs. Their learning that their arms and legs are a part of them. Please don’t start labelling a 10 week old as hyperactive. It all sounds normal but if you’re worried get your health visitor to look at him.

Both my babies were low birth weight. I didn't drink at all during both pregnancies, I just don't seem to have big babies. I was quite stressed during both pregnancies, so that may have been a factor. Babies generally look quite twitchy/uncoordinated when they're new, it sounds like you're over-thinking things. Might be worth having a chat with your health visitor to put your mind at rest so you can relax and enjoy your new baby. Congratulations

If he has suspected silent reflux, is he being treated for that? Have food intolerances, e.g. cow's milk intolerance/allergy been considered? The behaviour you mention sounds like his reflux may be bothering him, though a bit hard to tell from what you have said. Some babies are just more hyper than others!

A degree of anxiety is normal in mothers of small babies,and is nature's way of ensuring that they are well looked after when tiny and vulnerable. If you think it is over and above that, please talk to your GP and health visitor as soon as possible to get some help, as problems with anxiety/depression are so much quicker to resolve the earlier treatment is started.

I know so many women who drank before they knew they were pregnant, and all the babies were fine. Please don't feel guilty. You have nothing to feel guilty for, because you didn't know you were pregnant. You did nothing wrong.

2 bottles of cider over the course of your pregnancy will not cause FAS.
He sounds completely normal! Babies are fidgety, and they cry!

Also, my DS was a 'clingy baby who hated being put down. I used to put him in his front carrier sling in the house so I could at least have my hands free to get things done!

You need to have drunk a LOT more than that to risk fetal alcohol syndrome. Don't worry! Also please don't worry about ADHD or autism yet. Even if he does end up having these in the future, he would not be showing signs yet. It so hard not to worry about everything when you're a parent x

During my pregnancy, I followed every rule possible to make sure I did everything right after my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage. I didn't drink caffeine, no runny eggs, didn't eat nuts (I know now I was majorly over the top 😂) but I wanted everything to be alright. Fast forward to my DDs birth, and she was 6lb 2oz, a lower weight than your baby, and I didn't touch any alcohol at all.

The reason that the advice is not to drink at all is because heavy drinkers often don't understand what 'moderate' means. There's less room for fooling yourself when the advice is zero. The downside of the 'zero' advice is that it can cause anxiety in women who have drunk before they knew they were pregnant. But the amount that you have drunk is absolutely fine and won't have caused problems.

That's not that small. What's the weight now at 10 weeks.
Some people always comment no matter what your baby looks like.
Some babies are fidgety and hyper some are cool as a cucumber !

As long as professionals are happy just enjoy him, time flies..

Thanks for all the replies! All of your comments have genuinely made me feel much better

@ShovingLeaopard I stayed off dairy for 2 weeks (well, tried my best to - there seems to be sneaky bits of dairy in nearly everything these days!). It didn't make much of a difference but I can't be sure if it's because of the times I unwittingly had dairy anyway. Doctors prescribed him Ranatidine but he didn't take well to eat. Now we're on infant gaviscon but it's giving him constipation.Sigh.

I think it is just my anxiety like you said though. It's been a shock to the system as a first time mum as it's been a stark difference than how I imagined it. I knew it would be tough but I imagined there would at least be times when DS would be sleeping sweetly in his cot. Or just contently cooing and taking in the world while awake. My LO is not like that at all so it had well and truly set of my what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-him panic button. I shall put it down to my inexperience and the fact that keeping such a small human alive and well is definitely anxiety inducing.

@inconstantneedofgin Sorry to hear about your miscarriage but thank you for the reassurance with the n drinking. Happy to hear you have a lovely baby girl .

@fuckinghaterain He was 9lb 8oz at his last checkup at weeks, s growing nicely but still small. I just want him to catch up to average. He seems so diddy and vulnerable.

Here's to motherhood aye - a life sentence of worry!

I'm glad you're feeling a bit better. My first born was a really bad sleeper, he could sleep for an hour/90 mins then awake for same on and off all day/night, he hated being put down. My 2nd child was an absolute dream, and slept in 3 or 4 hour blocks right from the start (I thought there was something wrong with her).

Drinking twice in early pregnancy wouldn’t be an issue. It’s only when mothers have drank excessively. Saying that I know some ladies who didn’t know they were pregnant until they were gone 20 weeks and one who didn’t even know until she give birth. They all drank regularly and their babies are very much healthy.

I drank a couple times in the first few weeks. I asked my Hv if it was an issue and she said no it would be fine.

Your baby was born quite small but not ridiculously small. Myself, my siblings and my DC were all born small for no reason. As long as they are gaining at their own healthy weight. Are you small build? Is his father small build) height often affects birth weight. Naturally a longer baby who is going to be tall will weigh more. My eldest was born at 7lb but considering he was 2 weeks late he was actually really small at birth.

The fidgeting, wanting cuddles is probably due to the reflux. I’ve had to different babies. My eldest was the most chilled baby ever and never cried. DD was a clingy baby...