Very worried fas

[Lucille4321]

Hi, i am looking for some support. I found out i was pregnant after the holiday season (approx 4.5 days). During this time I drank daily. Some days heavier 5/6 drinks somedays 2/3 drinks. When I found out i was pregnant I stopped drinking, took prenatal vitimans, exercised and ate well.
During the pregnancy there was an increased nuchal translucency and I was told there was a small chance the baby was healthy. I had a cvs to check for chromosome anomalies. These came back clear as well as all follow up scans. The increased nt disappeared by about week 15.
I was quite confident throughout my pregnancy that everything felt okay. However since having my son. I have become really worried about fetal alcohol syndrome . He has a very shallow philtrum and thin upper lip. Epicanthal folds and a small chin. I have been reading alot on Google and it turns out this is a really important time in the embryo up until 12 weeks. I am also advanced maternal age which apparently makes the odds higher.
I had been trying for a baby for over two years. I was constantly using ovulation sticks and doing pregnancy tests 5 days before my due date, just in case. 6 weeks before my holiday there was a death in the family. Pregnancy was the last thing on my mind.
I am really worried, and obsessed with Google. I am also really concerned this is affecting how I am with my son. Could this really have happened?

As far as im aware FAS occurs after chronic drinking throughout pregnancy

yes it's always a possibility that's why there is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy.
you should mention your concerns to your health care provider.

But you didn’t drink when you were pregnant. You drank before you were pregnant, then as soon as you tested, you stopped. The embryo isn’t even implanted up until that time and there is no risk of harm even with daily drinking when you aren’t yet properly pregnant. I drank loads the months I got pregnant with all of mine (on holiday or some other big event each of those months). My youngest I thought I was pregnant, tested, it was negative. I was really depressed as had a miscarriage the month before and it felt cruel my body was playing tricks on me. I had friends visiting that weekend and we drank a lot and then I tested 4 days later and it was very positive.

Unless you continued to drink heavily during your pregnancy, you have nothing to worry about. Many people still drink some in pregnancy. I had about 10 small drinks over the course of all of my pregnancies. My dc are perfectly healthy and well. But there’s no harm in discussing it with your HV who I’m sure can reassure you.

FAS is associated with chronic alcohol use during pregnancy- think alcoholic drinking heavily everyday. In many European countries the advice is that up to 1 unit a week during pregnancy is very low risk, although yes there is no “safe” level as such. Mention it to HV but try not to worry too much, if FAS was caused by a few drinks at the start of pregnancy we’d see so much more of it in the general population

I recommend Emily Oster’s book Expecting better, which has a chapter on drinking in early pregnancy and whether it affects the foetus - basically, in v early pregnancy drinking doesn’t harm the baby but it can cause it not to develop at all. As your son did develop, it’s extremely unlikely you have hurt your son. Enjoy him and try not to worry!

Thanks so much for the comments. It's amazing how they do seem somewhat reassuring.
This was something I mentioned it to my doctor at the start of the pregnancy. At the time they he didnt seem too concerned. In my current state I can't mention it to anyone now for fear it would turn out to be true.
This is my first child and i am amazed at how guilty I feel over not giving him the absolute best from the very start.
Thanks for the book recommendation too, ill have a look. And if anyone knows any other papers /other experience about this early stage of pregnancy let me know.

Do you mean you drank until 4.5 days pregnant or 4.5 weeks? Either way, it’s fine. Until about 5 weeks any cell can become another cell if damaged.