Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?

[Futterby]

Okay okay, I just need some reassurance I think. I didn't know I was pregnant for the first two months of my pregnancy and I drank, a lot. Almost every night oh and I were at another party or even just drinking together. A few times I got so drunk I was sick and passed out. Not something I'm proud of.

Baby was unplanned but we're both ecstatic at the prospect of becoming parents. Now I'm just worrying I've really harmed my baby. Had my twelve week scan today and baby is fine but I know they can't pick up FASD until the baby is born. I'll love it just the same whether it has it or not.

On a side note, I've not touched a drop since I got my BFP.

Is anyone else in the same situation as me.?

So you drank until 8 weeks gone?

I'm sure you'll be fine. I was boozing heavily until 6 weeks with (unplanned) dc1. In fact I was hungover when I did the pregnancy test. She is perfect, in school & meeting or exceeding all her milestones.

I know someone who was 28 weeks pregnant when they found out. Had been drinking and smoking throught out and also on white knuckle rides at theme parks. Her child is fine. Hopefully everything will go ok for you. Best wishes.

Lots of people drink before they know they are pregnant. I am sure you have looked up FAS sites and got info. I have no advice just wanted to wish you well and hope things go ok.

Thanks Arabella, just can't stop the worrying y'know?

Aw thanks everyone :)

The worry never stops! Best thing to do is to start letting go of the things you can't control - because parenthood is full of them & always will be.

Sorry hope that doesn't sound dismissive of your worries - which are of course legitimate & understandable. My DP always dismiss my worries & it drives me mad! But just to say that chances are your DC will be unaffected, & if not you will manage, & it will be perfect.

Awh, you sound lovely. Thanks a lot, I get what you're saying :)

Argh! Posted too soon! But either way what's done is done, & you can't change it - put your energy into something you can change. Same meal lesson applies to sleepless nights, weaning, tantrums, & so on!

Hey there - I can't find the study I am looking for, I think this one might be related - in effect FAS is related to prolonged drinking through the pregnancy affecting different stages of development during in utero. There is a recent that uggests that up to week 8/9 this does not affect the baby. The study I linked to - the important point is here:-

However, the cortical plate starts to develop mainly during weeks 8?9 post fertilization, and the cerebellar cortex is developing later, mainly during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The cerebral cortex continues to develop actively throughout gestation and even in the early postnatal life, mainly by forming the different cortical layers, neuronal growth and sprouting, synapse formation and myelinization. It is therefore expected that psychotropic agents such as ethanol are able to affect the development of the CNS almost throughout the entire pregnancy

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2872283/

Most of us had a skinful before finding out (it is how lots of us were most likely conceived!!) - I did, I am sure it actually helped me get sprogged up by relaxing after trying for ages and nothing doing.

Really - please try and not worry - there are things all of us look back at and think 'shouldn't have done that' but we can't go back - we can only go forward, doing our best - your 12 week scan went great so just try and relax, enjoy being pregnant and instead enjoy scoffing lots of biscuits because the 'baby needs them'...

That's so, so reassuring. Thank you so much!

Hey Futterby, I am in a similar situation worrying like hell over my alcohol fuelled nights before I found out. Did everything work out fine with your LO?