KiwiParent from Parents Center NZ Test Volume | Page 30

alcohol
& babies
DON’T MIX
We hear of so many physical disorders these
days that it is tempting to ignore threats of
more disorders as just another scare tactic
to spoil our fun in life, or get us to spend
money on something or other. However, foetal
alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) really is
very serious. It’s permanent. If your baby is
adversely affected by alcohol while still in the
womb, there is no cure, and treatment can only
hope to make the condition manageable at best.
As foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has become more
extensively studied, it has become recognised as a
spectrum of disorders, rather than a single disorder.
Its name has therefore been changed to FASD,
incorporating the disorders that particularly attack
the nervous system and brain.
As the title indicates, this range of disorders is
caused by alcohol affecting the unborn baby. While
some stages of foetal development are especially
critical, alcohol in the mother’s blood system crosses
into the baby’s blood at any stage of pregnancy, so
if you suspect you are pregnant – or even if there is
just a possibility of it – avoid alcohol entirely, as there
really is no safe limit.

So, what are the effects
of FASD? ?
We’ve all heard that alcohol can kill brain cells. When it
does that in a baby, whose cells are rapidly dividing and
developing, there is no way for that child’s brain to recover.
The effects of FASD are noticeably related to the organs
that develop in the mother’s womb at the earliest stages –
the heart, nervous system and especially the brain.
A low IQ is the most noticeable symptom of FASD. This
isn’t just an issue of getting poor scores in school test
results. It also means that children aren’t able to figure
things out very well generally, and their behaviour can also
be bizarre and extremely difficult to manage. They usually
have poor memories, and are often very unhappy.
Heart defects, low birth weight and poor overall health
are more common than in other babies. Many of these
unfortunate children have noticeable differences in their
face structure, such as small eyes, thin upper lips, flattened
face and nose, and a small lower jaw. They may also be
prone to muscular and joint problems.
They are much more likely to become a long-term burden
to parents and society because they are unable to cope
with independence as adults.
FASD is considered the leading preventable cause of
mental retardation in the developed world. There is good
news in that sentence – it is preventable. In fact, it is one
of the easiest conditions to prevent, and the way to do it
is obvious.
The first three months are the most critical. Unfortunately,
that is the period of time when a mother may still not
have realised she is pregnant, and the maternal instincts
that prompt pregnant women to make changes may not
yet have kicked in. If a woman commonly drinks socially,
she may not yet be willing to abstain, especially if she
doesn’t recognise the danger.

The rising disaster
NZ Children’s Commisioner, Russell Willis (a paediatrician
practicing in Hawke’s Bay) has expressed his alarm at

Continued overleaf...

subscribe online at www.kiwiparent.co.nz –

kiwiparent

29