Booze and Pregnancy risks ignored
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Topic: Booze and Pregnancy risks ignored
Posted By: Maya
Subject: Booze and Pregnancy risks ignored
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 9:44am
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Booze and pregnancy risks little understood
AAP Published in Weekend Herald 12/05/07 http://www.nzherald.com - www.nzherald.com One in three Australian women do not understand how alcohol affects an unborn baby and about the same number say they will drink through their next pregnancy. Health experts have labelled as "frightening" a survey that clearly shows many women of child-bearing age have no idea that drinking in pregnancy can inflict serious, long-term physical and mental damage on a child. An annual physicians' conference in Melbourne was told that the revelation should help shape new national guidelines for drinking in pregnancy to be unveiled this year. The unpublished study showed that more than a third of 1103 Australian women questioned did not know about the adverse effects of alcohol on the fetus. About the same number would continue to drink during a future pregnancy, including the first trimester which is the most vulnerable stage. Study leader Dr Elizabeth Peadon, from the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, said the figures highlight the need for ongoing education for women on alcohol drinking in pregnancy. "While the majority of women in this survey were aware of the effects, a frightening percentage were not and nor were they concerned," Dr Peadon said. Australian guidelines currently recommend no more than two standard drinks a day and no more than seven a week for pregnant women, but both the US and the UK advise abstinence. Professor Elizabeth Elliott, a leading paediatrician from the University of Sydney, said the new results were concerning and indicated that the "no alcohol" message might be the best choice. "No safe lower level has yet been established, so the safest option right now is to just avoid it," Professor Elliott said. Alcohol causes many problems in pregnancy including stillbirth, prematurity, low birth-weight and miscarriage. Affected babies can grow up with birth defects, neurodevelopment problems and, in the worst case, fetal alcohol syndrome, a severe disorder linked to a raft of physical and mental problems. Professor Elliott presented new research showing that 92 cases were diagnosed in Australia between 2001 and 2004, with 64 per cent in indigenous families. In half of the cases, another sibling in the family was also affected. Children were being diagnosed too late, some as late as 12 years old, when intervention was less effective. Professor Elliott said she believed the condition was under-reported because of a lack of knowledge by health professionals, the perceived stigma and the lack of diagnostic services. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Replies:
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 9:51am
ah well thats aussies for you 
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Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 10:02am
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It seems like they need to get the information out there so the mums are aware of the effects of drinking while pregnant.
The ones that said they weren't concerned at all with the effects alcohol has on babies while your pregnant, well what can you say. People with attitudes like that make me angry  ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: Bumble
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 10:05am
Hey I'm an aussie and I never drank during pg! 
It is pretty sad that most of the ladies aren't even concerend of the effects... very selfish of them!!! ------------- formerly known as "Bee" Ethan ~ March 2003 Big 6 year old school boy! Micah ~ Aug 2008 ~ Smiley pants who loves telephones! |
gandt wrote:Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 10:34am
typical of their (or your ) "she'll be right" attitude.
the french drink a lot and as far as i know an ocasional glass of wine during pregnancy isnt frowned on over there...(please any french people from the board correct me if im wrong)... another case of cultural differences in attitudes. |
Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 10:56am
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hehe, yeah but there's plenty of NZ'ers that are exactly the same.. that and doing an interesting array of other drugs etc while preg, along with not going to antenatal care. Kinda frustrating when you get babies in from those circumstances cos you don't know the dates, they haven't had scans, and openly admit to drinking/smoking/doing pot during preg. It makes for some interesting educating when to alot of people you think "well, how could you NOT know this would happen?" ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja 
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Posted By: caliandjack
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 11:09am
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In defence of the french they do drink red wine on a regular basis, you may find its not much more than a couple of glasses a day. Which if you re-read that article has been seen to be ok.
It seems some Aussie and NZ women stuggle with alcohol in moderation. Janine, you must want to shake some of those woman and tell them to stop being stupid. |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 11:18am
| I guess it is a personal choice and I am sure the odd glass of wine is probably ok. Personally I know I couldnt live with myself if something was wrong with bubs, due to me doing something I didnt need to so I have chosen not to drink...although I do allow myself the odd sip of DFs wine if its a wine I've never tasted before.....and we were in the Rhine area when we found out I was pregnant and Rieslings are my fav...so I sipped at the tastings and probably had about a glass over the course of 2 days. Fingers crossed that will be ok. |
Posted By: nikkitheknitter
Date Posted: 15 May 2007 at 11:25am
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They seem to publish these sorts of articles all the time... I've filed more than one of these into the "pregnancy" folder at work over the last couple of months.
You know what gets me more up in arms than this sort of thing is the fetal alcohol people making statements like 'If you drink ANY amount while pregnant it WILL have an effect on your baby' (not exact quote, but pretty much) - as someone who found out quite late in my pregnancy, that just gave me the absolute worst feeling of guilt and fear... doesn't help that Chris's mum was ramming crap like that down my throat when she was trying to convince me to get an abortion!!! Ahhhh *breathe* It's over now... just have to think of a happy place. (and I'm sure I've ranted about this before... so sorry for repeating myself, I guess I have just held on to those feelings!) ETA: The comments about the Fetal Alcohol thing were from reading a pamphlet put out by a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome awareness group. |
Posted By: daikini
Date Posted: 16 May 2007 at 9:23am
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My now 14yo brother (adopted at birth) has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome along with a few other things. He's very hard to deal with, and I get on much better with him now that I don't have to live with him! ------------- Becca, mum of 2 girls & 3 boys |
Posted By: tashzmum
Date Posted: 17 May 2007 at 1:26pm
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ohhh i cant stand people who drink heaps while they know they are pg. i have a mate who drank heaps while she was pg and she new it was bad but didnt care. she also smoked weed while pg and boy did i hit the roof!!i dont think i spoke to her for ages after i found out.and then she had the nerve to tell one of her mates off for taking a sip of a lift plus.... sorry for tha garble!!
its great that they are getting the information out there though. i also think alot of young mums need that type of information. i was never told that alcohol was bad for baby while pg and b/feeding, i didnt drink though as the smell of alcohol made me sick i didnt drink -poor df had to drink his beer our side and then brush his teeth and use mouth wash before coming near me. ------------- Natasha Jayde, 1-01-05(7lb3oz) Caroline Elisabeth, 9-04-08 (4lb15oz) Izabella Kate, 9-04-08(6lb7oz) Lexi Brenna, 23-01--2011(6lb6oz) |
Posted By: WRXnKids
Date Posted: 17 May 2007 at 8:25pm
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Ok so ozzie advises 2 drinks a day is safe or no more than 7 a week and have only had 92 cases in 3-4 years which is a really small number compared to how many children would have been born over there.
If people in countries like Oz are drinking so much and the risk is so low for the population maybe those that do have the quiet drink maybe a couple of times throughout their pregnancies arent doing the harm some people try to make them feel bad for. -------------   
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Posted By: lizzle
Date Posted: 17 May 2007 at 9:25pm
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iwas told that "alcohol relaxes you, so you should drink so you are relaxed for the baby" = people are stupid....stupid.
My ...cousin (kinda - gets very complicated very quickly) was abadoned by her mum and we think she is affected by fetal alcohol syndrone..or something. She has a "look" about her, but because she was abused in the past, it;'s hard to know if her symptoms are base on that past abuse, or her being exposed to num,ersou chemincals - alcohol was probably the least of it. ..sad, really sad. |
Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 18 May 2007 at 5:06pm
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i went and had a big night drinking when i was about 5 weeks pregnant,i didnt know i was pregnant then and when i found out i was worried a bit till i saw caitlyn , shes perfectly normal ...altho hmmmm, that explains a lot, just kidding
I just figured (once i knew i was preggers ) that since i was choosing to keep her, then it was my responsibility to give drinking smoking etc up, and it didnt even seem to matter, 9 months in the great scheme of things doesnt seem like much when i was pregnant there was a girl at the place i lived who came back one weekend and she stunk of alcohol- you could smell it a mile away, i told her in no uncertain terms what i thought of it |