Fetal Alcohol Syndrome DisordersDrinking During Pregnancy – Know the Risks
Written by Emily Euchner
Before I met Western North Carolina residents Annette Melton and Gaile Osborne, the topic of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) was not something that came up in conversation much. Previously, I thought it was just an obvious concept: don’t drink while you are pregnant. But I was left wondering why we don’t talk about alcohol consumption and pregnancy more.
Drinking while pregnant can have life-long adverse effects on the wellbeing of a baby. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure that may affect an individual for life. Physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities are among the symptoms a person with FASDs will experience.
For Annette Melton, who adopted her child, it wasn’t until her daughter was asked to leave several daycares that a doctor finally asked about the birth mother's alcohol consumption and they were referred to a neurologist. She says, “when she was diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, I didn’t know what it was. I had no idea. So, I’ve learned a lot from this journey.” For foster mother Gaile Osborne, four of her six foster children were diagnosed with FASDs after years of misdiagnosis and trying different medications. “It affects every part of their body,” she says, “once you have that information and you’re able to reflect back and say ‘yep, that was there, that was it, etc.’” Yet, a proper diagnosis early on is essential to helping parents understand their child’s limitations and how to care for them.
FASDs are commonly confused with ADHD or other mental disorders, as they can cause a child’s behavior to be bewildering at times, which can be frustrating for guardians and teachers. According to ProofAlliance.org, in North Carolina, an estimated 19,600 babies are born with FASDs each year. In the United States, up to 1 in 20 children have FASDs, making the conditions more common than autism, which affects 1 in 59 children.
While some might think that it is okay to drink a little while pregnant, the research suggests otherwise. More than 50 years of research has shown that drinking any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can be unsafe. Possibly only one drink can be detrimental and can have lifelong effects on the person.
While there is no proven safe time to drink during pregnancy, some studies, including those from the Center for Disease Control, suggest that the impacts of alcohol are most severe in the first three months of pregnancy. If no amount of alcohol is safe when pregnant, then the question arises: what about the alcohol that is consumed before your first missed period, or positive pregnancy test? It is true that even those drinks could play a role in the development of FASDs. It is unclear why some mothers who drink the occasional glass of wine during pregnancy have babies without FASDs, while others do. Some women who have never even consumed alcohol give birth to children with FASDs. There are some studies that suggest there may be a gene that makes the child more susceptible (Stoler et al., 2002).
Women may not be alone in the responsibility of creating a healthy child, either (Ernest Abel, 2019). More studies are suggesting that drug and alcohol use in men before conception can also have an adverse effect on their offspring, although more research is needed.
In serious cases, individuals with FASDs have to live with supervision their whole lives to prevent them from the outcomes of poor impulse control and lack of understanding of consequences due to brain damage. This in turn creates many emotional and financial challenges for parents who find that their child will need a caretaker for life.
The signs to watch out for include hearing or vision problems, difficulty in school, poor coordination, sensitivity to light, touch, or sound, hyperactive behavior, difficulty paying attention, memory issues, poor social skills, impulsivity, and poor reasoning and judgment skills. In 10% of people diagnosed with a FASD, there may be physical markers such as eyes that are wider apart, a thin upper lip, minor ear abnormalities, and deformed limbs or fingers (Daley Beth, 2018).
“Currently, there are only a couple of doctors in the Western North Carolina region who can diagnose FASDs, and few training programs are available to educate parents,” says Gaile Osborne. The nonprofit Creating a Family in Brevard, NC provides training and resources for foster parents. The organization recently hosted a well-attended workshop to educate families on FASDs. You can find information and support at CreatingaFamily.org.
Proof Alliance is another nonprofit organization that provides awareness and education to identify and prevent problems associated with prenatal drug and alcohol exposure in North Carolina.
There is limited public awareness of the seriousness of drinking while pregnant or the effects of FASDs. Further research on FASDs is currently being conducted but right now, the condition is still widely misunderstood. Even teachers are not necessarily knowledgeable on FASDs and their symptoms. There are many children out there who are labeled as ‘bad kids’, repeatedly getting in trouble and not correcting their behavior, or experiencing academic or social challenges. These children could very well be suffering from a FASD. Without a proper diagnosis, they will continue to be misunderstood and misdiagnosed.
There could be more public awareness of the seriousness of drinking while pregnant and the effects of FASDs, and hopefully in the future, there will be. The population of women in childbearing age (15-44) in North Carolina was 2 million in 2020 (marchofdimes.org). If you are planning on starting a family, the only way to completely prevent FASDs is for both parents to abstain from alcohol well before conception.
Reference List:
Stoler JM, Ryan LM, Holmes LB. Alcohol dehydrogenase 2 genotypes, maternal alcohol use, and infant outcome. J Pediatr. 2002;141:780–785. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Earnest, Abel. (2009). Paternal Contribution to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13556210410001716980
Daley, Beth (2018) https://theconversation.com/the-truth-about-fetal-alcohol-spectrum-disorder-103240