Alcohol: death sentence for unborn babies

Research has proven that if a pregnant woman drinks two or more drinks a day, her child risk contracting Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Two million babies in South Africa are born with the Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) which they are exposed to because of their mothers who won’t stop drinking alcohol during pregnancy despite knowing the consequences.

The umbrella term encompassing FAS is Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This term is used to describe the conditions that occur in people who have been diagnosed with some, but not all of the symptoms of foetal alcohol syndrome.

FAS and FASD are caused by a mother’s excessive drinking during pregnancy and they affect the baby’s physical and mental development.

FAS is a severe condition that affects the development of an unborn baby’s brain. It is difficult sometimes for doctors to treat FASD because its symptoms are not visible.

Professor Dennis Viljoen, of the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research, said disorder does not see any boundary; anyone who drinks during pregnancy is at the risk of FAS.

“This can mean any young woman who is sexually active and is not using any contraceptive and is drinking, is in danger of getting pregnant and giving birth to a child with foetal alcohol syndrome. This is not prevalent among young women in South African only, but it is a problem in the world.”

Viljoen said researches have revealed that educating people on FAS is just the beginning.  Information about the disorder is not anywhere near reaching all the people who need it in the country.

“The disorder is not particularly known and as a matter of fact, most of our medical colleagues do not understand what foetal alcohol disorder is. This is because most of our pediatricians still say it is safe to drink two to three drinks a day. all this nonsense about foetal alcohol has gone too far.”

According to Viljoen, many doctors are still ignorant about the disease. He said research has proven beyond doubt that if you drink two or more drink a day during pregnancy, you are drinking heavily.

“Most of our population is binge-drinking. For instance, they are drinking three or five drinks a week, this means they only drink on Friday night or weekend. That is exceptionally dangerous for the baby because it means the alcohol in the mother’s blood becomes very high and dangerous to her baby.”

There are mothers who say they do understand what FAS means and stop drinking or drink minimal during their pregnancy. Peer pressure is behind the decision by some expectant mothers to drink alcohol.

Pulane Mokgatla (23) is a mother of three children. The eldest has started grade one at school; the second one will start school next year, she miscarried the third one and she is now pregnant with her fourth child.

Mokgatla has always been drinking alcohol throughout these pregnancies and still drinks. Although she was told it is dangerous, she thinks is just a myth.

“I was told at the clinic that alcohol was dangerous for my unborn baby. I have two children and nothing is wrong with them. I believe they are healthy because they do things that normal kids do.

“The nurse told me what is dangerous about alcohol is the gas found in it. But no one explained to me how it can be dangerous to my child. I now opt to drink traditional beer, I think it’s better than bottled beer,” Mokgatla told The Weekly.

Doctor Raja Mukherjee of the Surrey and Border and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust explains what happens when a pregnant mother drinks.

“When a pregnant woman drinks, the alcohol goes across the placenta to the foetus via the blood stream. The foetus’ liver is not fully formed, so it cannot metabolise the alcohol quickly enough.”

According to Mukherjee, at this stage, the baby has a high blood alcohol concentration. It therefore lacks oxygen and the nutrients needed for its brain and organs to grow properly.

“White mater in the brain, which is responsible for speeding up the processing of information, is sensitive to alcohol.

So when a mother drinks, it affects the development of her baby’s white mater,” added Mukherjee.

According to experts, timing is another medical factor in the development of foetal alcohol syndrome. A baby’s facial features are formed during week six to nine of pregnancy. Scientific evidence shows that mothers who drink during this three-week window are more likely to have babies with the facial deformities associated with FAS. Damage to the baby’s organs through drinking is most likely to happen in the first three months.

The more you drink when you’re pregnant, the greater the risk you are taking with your baby’s health. Miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and small birth weight are all associated with a mother’s drinking during pregnancy. Foetal exposure to alcohol is also the leading known cause of intellectual disability.

Symptoms of FASD in children

• Learning difficulties
• Problems with language
• Lack of appropriate social boundaries (such as over friendliness with strangers)
• Poor short term memory
• Inability to grasp instructions
• Failure to learn from the consequences of their actions
• Egocentricity
• Mixing reality and fiction
• Difficulty with group social interaction
• Poor problem solving and planning
• Hyperactivity and poor attention
• Poor coordination.