OPINION: Let’s protect our children

I FIRST heard about Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Broome in April. I was talking to respected elder Edie Wright about the high rate of ear disease among Indigenous children. She also outlined some of the other health issues affecting children and mentioned FASD. I asked her to repeat the term, which she pronounced as FAS-DEE. I realised I was aware of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome but not this umbrella definition.

‘‘It’s a huge problem in our communities,’’ she said, ‘‘but it’s the sleeping giant in the white population – the woman who thinks it’s OK to have a glass of wine each night while pregnant.’’

No one knows for sure how much alcohol has to be consumed before damage is done to the delicate formation of the fetal brain, but what is obvious is that the impact can range from the mild to severe, from issues with hyperactivity and self-regulation, to speech delays and learning disabilities.

I have since read countless studies and spoken to a number of experts in the area and it is clear that that Edie was right. FASD isn’t just an Indigenous issue.

A number of my white, educated friends happily drank alcohol during their pregnancies – some admitted to me this week they drank a glass of wine every other day. Queasiness largely put me off, but I did drink a couple of glasses of bubbly at a friend’s wedding in Italy inadvertently during the critical first trimester. I had miscarried eight weeks earlier and being pregnant again so soon didn’t seem possible. While complications consumed me, the impact of the alcohol I drank wasn’t one of them.

Australian research shows that the amount a pregnant woman drinks is heavily influenced by those around her, including her partner and friends. Given that the vast majority of Australians drink, abstaining can be extremely challenging, especially if you have received mixed messages about how much alcohol you can drink while pregnant.

Until 2000, national guidelines permitted up to seven glasses of alcohol a week. Updated guidelines released in 2009 recommended abstinence as the safest option. It is little wonder many women are confused. Three friends told me this week that their doctors said a glass or two wouldn’t do any damage. There is simply not enough evidence to support this advice. Raising awareness about FASD is essential – even among the medical fraternity.

I am not recommending that we shame mothers-to-be, especially when the rest of us can regularly be found with a glass of grog in our hand. But I can’t help thinking that the condemnation heaped on pregnant women who smoke is a tad hypocritical.

September 9 is International FASD Day and maybe it could be an effective prompt for us all to think long and hard before we take a swig – especially if there is a baby on board.