Protect your unborn child, prevent a lifetime's damage

LIFESTYLE NEWS - “STOP. Do not drink alcohol when you are pregnant, suspect you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. No amount of alcohol is safe for the unborn baby.”

This is the strong message to women from the Western Cape Department of Health today, 9 September, as we celebrate International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day.

Globally, every year at nine minutes past nine on 9 September, people are encouraged to ring bells as part of the international call to create awareness and focus attention on the fact that any alcohol intake by women during the nine months of pregnancy, will affect the unborn baby.

Western Cape ministers Dr Mbombo and Sharna Fernandez took part in this global tradition at 09:09 this morning.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a group of conditions that babies can be born with due to their mothers drinking alcohol during pregnancy. There is no cure for this irreversible, lifelong condition.

A mother consuming alcohol while she is pregnant is exposing her unborn child to possible life-impacting consequences.

These include:

The risk of miscarriage, premature birth and the baby having a low birthweight increases.
Children with FASD are slow in reaching milestones, such as sitting, walking, and talking.
A child with FASD often has a lower IQ than children who don’t have FASD and they struggle to learn.
Children with FASD often find it difficult to concentrate and have to be taught the same skills many times.
The child can have organ damage, especially the brain, eyes, ears and heart.
The baby’s facial features could be affected.
The child can have difficulty building interpersonal relationships.
The child can have developmental disabilities such as fine motor development, coordination, maths and cause-and-effect reasoning.

While FASD is a lifelong condition, the single glimmer of hope in this dark picture is that, if a child with FASD receives treatment early, it can help improve their development.

Western Cape Minister of Health Dr Nomafrench Mbombo stresses that, if a mother consumes alcohol while she is pregnant, it can cause permanent brain damage that often results in learning and behavioural difficulties.

“FASD impacts all areas of a child’s life, especially their education. I therefore appeal to expectant mothers, their family members, partners, and friends to support pregnant mothers by abstaining from any alcohol use,” Mbombo says. “There is no amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy.”

A midwife at Macassar Clinic, sister Angeline Solomons, has the same message. “No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. I tell my patients that they are responsible for their unborn babies. If you do consume alcohol during pregnancy, your baby can end up getting fetal alcohol syndrome, their brain and milestones will be badly affected. Whatever you consume, your baby consumes,” she says.

According to Michelle Jenkins, occupational therapist at George Hospital, a child with fetal alcohol syndrome often has coordination difficulties, hyperactivity, poor judgement, poor impulse control, delayed gross motor development, sensory hypersensitivity and low frustration toleration.

She says that occupational therapy and physiotherapy aims at improving the child’s fine and gross motor control. They also do activities to address the sensory sensitivity, depending on the main areas of concerns that the parents/school are reporting.

Shocking FASD numbers in SA

Dr Leana Olivier, CEO of the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR), says that this year they want to highlight the love, the caring, and the hope for the challenging road ahead when an affected individual is surrounded by those who care.

“While celebrating the positive, we cannot ignore the reality that South Africa has by far the highest FASD rate in the world,” she says.

“The World Health Organisation estimates the global FASD prevalence rate to be approximately 15 per 1 000 live births (1,5%). In South Africa, research done by (FARR) in five of the nine provinces, revealed rates as high as 282/1 000 live births in some communities in the Northern Cape Province. The Western Cape Province has areas with rates as high as 250/1 000 live births (25%) (FASER-SA report).”

Hildegard van Rhyn, Child Health Coordinator of the West Coast District.

First thousand days

The First 1 000 Days is a key initiative driven by the Western Cape Government Health. A child’s health is most vulnerable during the first 1 000 days of life. This period, from conception until a child’s second birthday, offers a unique opportunity to shape healthier and prosperous futures.

“What is done during the first 1 000 days will have an effect on the baby for the rest of his life, so please do not consume any alcohol while pregnant, planning for pregnancy or even if you suspect that you are pregnant. FASD is preventable,” says Hildegard van Rhyn, Child Health Coordinator of the West Coast District.

Help is available

Speak to your healthcare worker at your nearest clinic if you are concerned that your child may have FASD.

Are you struggling to stop drinking alcohol, using drugs or smoking? Speak to your healthcare worker, social worker or religious leader. You can also contact any of the following organisations: