One drink babies can do without

By REBECCA WALSH health reporter

A grandfather knew that drinking alcohol during pregnancy was not a good idea but it was only when he began caring for this grandchildren he realised just how damaging it could be.

In the past few years the Hamilton man and his wife have not only had to become parents again but they have been forced to grapple with the consequences of foetal alcohol syndrome.

"It's changed our lives ... the medication they are put on has to be monitored continually ... we didn't know what the hell we were dealing with," the 50-year-old says.

It was at a health promotion day he spotted the stand for the Hamilton-based Foetal Alcohol Support Trust.

What he read and saw "drew this whole picture of our grandchildren" - from their distinctive physical appearance to their angry, aggressive behaviour.

From there came referrals to paediatricians, and eventually last year a diagnosis of foetal alcohol syndrome for his grandson, and foetal alcohol effects for his granddaughter.

Children who suffer from foetal alcohol syndrome typically have unusual facial features. Their face can appear flattened and their eyes wide apart. They may suffer deformities to the limbs, heart and kidney defects, hearing and sight impairment, and moderate to severe mental retardation.

International figures suggest two to three babies in every 1000 are affected by the syndrome. It is not clear how many children in this country suffer although one study put it at 0.025 per 1000 births.

Starship paediatrician Rosemary Marks said: "This is the one totally preventable cause of learning disability and mental retardation. If you don't drink when you are pregnant, you don't have a baby with foetal alcohol syndrome."

Dr Marks said the number of cases reported here was low compared with international figures. That could be through under-reporting, the possibility that doctors were not good at diagnosing it and some were embarrassed to ask patients about their drinking.

Research by Associate Professor Kathy Kitson, of the Institute of Food Nutrition and Human Health at Massey University, and doctoral student Sherly Paraakal, which asked midwives about their clients' drinking habits, found a "worrying" 36.8 per cent drank during their pregnancy.

About 10 to 12 per cent drank in a way that put their child at even greater risk, such as binge drinking.

Dr Kitson advised abstinence as it was not known what the lowest safe level of alcohol was.

The Hamilton grandparents knew their daughter-in-law drank during her pregnancy. She also smoked and used drugs.

But for months they had questioned whether the children's behaviour was a result of the way they had been brought up, or something more. Obtaining a diagnosis wasn't easy. The grandfather said doctors appeared reluctant to use the term.

With early intervention, children with milder forms of the syndrome can go on to lead productive lives.

The Hamilton pair have already noticed small changes in their grandchildren. They are more interested in reading, they listen when spoken to and are getting better at socialising.

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The Foetal Alcohol Support Trust 0800 00 6752