INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / MARCH 20, 1990

 

 

 

One drink may harm your baby

undreds of babies are born in

the Lower Mainland every
year, but some of these children will
face a lifelong battle with alcohol.
Every mother who drinks alcohol
during her pregnancy places her
baby at risk.

"Every day in B.C. a child is
born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,”
says Dr. Christine Loock, a clinical
assistant professor at U.B.C.’s
Department of Pediatrics. "Fetal Al-
cohol Syndrome (FAS) is the most
common known, yet preventable,
cause of retardation."

Dr. Loock will present a one-day
workshop on understanding Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome at Douglas
College’s New Westminster campus
on April 11.

more than healthy infants.

"Even a child who does not
show any of the characteristic facial
malformations may suffer from Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome. They often dis-
play behavioural or learning
problems later in life.

"In school, this child will be
over-active and easily distracted,
with poor memory," says Dr. Loock.
"He or she will not be able to handle
concepts. His or her mind will be a
tea bag. Ideas will flow through but
nothing will stick."

While the risk of Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome increases with "heavy"
drinking, there is no safe level of al-
cohol consumption during pregnan-
cy. Brain development occurs
throughout gestation, making the

 

While the risk of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome increases
with "heavy" drinking, there is no safe level of
alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

 

She says alcohol exposes unborn
children to the risk of birth defects,
mental retardation, health problems,
and learning problems that will
carry a $1 million price tag over the
child’s lifetime.

Considering the high cost of
medical treatment and human suffer-
ing, the prevention of alcohol-re-
lated birth defects may be "the most
important public health measure
since the introduction of immuniza-
tion against German measles and
other childhood diseases," says Dr.
Loock.

Some victims of Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome are born with a smaller
than normal head with very flat fa-
cial features and an elongated upper
lip that can give the child a gnome-
like appearance, with eyes that ap-
pear to be smaller and further apart
than normal.

Babies suffering from the dis-
ease are usually very irritable and
difficult to feed. They fuss and cry

central nervous system susceptible
to alcohol at all stages of its develop-
ment.

"Reduction of alcohol consump-
tion, with a view towards
abstinence, at any point in pregnan-
cy will benefit the fetus," says Dr.
Loock.

"Drinking patterns for women
have changed drastically over the
past fifty years. Seventy to eighty
per cent of women in their reproduc-
tive age drink," she adds.

"Five per cent are estimated to
be heavy drinkers. Women who are
single, poor, homeless or socially dis-
advantaged are at the highest risk.
But the problem is not confined to
disadvantaged women. We must
also alert women in their thirties
who have delayed child-bearing to
pursue their professional careers."

A women is considered "at risk"
if she consumes more than one
drink a day, has more than two "bin-
ges" during her pregnancy (five or

more drinks on any one occasion),
uses non-prescription drugs, lives in
a drinking environment and/or
lacks a supportive setting in which
to stop drinking or drug-use during
pregnancy.

"This doesn’t mean that one
drink a day is safe," says Dr. Loock.
"These figures are arbitrary. Dif-
ferent women have different levels
of tolerance but there is no safe
level."

Dr. Loock’s seminar on Fetal Al-
cohol Syndrome: Understanding the Ef-
fects and Issues, will be held on
Wednesday, April 11, from 7 p.m. to
10 p.m. The cost is $10.

"My talk will be aimed at a
general audience," Dr. Loock says.
"Adoptive or foster parents, people
in health or education related fields,
or those who deal with children
with special needs will benefit. By
letting people know more about
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, they can
begin to be more supportive among
their own circle of friends who may
be pregnant.”

On April 18 and 25 the College
will also present lectures on Drug
Dependent Children and Their Mothers,
and Developmental and Psycho-Educa-
tional Characteristics of Fetal Alcohol
Children. The cost of each lecture is
$10. To register call Douglas College
at 527-5473. @