The Danger of Drinking During Pregnancy, Defining a Little-bit.

Dr. Art Hister

Dr. Art Hister graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, in 1970. In 1971 he moved across the country to Vancouver to become the first full-time physician with the Pine Free Clinic, the first Canadian clinic established to deal exclusively with transient youth. Dr. Hister left the Pine Free Clinic in 1977 to enter private practice.

In 1991, Dr. Hister became a full-time media doctor. Currently, he is a daily health analyst on the Morning News on Global TV in BC, he is a daily contributor to CKNW's The Morning News with Philip Till, he is host and writer of A Medical Minute with Dr. Art Hister heard daily on CKNW, he is host and writer for Spotlight on Sports Medicine heard daily on CKNW, he is the resident health analyst for Up All Night on BBC 5 (yes, the BBC!), and he is a health columnist for Global TV's Noon News and Weekend News.

DR ART HISTOR'S COMMENTS, CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING NEWS ARTICLE

" "A little bit", we live in a society that  a real problem with the concept of a small or reasonable amount of anything."

 And, that is the problem; Usa is always trying to redefine the term "a little bit" it can now have MANY meanings.

Fetal alcohol syndrome continues to exist and it continues to effect the lives of too many people. 

EDMONTON JOURNAL

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The researchers found that pregnant women who drank up to a glass (175 millilitres) of wine, up to 50 ml of spirits or just under a pint of beer a week did not affect their children.

Photograph by: Photos.com, canada.com

LONDON — Women who have one or two alcoholic drinks a week during pregnancy do not harm their children’s behavioural or intellectual development, according to a study by British scientists released on Wednesday.

The researchers found that pregnant women who drank up to a glass (175 millilitres) of wine, up to 50 ml of spirits or just under a pint of beer a week did not affect their children.

But children whose mothers were heavy drinkers were more likely to be hyperactive and have behavioural and emotional problems than those whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy, the scientists said.

Yvonne Kelly of the epidemiology and public health department at University College London said the findings helped fill a gap in scientific research about the risks of alcohol and pregnancy, which has mostly focused on risks of heavy drinking.

“We’re talking about one or two drinks a week at the very most,” Dr. Kelly said in a telephone interview. “Light drinkers would also include women who have a very occasional drink at a family celebration for example.”

Previous studies have shown that heavy alcohol drinking during pregnancy can seriously harm the baby and many health authorities advise women to keep alcohol intake to a minimum when they are pregnant.

In their study, Dr. Kelly’s team used data from the Millennium Cohort Study — a large study tracking the long-term health of children born in the U.K. — taking a representative sample of 11,513 children born between September 2000 and January 2002.

The mothers were questioned about their drinking habits during pregnancy and their children’s behaviour at the age of three, and the children’s behavioural and intellectual progress was then formally assessed at the age of five.

The women were classified either as teetotal, those who drank but not in pregnancy, light drinkers (up to one or two drinks a week), moderate drinkers (three to six drinks a week); and binge or heavy drinkers (seven or more drinks a week, or six at any one time).

The results, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, found no evidence to suggest that the behavioural or intellectual development of children born to light drinkers was compromised.

“Up to the age of five years there is no increased risk of poor socio-emotional or cognitive developmental outcomes in children born to mothers who drank not more than one or two units of alcohol per week during pregnancy,” the scientists wrote.

Across the entire range of children of non-drinkers and drinkers, the study found that boys were more likely than girls to have more developmental problems and also more likely to have behavioural issues, be hyperactive, and have problems with peers. Girls were more likely to have emotional problems.

Read more:http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Light+drinking+during+pregnancy+doesn+harm+baby+Study/3632095/story.html?cid=megadrop_story#ixzz11bZ1Oxip

Fetal alcohol syndrome

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Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Fetal alcohol syndrome isn't a single birth defect. It's a cluster of related problems and the most severe of a group of consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure. Collectively, the range of disorders is known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a common — yet preventable — cause of mental retardation. The severity of mental problems varies, with some children experiencing them to a far greater degree than others.

Signs of fetal alcohol syndrome may include:

• Distinctive facial features, including small eyes, an exceptionally thin upper lip, a short, upturned nose and a smooth skin surface between the nose and upper lip
• Heart defects
• Deformities of joints, limbs and fingers
• Slow physical growth before and after birth
• Vision difficulties or hearing problems
• Small head circumference and brain size (microcephaly)
• Poor coordination
• Sleep problems
• Mental retardation and delayed development
• Learning disorders
• Abnormal behavior, such as a short attention span, hyperactivity, poor impulse control, extreme nervousness and anxiety

The facial features seen with fetal alcohol syndrome may also occur in normal, healthy children. Distinguishing normal facial features from those of fetal alcohol syndrome requires expertise.

Doctors may use other terms to describe some of the signs of fetal alcohol syndrome. Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) refers to the mental and behavioral impairments that occur as a result of fetal exposure to alcohol. Alcohol-related birth defects (ARBDs) refer to the physical defects that occur from fetal alcohol exposure.

When to see a doctorIf you're pregnant and can't stop drinking, ask your obstetrician or other health care provider for help.

Because early diagnosis may help reduce the risk of long-term problems for children with FAS, let your child's doctor know if you drank alcohol while you were pregnant. Don't wait for problems to arise before seeking help.