Reply to Is there any objective source of information on light drinking during pregnancy?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I write this as someone who spent two hours today in a child therapist's office, learning that my adopted DD, age 7, has something called Alcohol-Related Neurological Disorder (ARND) which is part of the fetal alcohol syndrome spectrum.  She has none of the facial feature and physical irregularities typically associated with FAS---in fact, she is quite pretty.
And her IQ is within average range.  She has severe dyslexia.  She cannot add 2+2 without counting on her fingers.  She is incapable of thinking in abstractions (e.g., you have to say explicitly, "Hang your coat on the hook on the door" instead of "Put your coat away".  She has ADHD.  She is easily emotionally overwhelmed with sensory overload (an ability to develop a filter is another alcohol-related impairment), which leads to tantrum meltdowns reminiscent of a 4 year old in terms of the screaming and lack of emotional regulation.  Because of the lack of emotional regulation, she has great difficulty making or keeping friends.   Her working memory is in the 4th percentile.

And she will struggle with these issues all of her life, even though her intelligence level is normal, because certain parts of her brain have been damaged.

If I can get her to graduate from high school, and avoid substance abuse, pregnancy or getting arrested (all common secondary effects in adolescence resulting from the impulsivity characteristic of ARND kids) then I will consider myself a success as a parent.

Her biological brother, who is 1 year older, and---quite probably---was also exposed to alcohol at some levels---has none of these issues.  He is quite bright, social and cheerful, with lots of friends, excellent math and reading skills, and a very good memory.

The effects of alcohol on a fetus are dependent not only on amount of alcohol consumed, but the state of the developing fetus' neurological development at the exact time of consumption.  I think of it as Russian Roulette.  The pregnant alcoholic has a much greater risk of damaging her baby because she's pulling that trigger more often.

But do you really want to pull that trigger at all during any stage of pregnancy in which the fetus is still neurologically developing?  [/quote]

Most of your examples would also describe my 7 year old DD.  I didn't drink a drop of alcohol or use any medication at all, for that matter, during my entire pregnancy.  Some kids are going to have problems, no matter how perfectly their mothers take care of themselves during pregnancy.

Do you know how much her birthmom drank during pregnancy?

I find that those who are overly-emotional about FAS are not really thinking clearly - which of course is understandable given how it has affected their lives.  However, bingeing or heavy drinking on a regular basis is completely different than small, occasional amounts of alcohol.  And in fact, the research supports this fact.

I'm sorry about the problems your DD has, and thankfully she has a great mom who is helping her develop as well as possible.[/quote]

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