Did you know that 51% of Australian women have had an unplanned pregnancy, and 4 in 10 women consumed alcohol when pregnant?
For the health of your unborn baby – remember:
- No alcohol is the safest choice
- It’s never too late to cut down or stop drinking during pregnancy
- Alcohol is a poison that can damage the developing baby’s cells and cause lifelong disabilities
- There is no known safe amount of alcohol use if you could be pregnant, during pregnancy or while trying to conceive
- Every pregnancy is different and the risk from alcohol may harm one baby more than another
- Avoiding all alcohol while pregnant will guarantee that a child will not develop a FASD
- FASD-related difficulties last a lifetime
- About half of the pregnancies in Australia are unplanned
- A woman may not realize she is pregnant for 4 to 6 weeks or longer and expose her baby to alcohol before the pregnancy is identified
- Make a plan for a healthy baby – don’t drink any alcohol if you are pregnant or could become pregnant
- If you become pregnant, stop drinking alcohol. Every day matters. The sooner you stop drinking, the better for your baby. If you need help stopping, talk to your doctor, seek confidential advice from NOFASD Australia or other relevant services
What can happen:
- Facial abnormalities
- Impaired growth
- Abnormal structure and function of the brain
- Limb defects
- Intellectual and/or learning disabilities
- Musculoskeletal defects
- Speech and language delays
- Behavioural difficulties
- Impaired social and communication skills
For further information please ring 1300 306 238, email admin@nofasd.org.au or visit www.nofasd.org.au to see the National Health and Medical Research Council Australian Guidelines to Reduce Health Risks from Drinking Alcohol
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