Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is Preventable

I’m sure you’ve heard of the woman in Tennessee who adopted a child from Russia, then recently sent him back, saying that the Russian adoption agency failed to tell her he had fetal alcohol syndrome. Her argument was that he was too difficult to manage and posed a threat to other members of her family.

I don’t want to speculate on this particular case, but it does raise a good opportunity to provide information on fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is a condition that results from a woman drinking alcohol during her pregnancy. Any woman who drinks during pregnancy places her baby at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome.

When you drink alcohol, it enters your bloodstream and reaches your developing fetus. Because a fetus metabolizes alcohol slower than an adult, your baby's blood alcohol concentrations are higher than those in your body. Alcohol also interferes with the delivery of oxygen and optimal nutrition to your baby's developing tissues, organs and brain.

FAS isn't a single birth defect. It's a cluster of problems: facial impairment; developmental disabilities or delayed development; heart defects; deformities of joints, limbs and fingers; slow physical growth; vision and hearing problems; learning disorders; hyperactivity; poor impulse control; extreme nervousness and anxiety.

As many as 40,000 babies are born with some type of alcohol-related damage each year in the United States.

There is no cure or specific treatment for fetal alcohol syndrome. The physical defects and mental deficiencies last a lifetime. Heart abnormalities may require surgery. Learning problems may be helped by special services in school. Parents often benefit from counseling to help the family with a child's behavior problems.

The more you drink when you’re pregnant, the greater the risk to your unborn baby. The risk is present throughout pregnancy, but impairment of facial features, the heart and other organs, bones, and the central nervous system may occur as a result of drinking alcohol during the first trimester. Alcohol may affect the brain of the fetus at any time during pregnancy.

The most important thing to remember is this: if you are trying to get pregnant or are already pregnant and you can’t/won’t stop drinking, you need help. You are putting your child’s health and future happiness at severe risk.

Guest Blog by Joel Bowman, MSW, CSW

Our youngest daughter recently turned 18 months. On May 4th, Katie was particularly defiant. So, my wife, Nannette, put her in time-out. She complied for a few seconds, but got up before instructed. Finally, Nannette placed Katie in her bed, and closed the door.

We then heard a loud knocking noise . . . BAM! BAM! BAM! Perhaps, it was the UPS man, knocking at the front door. But we were not expecting any packages. I thought, that sound is coming from the girls’ bedroom. We hurried to the bedroom, opened the door to discover . . . Katie knocking at the door, trying to get out of the bedroom. Talk about "a strong-willed child."

But wait, how did she . . . huh?! I thought to myself, her state-of-the-art baby bed has been specifically designed by some of the world's greatest engineers, so as to keep her contained in "the time-out position." Nannette had the ingenious idea, let's put her back into the bed, so we can see how she got from the bed to the door. Within 60 seconds, Katie hoisted one of her exceedingly short legs all the way over the railing. Then, the second leg . . . while at the same time holding on with both hands, as she backed her way down to the floor. It was as though she were Lebron James returning to earth from a tomahawk dunk. The amazement with which we gazed upon this scary scene was as though we were going down the hill of the world's tallest roller coaster. We then began a laugh so robust, we almost burst into tears of hilarity.

Lessons Learned:

1. Be careful where you put your child for a time-out.

2. Toddlers have a determination that is unequaled, and they're not afraid to take risks, no matter who's watching.

3. The mind of a toddler is replete with creativity. They think outside the bed . . . I mean, box.

4. If the aforementioned determination and creativity can be properly channeled and developed, our children will grow into adults who will change this world, for the better.

Remember, the same is true of the youth we serve here at Seven Counties. We simply need to have ears to listen for the BAM! BAM! BAM! of their hearts.

Check out Seven Counties' web page at sevencounties.org, and learn more about services for children!

Salute to People Who Have Made a Difference

Quick! What do you think of when you think of Abraham Lincoln? Sixteenth President of the United States? The man who stopped slavery? His humble beginnings? The Gettysburg Address?

You probably don’t think of this: He suffered from depression – depression so severe and incapacitating that he occasionally thought of suicide.

What do you think of when you think of Winston Churchill? That he was one of Britain’s greatest prime ministers? That his stirring leadership and inspiring speeches helped Britain through the terror and fear of WWII?

Did you know he had bi-polar disorder (manic depression) – what he called his ‘black dog’? "Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation. In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgment might well have concluded that we were finished," wrote author Anthony Storr.

May is National Mental Health Month and a great time to recognize all the talented, creative people who have overcome their illnesses to become our leaders, our entertainers, our inspiration.

George Fredrick Handel, Gustav Mahler, Robert Schumann and Ludwig van Beethoven – all superbly talented musicians and composers – had bi-polar disorders, but their masterpieces will never die.

Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, Eugene O’Neill, Leo Tolstoy, and Tennessee Williams were brilliant authors who have given us images and characters that will remain classics for eternity - and all had clinical depression.

Comedians Drew Carey and Roseanne Barr (they have had depression) and Tracy Ullman (bipolar disorder) manage their illnesses – and very successful careers. And they make us laugh.

Former news icons Mike Wallace (depression) and Jane Pauley (depression and bipolar disorder) didn’t let their illnesses get in the way of the news.

Vivian Leigh of Gone with the Wind fame…bipolar disorder. Linda Hamilton of the Terminator movies…bipolar disorder. Ron Steiger, star of In the Heat of the Night…depression. They’ve brought to life movie characters we’ll never forget.

Ted Turner, businessman and entrepreneur….bipolar disorder.

Teddy Roosevelt, President of the United States…bipolar disorder.

Vincent van Gogh, artist…bipolar disorder.

So let’s give thanks that, despite what you may think, mental illness does not deprive a person of intelligence, creativity, determination or ambition. Our world would be a grayer place without the insight and talent of people with mental illness.

And if you know someone struggling with a mental illness, you can help them realize their potential. Begin by encouraging them to seek treatment. It’s a well-established fact: treatment works.