Ana Apatu: Drink is so damaging to babies

Drinking while pregnant can hurt your baby.

I am invited to a workshop at the Hawke's Bay District Health Board and appreciate the invite. Foetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) is the topic. My "old team", where I was working before the U-Turn Trust, the Healthy Populations team is charged with promoting wellness. An overall 2 per cent proportion of vote health money is dedicated to population health or wellness.

There may be an argument that many clinicians are involved with promoting wellness on an individual level and, of course, they are. However, health promotion or health across the population funding struggles against the demand on acute services or going to the hospital when you are sick or needing a hip replacement or suffering a heart attack. The argument is that if you spend to promote being healthy you will prevent becoming unwell and save in hospital costs.

The other argument that many things influence being healthy lie outside the District Health Board's core work. Employment, education, housing, knowing our whakapapa and connectedness can all make us healthier.

FASD is something that has always worried me. It's different drinking as an informed adult, but when this can affect an unborn child it makes it all very different.

I don't believe we know the facts about the harm associated with drinking during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy has many mixed messages.

Where tobacco is known to be toxic, alcohol carries many mixed messages. Red wine is good for you, one glass of stout or beer when you are pregnant is fine.

I've heard these messages plenty of times. Well, not so. There is mounting evidence that every glass of alcohol is harmful - whether it be as an adult or for that unborn child. The figures are concerning. Kiri from the Health Promotion Agency describes the Don't Know Don't Drink Alcohol Harms Babies campaign to try to address or reduce drinking during pregnancy.

Fifty per cent of women drink during their first three months of pregnancy. Which is when we may not realise we are pregnant. As a result of our drinking, brain damage can occur with that unborn child. Ten-to-30 per cent of women continue to drink throughout their whole pregnancy. The other sobering fact is we NZ women are drinking more than we ever used to and in more harmful ways. Particularly young women. The campaign aims to target women aged 18-30.

There is mixed public opinion about whether it is OK to drink.

The Health Promotion Agency shares its Facebook page with entries such as Binge Drinking is harmful to a baby, a glass of red wine is fine, with replies of "just one glass of wine can be harmful". The presentation highlights we are also likely to receive mixed advice from health professionals about drinking during pregnancy. Part of the Health Promotion Agency's campaign is to ensure clinicians provide consistent messages

But we can't lay the responsibility of informing women of the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy completely on the shoulders of our health professionals. Yes, there should be consistent messages from our clinicians and carers, but our whole community needs to support our women to be informed with the right information. Alcohol is socially acceptable. Most of us love to drink.

Participating in Dry July was an eye-opener for me for many reasons. Yes, I did feel the difference by week four. Sleep patterns, energy levels were noticeably better. As a society how do we ensure we provide the right support to ensure our babies have the best start to life?

And really, why are we so quiet on this extremely critical topic? Key messages we all need to be telling our families whanau.

There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Stop drinking alcohol if you could be pregnant, are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant. If you don't know if you are pregnant, then don't drink.

-Ana Apatu is chief executive of the U-Turn Trust, based at Te Aranga Marae in Flaxmere.