Pages tagged "Pregnancy warning labels"

Take Action

Posted in 5. Alcohol and pregnancy

Enabling society as a whole to be supportive of messages regarding alcohol and pregnancy is important, but also challenging.  However, we strongly need to take action this area if we are to protect the brain potential of our future generations. 

Spread the word

Spread the word among friends, family, people you work with that alcohol is a major cause of brain damage in unborn babies.

There may be others in your community that also express a strong desire to prevent FASD. Click here for actions you can take as a community to raise awareness of the issue. 

Support pregnant mums to be alcohol-free, don't judge

Support rather than judge mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy. Help them to seek help if they struggle to stop drinking. 

If you are worried call the Alcohol Drug Helpline 0800 787 797. 

Speak out about FASD

Speak out against the injustice of denying children with neurodisability caused by alcohol the help they desperately need to live a good life.

Join FASD-CAN, the Care Action Network supporting individuals and families struggling with FASD and educating the community how best to support their needs. 

Encourage health professionals to have the conversation

Ask your GP next time you are there, whether they routinely ask, assist and advise women about alcohol and the risk of drinking during pregnancy. There are online resources to help them do this.

Take action on the wider drinking culture

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy is strongly determined by our wider drinking culture. Take action to restrict availability and promotion of alcohol and increase the price. Action can also be taken to promote the uptake of early and brief intervention.

Support teachers

If you are a teacher or work in the education sector, support your school to implement the strategies in the “Inclusive Education FASD Guide for teachers”. 

Contact Alcohol Healthwatch

Contact the Alcohol Healthwatch FASD Coordinator for further information fannz@ahw.org.nz 

Get further information

ALCOHOL & PREGNANCY - GET PREPARED FASD ACTION PLAN 2016-19   FASD CARE ACTION NETWORK
FETAL ALCOHOL NETWORK NZ FASD AND LEARNING UNDERSTANDING FASD
SUPPORTING STUDETNS WITH FASD    

Get Prepared

Posted in 5. Alcohol and pregnancy

Alcohol causes more harm to the fetus than other drugs

It does not matter what type of alcohol is consumed, it immediately crosses into the baby’s bloodstream via the placenta and adversely impacts normal development. 

Alcohol is recognised as the ‘heavy hitter’ causing more damage to the fetus than other recreational substances such as tobacco, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine or marijuana.

There is no 'safe' level of alcohol use in pregnancy

Drinking to intoxication places a developing embryo and fetus at the greatest risk of harm.  However, medical research has not been able to establish a safe amount that all pregnant women can drink and there are studies showing harm at very low level.  Therefore, ther advice of many health authorities across the world is  - Do not drink alcohol if you are pregnant, could be pregnant or when breastfeeding.

For more information, check out HPA's alcohol.org.nz website -

New Zealand has an FASD Action Plan

In 2016, the Government took steps to develop New Zealand’s first FASD Action Plan ‘Taking Action on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder 2016-2019 – An Action Plan’.  (FASD Working Group 2016). 

The Plan is a multiagency approach across health, justice, and social sectors to guide policy and service delivery within communities to prevent FASD and improve outcomes for those affected by it. 

The plan targets early intervention with those thought to be at high-risk of drinking during pregnancy. 

Changes to the drinking environment to reduce alcohol availability were not included in the plan. It is well-known that the wider drinking culture is a strong determinant of the prevalence of drinking during pregnancy. Therefore, we need to take a multi-pronged approach to reduce the harm from FASD.

Although improvements have been occurring regarding FASD diagnosis, children with significant learning and behaviour problems linked to prenatal alcohol exposure remain undiagnosed within our health services and ineligible for extra support.  Families living with FASD remain ineligible for respite care. 

Ministry of Education FASD Guide for teachers

The Ministry of Education have produced an Inclusive Education FASD Guide for teachers http://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/fasd/.  

Case for Change

Posted in 5. Alcohol and pregnancy

There are two important components in preventing the harm from Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder:

  1. Preventing FASD by supporting alcohol-free pregnancies
  2. Enabling effective and appropriate care for persons affected by FASD

There is strong evidence that both components are essential in reducing harm from this preventable disability. Click below to learn more or click the button for the Health Promotion Agency infosheet.

ALCOHOL-FREE PREGNANCY KEY MESSAGES