One community partner is Dr. Jim Rafferty, who is based out of the medical clinic in Caledonia.
FASD is used as the umbrella term for spectrum of disabilities that can result from drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Dr. Rafferty says there are several different outcomes that happen depending on biology and frequency of drinking.
He groups them into four categories, but there can be crossover as well. Some of the more severe cases can result in physical and mental changes in the infant, or lesser effects such as behavioral problems and coping skills. None of these issues can be cured, though there are treatments that can help support the individual through life, he says.
However because FASD can often go undiagnosed, especially if the mother is not upfront about her history, it isn’t always treated in the proper manner.
“One of the areas we don’t see the direct affects of addictions is the criminal system,” says Dr. Rafferty.
He cites studies that have shown 85 per cent of people in jails have some association with alcohol and drugs. That breaks down into two groups, the first being the obvious ones who are addicted to those substances. However the second are people that come from a background where the mother used alcohol during pregnancy.
Other challenges people with FASD face is getting a proper education, finding employment, and staying employed.
However FASD is one of the few illnesses that is not talked about like it should be, he says, though it isn’t from a lack of trying.
“It’s a shameful illness, and I suspect it’s that shame that keeps our population as a whole from discussing and really understanding that it is not safe to drink alcohol during pregnancy,” he says.
In the medical community, the guidelines say that no amount of alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy. It’s not just as easy as telling a mother not to drink though.
“We have failed to involve all the partners (in this message),” he says, and adds it is something that needs to change.
Dr. Rafferty uses the old phrase “it takes a community to raise a child,” as something that needs to be thought about.
“Just hearing it from the physician doesn’t do the trick. Collaborative approaches work much better.”
The collaborative approach involves the pregnant mother as like the team leader, supported by doctors, nurse practitioners and dieticians. By involving the whole medical community, as well as the family members, the approach works much better than just by the doctor alone.
Dr. Rafferty says the services are very good in rural areas now as well, so just about every expectant mother can get the services needed.
That way, he says we can move away from the common problem of blaming the mothers.
“It just doesn’t work like that.”
