Pregnant women often say "I'm eating for two".  Eating enough of the right food is obviously a good thing to do when you're pregnant, but what if a pregnant woman says "I'm drinking for two".  What would you think about that?

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a group of disorders that may occur if a woman chooses to drink in pregnancy.  Babies can suffer life-long physical and intellectual disabilities because of it.  The condition is not curable and the damage is permanent, but it is preventable.  Prevention strategies are not just about harm reduction, but must focus around education and early intervention, and not only involve health professionals but link clearly with education, housing, justice and other community services.

This documentary poses the question "Is it safe to drink at all when you're pregnant?"  To answer this, we hear from a number of people with this problem, their families and experts.  The program includes cases studies to illustrate the issues for children, adults and Indigenous communities in particular.

You can read reviews of this program including one written by Kathryn France, the Alcohol and Pregnancy Project Officer at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

Drinking for Two? is presented by Julie McCrossin, former Presenter of ABC Radio National's Life Matters.

Participants include: Professor Elizabeth Elliot (The Children's Hospital at Westmead, NSW), Ms Lorian Hayes (National Indigenous Australian Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Education Network) and Dr Lara Wieland (Mulungu Aboriginal Corporation Medical Centre, QLD) in a panel discussion led by Dr Norman Swan.

Click here for more details about the presenter and panellists.

Case study participants include: Anne Russell, her son Seth and his fiancé Hailey; Krystal and her grandfather Greg; Lorian Hayes and women of the Cherbourg Community in Queensland.

At the end of this program, viewers will:

• Understand the potential impact on the unborn child of drinking alcohol in pregnancy.
• Recognise the ongoing developmental consequences for a child with FASD.
• Identify the issues for ongoing management and support for a child or adult with FASD.
• Identify the links between education, health professionals and community involvement when enabling preventative strategies for FASD.

This program draws from material originally presented in the Foundation's program Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

26 minutes.

This program was first broadcast on the Foundation's satellite network on Wednesday 6 June 2007.  It was repeated on Friday 8 June 2007.

This program is accredited for CPD/CPE by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, the Royal College of Nursing Australia and the Australian Physiotherapy Association. Click here to evaluate this program and earn professional development points.

This program has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. [more acknowledgements]

Managing Alcohol Withdrawal in General Hospitals: An Interactive Training Package

Telethon Institute for Child Health Research

Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

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