Studies have frequently suggested that alcohol consumption can cause problems for pregnant women and their babies, and one woman in the States has decided to share her personal story to illustrate this in the most powerful way.
Kathy Mitchell, the Vice President of the National Organisation on Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, has urged mums-to-be to consider the risks of drinking alcohol while pregnant.
In a candid interview this week with The Washington Post, Kathy told the story of her daughter Karli, who was diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder at birth.
Now 43 years of age, the beloved Karli has the developmental capacity of a six-year-old; something which a guilt-ridden Kathy partly puts down to drinking alcohol throughout her pregnancy.
Recalling her pregnancy with Karli at the age of 18, Kathy told the Post’s reporter that she would drink ‘a bottle of wine, or four to five beers during the weekend’ during her pregnancy, and abided by friends’ sayings such as “If you want to have a big fat baby, drink a beer a day”.
Kathy believes that alcohol was not the only factor in Karli’s condition; she added: “The fact is, I had poor nutrition, smoked cigarettes, worked in bars and drank alcohol. None of this was conducive to a healthy pregnancy.”
Describing daughter Karli as “a blessing” who “brings joy to everyone she knows”, Kathy admitted that she is wracked with guilt over her diagnosis and often wonders if things may have been different.
“She’s a forever innocent child. But not a day goes by that I don’t ask myself, ‘What if? What if alcohol hadn’t been a part of my life?’ ” said Kathy.
Urging those reading to take her experience on board, Kathy added: “I believe I would be a terrible person if I didn’t do everything in my power to prevent this from happening to another child.”
