Puzzle Description:

Nine Zero is On My Mind. Those who know me understand what this means. Explanation in the comments.

#1: Teresa K (fasstar) on Sep 8, 2009 [SPOILER]

So many nines and zeros in my head right now.

On 9/9/99 my good friends in Toronto and myself coordinated the first International FASD Awareness Day, with bells ringing all over the world, in every time zone, at 9:09 a.m., including the carillon bells that rang when Nelson Mandela was released.

Tomorrow on 09/09/09 we will celebrate our ten year anniversary of raising awareness around the world.

If anyone is interested in learning more, here's the FASD Day web site: www.fasday.com


We chose the ninth day of the ninth month to remind everyone that babies need to be protected from alcohol exposure during the entire nine months of pregnancy.

Oh yes, I almost forgot. Nine Zero is a campaign my friend in California started up. It's a challenge to young adults to take a pledge to abstain from alcohol for nine months to show support for women who are pregnant and abstaining to protect their babies from alcohol brain damage. She thought of the best awareness motto:

If you are pregnant, don't drink.
If you drink, don't get pregnant.

Nine months. Zero alcohol.
Very cool campaign. More here: http://www.ninezero.org/

And here's my friend's son, who made a 2-minute video about what it's like to be an adult with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMJ3mskAC_8

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I'm and advocate for breastfeeding too. And of course for abstaining from alcohol during that period as well.

About 10 years ago I was trying to find out about the risk of drinking while breastfeeding, and there was very little information and more than a little MISinformation, even from La Leche League. The amount of alcohol that goes through to the baby while nursing is small but not without risk. It takes two hours to metabolize alcohol out of the breast milk.

If a new mom HAS to have a drink, she should wait until after the last feeding of the day, and have just one (12 oz. can of beer, 4 oz. wine, shot of liquor, or one wine cooler). But it is good for her to know that alcohol of any type could diminish her milk supply, and alcohol in large amounts during nursing will pose a risk to the baby. Research shows that alcohol in the breast milk disrupts the babies sleep patterns, they don't sleep as long or as deeply. And heavy alcohol during nursing can interfere with the baby's motor development. Nothing compares to the alcohol exposure in the womb though, where the baby has the same BAC as the mother, and there is serious risk of brain damage from the alcohol.

I'm sorry to be a party pooper, but this info is just not getting out there enough. I promise after tomorrow, I'll get off my FASD soap box. :-)

Almost 30 years ago, I worked with children diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as it was labeled then. It was newly diagnosed and barely recognized by the public. Let's keep up the work to make everyone aware of the devastating effects...and thank you

Another note: recent evidence also suggests that the father's drinking also affects his "contribution" to the fetus....

Thanks, Linda. Yes, abuse of alcohol and other drugs has the potential of impacting a man's sperm, especially at the time of conception. That effect is minimal though compared to the effects of direct exposure in the womb. The three major ways that Dad's drinking affects offspring are 1) his drinking influences Mom's drinking; 2) increased risk of abuse and neglect; and 3) inherited addiction tendencies and other mental health issues.

i'm glad you talk about fas - it's real. i saw many, many children affected by this when i worked for el paso county dhs. sad thing is that there are professionals who do not give it the attention it deserves. we had adoptive parents return their teenage fas children back to foster care because they couldn't handle their behaviors. of course, i didn't think much of the adoptive parents after this, but i wondered what may have happened if they'd been given solid information about impending developments in their children's behaviors as they related to fas.

Thanks Teresa and the others of you who champion this cause. In our 12 step group we have a couple who just had a baby and thankfully they were clean when the child was conceived and up to this point. Sadly another lady and her daughter are dealing with a newborn having to be treated for opiate addiction...

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