Sheffield boy’s mood swings turned out to be brain injury caused during mother’s boozy pregnancy – Yorkshire Live

A Sheffield grandmother has revealed how her daughter's boozing during pregnancy led to her grandson suffering mood swings which turned out to be a brain injury.

When Nathaniel started going to school, his grandma Lindsey realised he was "acting differently" and started to wet himself.

She said: He would be withdrawn, he would have extreme emotional reactions to situations, he would lose control of what he was doing, and in some instances he reverted back to being incontinent.

Nathaniel is a beautiful, warm-hearted young boy who struggled to express his emotions. Due to fear and unease, incontinence was a way for Nathaniel to express his distress; I would have to leave work and pick him up, which resulted in him feeling much safer.

Nathaniels behaviour concerned his grandma and he was referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) to try and find a diagnosis.

Lindsey said she was confident he didnt have ADHD and wasnt on the autistic spectrum. Once these were ruled out, a chance conversation with a fellow employee led to her reading about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

"I spent the evening researching and immediately knew this was what had affected Nathaniel, Lindsey said.

This was extremely distressing as I came to the realisation that my lovely grandson had been born with a brain injury, one that required a lifetime adjustment.

FASD is not always identifiable in babies as they dont always show physical markers and this can result in misdiagnosis.

In Nathaniels case, there were physical markers but this was not picked up by healthcare professionals at the time as FASD was not so widely known.

Lindsey added: Nathaniel was born with a suspected heart murmur; there was a difference in his facial features which I am now able to recognise.

During my daughters pregnancy, she never confessed to drinking as much as she did, she was presentable and she always attended her appointments sober.

Life now can be extremely difficult for Nathaniel, he has to have routine, he has short-term memory loss and he has very little empathy. I make sure I am patient with him, that he has support and that I also have a lot of support, I am very lucky to have the support that I do have. My family are brilliant and so is the school that Nathaniel attends.

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause harm to babies, sometimes resulting in mental and physical problems called foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

This can occur because alcohol in the mother's blood passes to her baby through the placenta.

Babies cannot process alcohol in the same way adults can, which means it can damage cells in their brain, spinal cord and other parts of their body, and disrupt their development in the womb.

It is hard when people assume he is misbehaving, he is not doing this intentionally and his incorrect choices are not done wilfully; he doesnt have the ability to make correct choices all the time. This is the sad part of FASD, while he does listen to me, he is just unable to access certain parts of his brain that other people can do so easily.

As part of International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) awareness day, which was earlier this week on September 9, Lindsey wants to make people aware of the effects of mothers drinking alcohol while pregnant.

She said: My message to expectant mothers is this FASD is totally preventable if people dont drink. You dont have to be an alcoholic, you dont have to binge drink, one drink whilst cooking your meal at home can have a lifetime effect on your baby.

If you drink when youre pregnant, your baby is drinking too.

Councillor Jackie Drayton, cabinet Member for children, young people and families, and baby safe champion at Sheffield City Council, said: Nathaniels powerful story is a reminder of the real impact FASD can have on peoples lives.

"Drinking alcohol whilst pregnant can have a major impact on the health of your baby. If you are pregnant or think you could become pregnant, the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all.

As a baby safe champion for Sheffield, my message to all expectant mums is to remember no alcohol, no risk. Going alcohol-free will help towards giving you and your baby the best possible start in your new lives together.

If you or anyone you know needs help or support about this issue, call Sheffield Treatment and Recovery Team (START) on 0114 305 0500 for free, confidential support.

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Sheffield boy's mood swings turned out to be brain injury caused during mother's boozy pregnancy - Yorkshire Live