A SINGLE mother has warned of the dangers of drinking in pregnancy after her adopted daughter was diagnosed with so-called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Libby, who does not want to reveal her surname, said women should seriously consider giving up booze during pregnancy.

FASD, a learning disability, is estimated to affect one in 100 babies every year and can cause both mental and physical defects.

Libby, 34, who lives in the North-East, said: “My daughter has a lot of sensory challenges. She finds it hard to cope with noise and will react aggressively towards herself, banging her head and punching herself.

“She also finds it difficult to make eye contact and her interactions, behaviour and play, aren’t as they should be for a child of her age.

“We got the official diagnosis [of FASD] six months into the adoption and every day is a challenge.”

Today (September 9) marks the first national FASD awareness day with Government guidance now suggesting that women who are pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant should avoid alcohol altogether if they want to keep risks to a minimum.

Libby said: “There’s no safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy and there’s no way of knowing how your baby will be affected. Your future with your child is absolutely worth giving up alcohol for.

“Babies with FASD bring so much love, joy and happiness wherever they go. There’s something so sociable about them and they’re genuinely lovely to be around, but they also have to go through so much on a daily basis and I do worry about what the future has in store.

“We’ve been lucky because we’ve been able to get a diagnosis early. We have a great paediatrician and access to occupational therapy. We can also access plenty of resources and have a lot of support around us.

“However many people aren’t able to access the support they need because it takes so long to get a diagnosis.”

Sue Taylor, partnerships manager at Balance, the North East Alcohol Office, said: “There’s very little awareness of FASD, even though it’s the most common, non-genetic form of learning disability in the UK.

“We believe it’s vital to spread the word about FASD and inform people that while FASD is a lifelong disability which can’t be cured, it is absolutely preventable.”

Maria Catterick, from the FASD Network, said: “FASD Day is an opportunity to clarify the message that alcohol has the ability to permanently damage children who have been exposed to it before birth.

“We support many families affected by this condition and want to enable every child to get the best start in life by ensuring that people are aware that pregnancy and alcohol don’t mix.”