Angelene (Ange) Bruce, the biological mother of a thriving child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), is using her lived experience to help others achieve alcohol-free pregnancies.
As a young girl, she navigated significant challenges with family members and school friends, and in 2007, she endured the shock diagnosis and subsequent passing of her mother from an incurable brain cancer.
“I was always at high risk of getting into trouble with alcohol due to the trauma I experienced in my childhood and compounding factors,” Ange tells Women’s Agenda. “Almost all— if not all— women affected by alcohol use disorder will have complex trauma histories that need to be explored.”
Although Ange attended a long-stay residential rehab facility to help her relationship with alcohol, she relapsed once coming out “to quell the pain”. Following that, she became pregnant after having been told it wasn’t possible for her to conceive naturally.
“After being told it wasn’t possible, when I eventually confirmed my pregnancy, I was elated and then horrified at the level of alcohol my miracle baby had already been exposed to,” she says.
“I was afraid for my son, I went cold turkey in desperation three times throughout my pregnancy. He began to miscarry every time due to alcohol withdrawal shock. I would be remiss not to mention that withdrawal from my consumption levels of alcohol was potentially life threatening and should only be done under strict medical supervision.”
At the age of three, her son finally received a FASD diagnosis, and Ange says “the next few years were spent trying to get well myself, as well as loving my miracle baby boy, who was also now harmed by alcohol after many relapses.”
Looking back, Ange wishes she had been offered better support. When she disclosed she was drinking alcohol during her pregnancy, her OB/GYN at the time abruptly told her to “stop drinking”, offering no other information or support.
Now, Ange is passionate about driving change as a Lived Experience Advisor with the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE).
“It’s important to me, at a deep level, to speak for those who haven’t found their voices yet due to societal stigma surrounding prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD,” says Ange.
“My son is very well accommodated, was diagnosed early as I was specifically looking for FASD, has a modest NDIS plan, and now he is doing amazing.”
National campaign Every Moment Matters provides the latest evidence and advice
Ange’s story highlights the crucial need for health professionals to inform their patients of facts and avoid judgement, stigma or shame when discussing alcohol use.
There is no amount of alcohol that is safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia’s peak body for health and medical research. Any alcohol exposure at any stage of pregnancy passes directly to the baby and can damage their developing brain, body and organs. Alcohol also increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, low birthweight, being born small for gestational age and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
It’s important for health professionals to never assume their patient knows this, or that they don’t drink alcohol.
Many women continue to drink alcohol after becoming aware of their pregnancy, and one in four women who are pregnant or would consider having a baby soon are unaware of the risks that alcohol poses.
FARE’s world-leading campaign, ‘Every Moment Matters’ aims to change this. The campaign website offers health professionals the latest evidence-based information and resources to support patients to go alcohol-free through all stages of pregnancy.
There is also a free, accredited eLearning course for health professionals. After completing the course, 86.2 per cent of health professionals said they felt confident in providing advice about alcohol during pregnancy, up from 56.6 per cent pre-training.
Health Programs Director at FARE, Kristie Cocotis oversees the ‘Every Moment Matters’ program and says that since its launch in 2021, they’ve seen over 500 nurses, GPs, midwives, obstetricians and a range of allied health professionals complete the training.
“The campaign has been independently evaluated by the University of Adelaide, and this has been an ongoing process since 2021,” says Cocotis. “So, we’ve continued to use all and any feedback that we’ve received over that time to refine the campaign to make the greatest impact that we can.
From this evaluation, Cocotis says FARE has been able to see significant progress in raising awareness and influencing behaviours related to alcohol use during pregnancy and breastfeeding across the Australian population.
Last year, the Federal Government announced an additional $10.1 million in funding for Every Moment Matters, which will see the campaign continue until 30 June 2026.
For health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, another helpful campaign is ‘Strong Born’, which is developed by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and provides culturally appropriate information and resources.
“Something that we hear often in this area is that there is a lot of misinformation,” says Cocotis about the effects of alcohol on pregnancy and breastfeeding.
“Ensuring that health professionals are really well equipped to be able to provide accurate and honest information is really [important].”
How to support women who are planning pregnancy, pregnant, or breastfeeding
GP and addiction specialist Dr Hester Wilson advises that healthcare professionals always initiate an open and non-judgmental conversation with women who are planning a pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding. This could include asking about how much they drink, their level of knowledge on the subject, or if they might want more support.
“They’re just quick, brief conversations,” says Dr Wilson. “It can sometimes be that you say, ‘Look, this is really important. It’s not what we’re here for today, but I’d love to see you again to discuss this in more detail’.”
“It’s really looking at what we can offer, and how we can support women to make this really important change that is so important for their health and for their health of their baby,” she says. “It’s more than just saying ‘no’. It’s more around supporting them to make that change.”
Health professionals can learn how to have the conversation with women at the Every Moment Matters website.
Dr Wilson says misinformation about alcohol, pregnancy and breastfeeding is commonplace. She works hard to dispel the myths that are out there and support women to be healthy and well.
Alcohol dependence, she says, often starts when people begin using the substance habitually.
“One of the things they might notice is they drink differently to their friends, ” Dr Wilson says.
“So other friends might have one or two, but once they start, they continue drinking and they enjoy the feeling from it, but they find it difficult to pace themselves, difficult to actually stop, difficult to refuse things.”
Similar to Ange’s experience with her obstetrician, Dr Wilson says “sometimes what can happen is that health professionals can say to women, ‘Well, you just need to stop’.”
However, if a woman has a dependence on alcohol, Dr Wilson says it may be dangerous to cut back or cut out alcohol without support from a health professional.
That’s why it’s so important that women seek support, and that health professionals are equipped to provide safe, compassionate care and help women take positive steps for their health and their baby’s wellbeing.
To learn more and access valuable resources and training about alcohol and pregnancy, check out the ‘Every Moment Matters’ website here.