Angelene Bruce

Background

About Angelene Bruce

My name is Ange and I’m the biological Mum to a thriving child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders /#FASD. I’m also a lived / living experience advocate and public speaker for FASD awareness, education and prevention. My story is available across multiple podcasts, print media and myself as well as my son appeared on The Sunday Project in the episode - The Hidden Epidemic. Please feel free to check it out as it’s a lot. Basically and in short, it’s a story of childhood trauma combined with the loss of my dear Mum unexpectedly after a relatively short yet courageous battle with glioblastoma culminating into self medication with alcohol. This would develop into 24/7 top up alcohol dependence with physical withdrawal risk. My miracle baby was prenatally exposed to alcohol. I received the news after some sobriety that I couldn’t fall pregnant without IVF at 34 years old. I relapsed on that devastating news and 6 months later fell naturally pregnant at 24/7 top up dependence level. Reduction was the only way for me as cold turkey sent my son into miscarriage every single time. He’s 16 now, was diagnosed at 3-4, has a modest yet important #NDIS plan that pays for speech therapy, OT and psychology and is doing really well as a result of this. He’s having his best outcomes due to crucial early diagnosis and FASD informed interventions. Given my circumstances, I was looking for FASD however even with prenatal alcohol exposure confirmation from myself, his first misdiagnosis was another neurodiversity that mimics FASD very well. His second and correct diagnosis is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders with no coexisting #ADHD. Important to note that many individuals with FASD will have coexisting ADHD however it needs to be a dual diagnosis as stimulants traditional to ADHD often create very different reactions than intended if FASD is present. Given that peer reviewed data research has shown FASD can and does occur at any level of prenatal alcohol exposure and at any time throughout the entirety of pregnancy, pregnancy warning labels are now mandatory in Australia. Alcohol is a teratogen that crosses the placenta affecting a baby’s brain and body at any and every stage of development in utero. It’s important that women everywhere across Australia receive clear and consistent messaging that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. This messaging must be without blame or stigma and encourage women to disclose any PAE as early as possible. That’s where I come in and where my passion lies. All questions and / or contact is welcome.