Substance Abuse and Pregnancy
March 19, 2008
Everyone knows that drug and alcohol addiction can have devastating effects on a pregnancy. However, it still happens every day in the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), approximately one million babies have been born in the past 20 years to women who used cocaine while pregnant. Statistics show that as many as 10 percent of babies are born to mothers who used one or more illegal drugs while pregnant.
This can have devastating effects on the baby both in the womb and after birth. Alcohol and many types of drugs, including prescription and over-the counter drugs, can reach the baby through the placenta before it’s born and through breastmilk. Alcohol abuse can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, which neurological damage, and heart defects. It’s important not to take any type of medication while pregnant without asking a doctor, no matter how harmless it may seem.
Babies who are born with a substance addiction must spend their first days of life in withdrawal. Unfortunately, many don’t even make it that far due to miscarriage. Drug and alcohol addiction during pregnancy can lead to mental development problems that aren’t detected in the child for months or years. Pre-term labor and prenatal development are risks as well. A pregnant woman who engages in drug and alcohol abuse can harm the baby by damaging her own health, so that her body is unable to take care of the pregnancy.
When a woman is pregnant, it is even more vital to seek specialized help for alcohol and drug abuse. Addiction treatment during this time must have special considerations for the health of the baby during withdrawal. However, going through drug and alcohol detox is always better than continuing the addiction. There are two lives at stake when a pregnant woman suffers from alcoholism or drug addiction.
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