Effects of Alcohol and Drug Usage during Pregnancy
There are many teratogens for many years that have been studied on how they have an effect on unborn babies and how it affects them later on in life as well. Alcohol, drugs, over the counter medicines and cigarettes are all listed as a teratogen which is defined some form of outside mean that affects the baby and are usually not too easy to detect at times. Even though there is all this science based research on how you should avoid these items during pregnancy available to each woman there are those that are still choosing to use these teratogens during their pregnancy. My husband and I just found out that we are expecting our first child and with that comes a great deal of responsibility, including your 9 month pregnancy experience. We went to our first obstetrics and gynecology appointment not knowing what to expect or what to ask. He gave me a list of foods to avoid and also past health issues. At the end they give you a packet of information on classes, articles, lactation services, hospital information, etc. In this guide they also give you resources for those women who are pregnant that are battling with drug, smoking and alcohol addictions and numbers to contact services to help them through this; which is great. I would love to be able to open everyone’s eyes on this issue that we face daily and explain how women that use drugs and alcohol during pregnancy are running a risk of their baby’s life and well being. My goal is to help provide adequate information to those who seem to think that using alcohol and drugs during pregnancy is ok.
Most women think that over the counter drugs are safe to take since they do not need a prescription for them, with that being said “mor...
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... on by smoking cigarettes and the most recognized is low birth weight. It can also contribute to miscarriage, cancer, and weakened heart rate; these are just a few that factor into the baby’s health. The use of illegal drugs has a low percentage rate of women who use them during pregnancy and most of these women are found in lower socioeconomic status. Marijuana is a highly used drug throughout the United States. There are about 20 states that have legalized the use of medical marijuana and only 2 states have passes a law for recreational usage of marijuana. It is becoming more and more popular this day in age and it is a drug that is easily accessed. Marijuana also has effects on the fetus, somewhat like tobacco use it does cause low birth weight but it is also linked to small head size which can lead to deprived cognitive development and motor skill difficulties.
who used cigarettes and alcohol while pregnant and kids who are exposed to high levels of
“Crack-babies” a media induced phenomena brought about by the climax of public outcry from the results of the 1980’s war on drugs. This term laid the foundation for biased prosecutions which sparked a political crusade during climate of the time. Thus exploiting the public’s fear of children born to substance addicted mother and creating a firestorm of litigation to prosecute pregnant drug addicts. According to Flavin, Paltrow (2010), current evidence points to public stigmas and prejudice as posing a greater danger to both maternal and fetal health than use of the drug itself. Leaving the question as to why addicted women are still publicly reviled for the outcomes of their circumstances. From this abhorrence stems the likelihood that these women would be deterred from seeking prenatal care than to seek help for their addiction; expelling an even greater issue as the concern of health care is then added to the mix. The complex social issues then must be taken into consideration to underscore the need for policymakers to allow for the legal and medical systems to better create programs for these women and allot for rehabilitation instead of punitive solutions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy 2005) has been widely criticized as being unnecessarily paternalistic, but the CDC goes further into explaining that, “Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development” (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy
The effects on caffeine during pregnancy were explained and detailed. I explained the causes and effects on caffeine and the major dangers that affect the offspring. Caffeine is the most dangerous cause of danger in pregnancy and their offspring. It can infect the metabolism, the fetal, and can cause miscarriages. The blood flow can easily be decreased by having to much caffeine and can in danger the baby.
the safety of oral contraceptives has been touted and well established, why then is it not sold over
Childbirth is nothing short of a miracle. The placenta—the organ connecting a developing fetus to the uterine wall and allowing for waste elimination, nutrient uptake and gas exchange via the mother's blood supply—filters most harmful substances that threaten an embryo, though some may still pass on to the fetus. These harmful substances, called “teratogens,” range from environmental chemicals to the passing of maternal diseases, and can negatively impact the normal developmental cycle of a fetus. The title “teratogen,” however, effectually refers to any substance or chemical exposure with the potential to cause birth defects in prenatal development. Exposure to teratogens can result in a broad spectrum of physiological and psychological issues in later life, including malformations of the body. (Malformations resulting from exposure to one of the most common teratogens—alcohol—can be observed notoriously in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or FAS, where patterns of mental and physical defects develop in association with high levels of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.) Though the toxicity of these teratogens is particularly damaging during the fourth through tenth weeks of gestation, teratogens can harm throughout the span of development in the womb.
Women drinking alcohol while they are pregnant should be illegal. Over 6 million women in America drink on a daily basis while they are pregnant, and every year more than 90,000 babies are born with some sort of alcohol-related defect (March of Dimes 2000). In some states a woman is charged with child abuse if her baby has significant abnormalities, but not everywhere. Fetal alcohol syndrome, fetal alcohol effects, and neurodevelopmental disorder are just a few of the problems a child might have if a woman drinks while she is pregnant.
Simone Harrison a 25 year old African American female, who is 6 months pregnant and unemployed, arrived at the University Hospital's Women Clinic in Oakland, CA for prenatal care. Ms. Harrison made the appointment because she has not been feeling well lately. During the intake process , she discloses to the nurse that this is only her second visit to the doctor since finding out she was pregnant. Ms. Harrison's records also contain information about her mental status, most notably that she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2009. Her boyfriend, the baby's father, decided he wasn't ready to be a father and left shortly after finding out about the baby. Fear, abandonment, and uncertainty about the future escalate stress levels consequently resulting in her experiencing auditory hallucinations. When this happens, the client, who is uninsured, self medicates with cocaine to manage her symptoms. The nurse who works in the clinic suspects that Simone is using drugs because according to her "she looks like the type". Acting out of contempt for the patient and concern for the unborn child, the nurse is ready to drug test Ms. Harrison, without her knowledge if necessary, to confirm her suspicions.
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a group of problems a newborn experiences when exposed to addictive drugs that the mother consumes during pregnancy. NAS is a growing concern in the United States and can have significant adverse effects on newborns. Shortly after birth, the infant can display many physical symptoms of withdrawal. In addition, substance abuse during pregnancy can cause premature birth, low birth weight, seizures, birth defects, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), and possible long-term cognitive and behavioral problems. The 2010 results from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings reported incidence of substance abuse among pregnant women within the United States....
... excluded potential risk factors for preterm birth including previous pregnancies and multiple births. Thus, these results should only be applied to the risk of alcohol consumption for primiparous mothers with singleton pregnancies. However, despite the lack of risks identified in this study, alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to disabilities. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP, 2011), its adverse effects include fetal alcohol syndrome, learning disabilities, social ineptness, depression, and anxiety. The AACAP strongly recommends against pregnant women consuming any form of alcohol at any level. Despite the data presented by Dale et al. (2016), the question of the other risks of alcohol consumption on the fetus was not explored and thus alcohol use during pregnancy should not be condoned solely based on this study.
There are many factors that are integrated into the successful development of a child from Prenatal growth into toddlerhood. Teratogens (outside factors) have a great impact on the babies’ inutero development. Some outside factors like second-hand smoke, smog, or fumes from cleaning chemicals can cause negative effects on the child inside the womb. A few major affects from teratogens could result in low birth weight, head circumference, slow physical growth as well as an effect on mental, behavioral and motor skills (Berk, 2003). The environment around the mother provides many of these outside factors affecting the baby’s growth. But the main link to teratogens during the gestation period is most likely the mother. Daniel S. Messinger and the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 2.8% of pregnant women admitted to using illicit drugs during their pregnancy (1996). Through illicit drug use, tobacco use and alcohol use, the mother disrupts her baby’s growth with possibly permanent damage.
The risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome triples if the mother has smoked during pregnancy. “It is estimated that twenty-five percent of expectant mothers in the U.S. smoke throughout their pregnancies. According to a report from the Surgeon General, twenty percent of low birth weight births, either percent of preterm deliveries and five percent of all perinatal could be prevented by eliminating smoking during pregnancy.”
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the only cause of birth defects that are totally one hundred percent preventable. Drinking any amount of alcohol during pregnancy is not advisable. Through education and intervention these defects can be stopped. Knowing who is at risk and how to prevent it is the first step. It is everyone's responsibility to encourage friends and family not to drink while pregnant. Nine months of drinking alcohol by the mother can cause a lifetime of irreversible damage for the child.
...just being around a person that does can cause harm to a mother’s fetus. Women need to know that smoking can cause miscarriages, premature birth, and other damage to a baby. Before women that smoke decide to make the decision of getting pregnant, they should research all the harmful effects that smoking has on a fetus. If pregnant smokers were to halt tobacco use a total of 986 infant deaths would be averted annually. This validates the need for infusion of more resources into existing smoking cessation campaigns in order to achieve higher quit rates, and substantially diminish current levels of smoking-associated infant deaths (Salihu, Aliyu, Pierre-Louis, & Alexander, 2003). The only way a woman can avoid pregnancy complications associated with smoking is to quit and she should also avoid others who smoke in order to avoid the dangers of second hand smoke.
Chambers, C. D., Polifka, J. E., & Friedman, J. M. (2008). Drug safety in pregnant women and their babies: ignorance not bliss. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 83(1), 181-183.