illegal drugs pregnancy

As a pregnant woman, you want your unborn baby to be as healthy as possible. When you are pregnant, it is essential that you look at what your body has consumed. Remember that most of what you ingest are passed along to your growing baby.

Though some things are healthy for your baby, others can be unsafe. Most of the expecting mother take prescribed or non-prescribed drugs or use social drugs like tobacco and alcohol or illegal drugs at some time during pregnancy and these are identified as a mainly dangerous for a developing baby.

Any quantity of these elements is considered insecure during pregnancy. You should escape from them completely while you’re pregnant. Leaving before you get pregnant is perfect, but preventing drug or alcohol use at any point during pregnancy will help your baby.

About 2 to 3% of all birth defects are the consequences of drugs that are used to treat any illness or disorder.

Studies have shown that consumption of illegal drugs during pregnancy can disturb both, the mother and the unborn baby.

How Drugs Affect The Pregnant Woman?

Women’s smoking while pregnant has been a painful reality for decades. Whatever the reason – whether a deficiency of fear about the risk, conviction it’s too hard to quit or even reports that a follow-on smaller baby will make for an “easier” birth – the truth is that a small baby that was meant to be superior is at risk of abortion, cot death, prospect heart disease and shortened life span.

Cigarette smoking was the primary to get attention, and this was followed by alcohol and afterwards given to other drugs such as marijuana, opiates, and cocaine.

Substance abuse has affected all levels of society for ages. And for several decades, investigators have been reviewing the effects of recreational drug use in pregnancy. Here are some of them.

  • Loss of hunger
  • Sleepless nights
  • Early labor pains
  • Poor decision-making
  • More prone to sexually transmitted disease
  • Incapable to recognize or handle the normal variations during pregnancy
  • Sudden bleeding
  • Placental abruption
  • Fatal death
  • Water breaks too early

How Drugs Affect The Unborn Baby?

Almost all drugs pass via placenta to reach your baby and have some effect on it.
Drugs in your body may decrease the volume of oxygen that can reach your baby. Early in pregnancy, some drugs may affect your baby’s growth.

Other reasons of not having drugs during pregnancy are:

  • Malnourished during birth time
  • Failure or premature delivery
  • Improper Progress and improvement
  • Hindrances in mental health
  • Heartbeat issues
  • Flaws in the face and body
  • Death
  • Fatal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Fatal Alcohol Effect (FAE)
  • stillbirth
  • small size
  • drug dependency in the baby

How Drugs Affect You and Your Baby After Delivery?

Taking illegal drugs may cause difficulties later on in your pregnancy, too, as they can affect how well the placenta works. There is a risk that the placenta may come away from the adjacent of your uterus, sometimes initiating severe bleeding. This is called placental abruption.

Your baby may have withdrawal symptoms if you regularly take certain drugs during your pregnancy. Your baby may need to stay in hospital, so nurses and doctors can check for signs of withdrawal, and give treatment.

  • Higher risk of getting depressed after delivery
  • Face difficulties as a parent
  • Tough to handle your new baby’s needs (i.e. eating, sleeping, crying)
  • To continue a job may be difficult
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
  • Not get easily attached to your baby

The effects of using recreational drugs in pregnancy are extensive. While many women who have used recreational drugs in pregnancy go on to deliver actually healthy infants, severe problems may visible in later years, whether meeting difficulties with education or displaying behavioural problems.

Sometimes drugs are significant for the fitness of the pregnant woman and the foetus. In such cases, a woman should consult with her doctor or special gynecologist about the threats and welfares of taking the drug.

“The mentality and behaviour of drug addicts and alcoholics is wholly irrational until you understand that they are completely powerless over their addiction and unless they have structured help, they have no hope.”  The Fresh Quotes

Author’s Bio:

Teri

Teri, a YOUTH volunteer with Alcohol-Drug Education Service created Drugfacts.ca in hopes that it’s users could take away information that will help them develop and form good decision-making skills concerning the topics of drugs and alcohol.