Social Drugs in Pregnancy
Social Drugs in Pregnancy
Demon Rum
Alcohol doesn’t discriminate between mother and baby. It’s an equal opportunity drug that easily crosses through the placenta to the baby. If you become tipsy, your baby won’t pass a sobriety test. You wouldn’t dream f giving your newborn a martini, so don’t give your unborn baby one either.
The detrimental effects of alcohol on the developing fetus have been known for centuries. Carthage and Sparta passed laws to prevent newlyweds from drinking so they wouldn’t produce defective children. Thus, it’s not hot news that alcohol can cause problems for babies.
The exact amount of alcohol it takes to produce adverse effects on babies is unknown, but consuming 3 ounces or more per day puts your baby in the high-risk category for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR). Low birth weight and stillbirths increase when pregnant women consume more than 1.6 ounces of absolute alcohol per day. The highest risk for problems is associated with beer, rather than wine or liquor, despite beer’s lower absolute alcohol content. The reason is unknown. The risks are lower, but not zero, if you consume 1 ounce or less of alcohol per day, which is the equivalent to either 24 ounces of beer, 8 ounces of table wine, or 2 mixed drinks. No safe levels of alcohol consumption have been established for pregnancy. It’s a little like playing Russian roulette-you’ve no way of knowing you’re in trouble until it’s too late. The only safe course is to abstain during pregnancy.
No-No Nicotine
The dangers of smoking are well known. Because 20 to 30 percent of women of childbearing age smoke, let’s concentrate on the effects of smoking on your baby. Smoking causes your blood vessels to constrict, decreasing the blood flow carrying nutrients and oxygen to the baby, who won’t get full rations throughout pregnancy. Smoking inhibits your ability to metabolize certain important vitamins and minerals. If you aren’t absorbing those nutrients, neither is the baby.
Here’s a fact that may appeal to your womanly vanity. Vitamin C builds and maintains vital tissue and cells. Smoking prevents proper absorption for both you and your baby. The result to you is . . . wrinkles! The lack of vitamin C robs the skin of elasticity. Show me a woman who looks younger than her age, and I’ll show you a nonsmoker. The reverse is also true. Calcium is an important requirement in pregnancy. The baby needs lots of it, and so do you. Smoking prevents calcium absorption. Calcium is drained from your bones to supply the baby, leaving you with softening of the bones-osteoporosis in later life. It’s no coincidence that women under 65 who develop osteoporosis are overwhelmingly smokers.
Back to the baby. Smoking mothers produce a higher incidence of preterm births, miscarriages, stillbirths, congenital defects, and low birth weight babies. Smoking contributes to 20 to 40 percent of low birth weight infants. If you smoke 20 cigarettes or more a day, your baby will weigh approximately 1/2 pound less. Fifteen to forty-five percent of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes are attributed to smoking. And the effects don’t end at birth: Children of smoking parents continue to show a decrease in their lung function as they grow older.
As with any other drug, the effects are dose-related: more smoking, more problems. Give the kid a break! If you can at least cut down during the last trimester, your baby will be healthier. He can gain more weight, and all those growing brain cells he’ll need to become the next Einstein will get some extra nourishment. Should you decide to quit, the most effective way is cold turkey. Just stop. Your body is addicted to the nicotine, and trying to cut down just prolongs the agony of withdrawal. There are a number of self-help groups in the community dedicated to helping you quit-try one.
Popular Pot
Marijuana originated in central Asia about 5000 years ago. The Chinese used it as a remedy for various ills, but it never caught on with the party crowd there. In England during the 1800s, marijuana was considered a wonder drug that cured all. The Muslims used it for intoxication and to cure everything from asthma to dandruff and piles. George Washington grew pot on his farm… but don’t look for an expose in the National Enquirer. George wasn’t a closet playboy. He didn’t smoke the stuff; he made ropes out of it.
There’s the potential to become complacent about marijuana since cocaine seems so much more dangerous. Pot continues to be a very popular “recreational” drug; some say its use is epidemic. The effects of marijuana on pregnancy are still not clear. Some studies have associated marijuana use with smaller babies and a fivefold increase to deliver a baby with FAS features. Animal studies show a greater incidence of miscarriages, decrease in birth weight, stillbirth, and neonatal deaths. More information on humans is needed. Meanwhile, it’s safer to get high on meditation or exercise, especially while you’re pregnant.
Coke Catastrophe
Maternal use of cocaine during pregnancy is resulted at an alarming rate. The consequences are serious for both mother and baby. Placental abruption (premature separation of the placenta from the uterine wall) can occur because of the dramatic constriction of blood vessels with cocaine use. The mother can hemorrhage, endangering her life and her unborn baby’s. Cocaine increases the risk of preterm delivery and delivery of a baby small for gestational age. There’s also increasing concern about neurologic problems resulting from intrauterine exposure to cocaine that may have lifelong implications. These babies have emotional and physical disabilities they may never be able to overcome. If that isn’t enough, babies born to mothers who use cocaine undergo painful withdrawal from the drug in the first days of life, which isn’t exactly a loving welcome to the world.
If you use cocaine, you need help. Contact anyone of the several organizations available to help with cocaine problems and take advantage of their service. Do it before you become pregnant. Do it for you and your baby.
Stimulants (Coffee, Tea, Cola)
Caffeine, the socially acceptable “upper” for most of us, stimulates the central nervous system. Many people need one cup of coffee in the morning to get their heart started, and one to wake up. Drinking caffeine during pregnancy is generally safe, but drinking more than five or six cups of coffee per day (600 milligrams of caffeine) is associated with low birth weigh t babies and stillbirths. Caffeine is found in a variety of medications as well as tea and cola.
Be on the safe side and limit your caffeine intake to less than 400 milligrams per day. Caffeine is excreted less efficiently during pregnancy, and insomnia can result with even small amounts. If you have trouble sleeping, eliminate caffeine and see if it helps.