Substance Abuse During Pregnancy - 952 Words

Substance abuse during pregnancy can range in variation from prescription drugs to non-prescription drugs to even alcohol. Substance abuse is more common during pregnancy than most people realize. This type of abuse is more common amongst pregnant women. Most the time substance abuse is hard to find in women. Pregnant women who go through substance abuse usually don’t seek any medical help. If an expecting mother uses any kind of drug it can result in many complications. Some complications that are a result of substance abuse include: stillbirths, miscarriages, premature labor and even complications that can affect the child later on in life. Pregnant women who also give birth to children addicted to drugs can face a wide variety of†¦show more content†¦Infants born addicted to heroin or methadone often present with characteristics of neonatal opiate abstinence syndrome (Meade, 2007). Amphetamines are very harmful to an unborn child. This drug can cause decreased weig ht, length and even head size (California, 2002-2014). The effects of marijuana to an unborn child are still unknown. Marijuana can be stored in babies’ fat cells for seven to thirty days. The use of marijuana while pregnant can result in the amount of oxygen and nutrients the baby receives which can result with growth complications. Drinking alcohol can increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, newborn death and fetal alcohol syndrome also known as FAS. Babies with FAS have low birth weight, heart defects, facial defects, and learning problems. Even one drink a day has been shown to have effects on the growing fetus. The best time to stop drinking alcohol is before you conceive. If your pregnancy is unplanned, you should stop drinking as soon as you suspect you are pregnant (California, 2002-2014). Exposure to substances abuse can affect individuals across the lifespan, starting in utero. While most pregnant women do not abuse illicit drugs, data combined from 2008 and 2 009 from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that among pregnant women ages 15 to 44, the youngest ones have reported the greatest substance use. Also, pregnant women ages 15 to 17 had similar rates of drug use