9.01.2024
Dealing with drug or alcohol use during pregnancy is extremely difficult, and it helps to understand how tobacco, alcohol and drugs affect your unborn child.
When harmful substances, like drugs or alcohol, are ingested they enter the mother’s bloodstream and pass through the placenta and umbilical cord to the baby. Even if you only ingest a small amount of drugs or alcohol, it will stay in the baby’s system long after it leaves yours.
If a woman inhales tobacco or other drugs (like marijuana) while she is pregnant, the baby is exposed to all of the smoke and any chemicals in the drug. This restricts the oxygen and nutrients that reach the baby and can cause serious harm.
Babies that are exposed to any amount – large or small – of tobacco, alcohol or drugs can have a variety of health and mental issues before or after they’re born. But there is one thing every expectant mother suffering from addiction can do: get help.
No matter how far along in your pregnancy you are, it’s never too late to get help. With the right care, your baby can be saved from being born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, going through painful abstinence symptoms or other health problems including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Remember, there is no safe level of drugs or alcohol to take during pregnancy.
Pregnant women who are using drugs or alcohol should not quit cold turkey, as it could be dangerous for both the mother and baby. Instead, you should seek professional help from your medical provider or a treatment center. If you are pregnant and seek help, you will be considered a top priority at all Nevada treatment centers, meaning you should not be put on a waiting list.
Frequently Asked Questions About Substance Use During Pregnancy
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
What is a “drink”? What if I only drink beer or wine coolers?
I drank during my last pregnancy and my baby turned out fine. Why shouldn’t I drink again during this pregnancy?
I’ve tried to stop using before, but I just couldn’t do it. Where can I get help?
Why is smoking harmful during pregnancy?
And the baby itself will be at an increased risk for asthma and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). If you need help to quit smoking, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
What effect does drinking alcohol while pregnant have on the fetus?
In an adult, the liver breaks down the alcohol, but a baby’s liver is not yet able to do this, so alcohol is much more harmful to a fetus than to an adult. The more a pregnant woman drinks, the greater the danger is for her baby. Drinking during pregnancy may result in your baby developing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, a form of brain damage for which there is no cure.
How do drugs used during pregnancy reach the baby?
What are examples of drugs that can be harmful during pregnancy?
Remember, there is no safe level of use of any of these substances during pregnancy.
What pregnancy risks are associated with medications?
What is addiction?
How can I get help if I am using alcohol or drugs?
Sober Moms, Healthy Babies offers resources to help. If you're pregnant and using, there's always a safe place to get help. In Nevada, pregnant women receive priority admission at state-funded substance use treatment centers. One of the program’s primary goals is to prevent alcohol and drug use among women of childbearing years and women currently pregnant. To achieve this goal, the organization partners with many of the treatment centers in the state that treat pregnant women struggling with addiction. For more information, visit the website or call 1-800-450-9530.
Healthy Start is a federally funded program that aims to improve health outcomes in women during and after pregnancy and to reduce racial and ethnic differences in rates of infant death and adverse maternal health outcomes.
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