Connection Between Substance Abuse To Unborn Babies

Tiny hands, tiny feet, a gentle beat is what you can see and feel when undergoing an ultrasound. The first time parents see theirunborn baby, they usually would have mixed emotions.

Being pregnant is a delicate phase in a woman's life.Supplements should be taken to ensure the health of the fetus. When a woman is abusing alcohol and drugs especially during this time, there will be adverse effects not only to herself but to the being inside her womb.

For ladies who are unaware they are pregnant and have taken lots of alcohol or abused drugs, there will be a great probability that their baby would have developmental or physical problems. This is why it is recommended to find rehabilitation centers especially for pregnant women. There is a solution, alcohol rehabilitation is available to offer great services for pregnant women suffering from alcohol and drug abuse.

In response to studies, the misuse of alcohol and drugs affect not only the mother but it affects the unborn child even more. It shows that 40,000 infants delivered in the U.S each year have a certain defect or abnormality that is connected with maternal abuse of alcohol and drugs during pregnancy. This is usually categorized as fetal alcohol syndrome disorder.

So how does alcohol and drug abuse affect the fetus anyway? Let us start with alcohol, this substance inhibits the formation of the cell membrane and ultimately causes cell death in the fetus. With the destruction of these cells, the different parts of the fetus develop abnormally. Not only that, the nerve cells in the brain as well as other organs are damaged. Given that drinking alcohol also constricts blood vessels, the nutrients such as oxygen entering the fetal area is decreased. Babies born to alcoholic mothers usually have low birth weight, hearing, sleeping and eating problems.

On the other hand, when a mother abuses drugs, there are specific effects that are linked to the fetal progress these include the following: lowered birth weight, slow growth and development. There are also specific drugs that increase the probability of congenital heart disease, cleft palates, club foot and other congenital defects.

With that said, maternal substance abuse exclusively to cocaine result in a small head circumference, a high chance of fetal stroke and defects of the urinary tract. This is why it is essential for pregnant women who suffer from drug abuse to get help from a rehabilitation facility. There is almost always a drug addiction rehab available in your area that help pregnant women get better not only for their unborn kids but for themselves as well.

Alcohol consumption and substance abuse by pregnant mothers has detrimental effects. These effects are more centered to the unborn child; therefore it is of utmost important for a mother to obtain treatments for this condition.

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