BIRTHPARENT RESOURCES - DRUGS, ALCOHOL & SMOKING

llegal Drugs

When you are pregnant, almost everything you drink, eat or smoke passes to your unborn baby. That's why taking drugs during pregnancy can be especially harmful to an unborn child.

Illegal drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, amphetamines, etc. can cause severe problems if used during pregnancy. These problems include physical problems, learning problems, heart defects, low birth weight and miscarriage. You should not use any drugs during pregnancy - give your baby a great birthday present - a healthy start on life!

Prescription/Non-Prescription Medications

Even medications prescribed by a doctor or purchased over the counter can cause problems for your unborn baby. Some prescription medications can even cause serious birth defects. If you are taking any prescription or non-prescription medications you should talk to your doctor about whether they pose any risks to your baby.

Generally, you should avoid the following: Diet Pills, Aspirin or Ibuprofen, Tetracycline, Cough Syrups (such as Nyquil), Accutane and Mineral Oil.

Alcohol

It is well-known that drinking alcohol while pregnant can pose serious long-term health risks to your baby. Use of alcohol during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) which causes lifelong psychological and behavioral damage in children as well as heart defects and facial deformities. For these reasons, it is best to refrain from drinking alcohol at all during your pregnancy.

Smoking

Pregnancy is a great time to quit smoking! Many times, the nausea caused by the first few months of pregnancy, makes cigarettes taste bad to a pregnant woman.

If you smoke while pregnant, you are increasing the risk of harm to your unborn child. There is a risk that the baby will be born too soon or that the baby will suffer from low birth weight. If the baby is born prematurely, there is a good chance that he or she will need special care, have underdeveloped lungs and have to stay longer in the hospital.

If you quit before or after the first three or four months of your pregnancy you can lower your baby's chance of being born too small and with lots of health problems.

If you want to quit smoking, but are having a difficult time doing so, seek help from your doctor or nurse or logon to the American Lung Association at www.lungusa.org for more information on quitting.