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TEEN SOUL POWER
FADE
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FETAL ALCOHOL AND DRUG EFFECTS
EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN WANTS A HEALTHY AND NORMAL BABY.
BUT ONE OF THE PRIMARY CAUSES OF BIRTH DEFECTS
(And the Only One which is 100% Preventable)
IS ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
BE INFORMED AND CONCERNED WITH THE KINDS AND AMOUNTS
OF DRUGS YOU TAKE!
(Including Alcohol, Street Drugs, Over-the-Counter Drugs, and Medications)
BUT ONE OF THE PRIMARY CAUSES OF BIRTH DEFECTS
(And the Only One which is 100% Preventable)
IS ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
BE INFORMED AND CONCERNED WITH THE KINDS AND AMOUNTS
OF DRUGS YOU TAKE!
(Including Alcohol, Street Drugs, Over-the-Counter Drugs, and Medications)
Substance Abuse During Pregnancy Can Cause
Lifetime Birth Defects
in fact
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the
Number One cause of Mental Retardation,
and the only cause which is fully preventable!
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Fetal Alcohol and Drug Effects (FADE) is the single most preventable cause of birth defects. In the United States: - 20 percent (about 1 million) of pregnant women smoke cigarettes; - another 18 percent (about 750,000) women drink alcohol during pregnancy; - and another 6 percent (225,000) women use an illicit drug at least once while carrying a child to term. - at the very least, alcohol-related birth defects are present in 10 per 1,000 births. - The lifetime cost for medical services and special education for an FADE baby may be as high as $ 2 million for each person. |
REMEMBER:
There Is No Safe Time To Drink, Smoke Or Use
Illicit Drugs During Pregnancy
Without The Possibility
Of Causing Birth Defects.
You Can Say No... Your Baby Can't !!!
Women Who Have Difficulty In Abstaining From Alcohol Or Other Drugs
During Pregnancy Should Contact
a Local Treatment Agency.
It Is Never Too Late To Seek Help...
A Child's Life May Depend On It.
Illegal drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, all pose dangers to a pregnant woman. Legal substances, such as alcohol and even medical drugs - both prescription and over-the-counter, can be very harmful.
An expectant mother needs to be informed about all drugs. For maximum health a woman should avoid these unless by prescription of a physician.
Some 90% of pregnant women take prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter) drugs, or use social or illicit drugs at some point during pregnancy. One estimate is that each year about 500,000 unborn children are exposed to psychoactive drugs. Health professionals discourage drug use during pregnancy unless necessary because of potential harm to the fetus. Some drugs are harmful when used at any time during pregnancy; others are damaging at specific stages.
Alcohol: Babies whose mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy, may be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), with characteristics of small head and body size, abnormal facial characteristics, behavioral problems, mental retardation, learning disabilities, and a failure to thrive pattern. Even light or moderate drinking during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) or Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD), with physical abnormalities and behavioral problems. There is no known safe dose of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy.
Marijuana: Pregnant women who smoke marijuana are frequently at high risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, low birth-weight babies, and fetal abnormalities - especially of the nervous system.
Nicotine and Tobacco: Maternal cigarette smoking causes low birth weight, increased incidence of premature birth, and retarded fetal growth. Smoking during pregnancy causes a higher percentage of stillborn babies and miscarriages. Smoking is more likely to result in low birth weight babies that are at greater risk of dying soon after birth, and is implicated in SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.)
Cocaine: Infants born to mothers who have used cocaine during pregnancy can suffer a number of complications including prenatal strokes, kidney and breathing disorders, risk of miscarriage, premature labor, and a condition called abruptio placentae (the partial separation of the placenta from the uterus wall.) Growth may be hindered, and babies are at risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A baby may also be born cocaine dependent and experience painful withdrawal after birth. Some experts believe learning difficulties may later develop.
Heroin and Narcotics: Infants born to women addicted to narcotics have a greater risk of complications, be stillborn, have a low birth-weight, a danger of premature birth, breathing difficulties, or bleeding within the head. They have poorer motor coordination, and may exhibit delayed mental and motor development. Often the babies of narcotic addicted mothers are born suffering withdrawal. Also, women who use narcotics by intravenous injection may have the HIV virus, and risk passing that virus to their babies.
Methamphetamine, PCP, Inhalants, Steroids, OTC: Methamphetamine use during pregnancy can affect development of the brain, spinal cord, heart and kidneys. It can cause a number of pregnancy complications including developmental and skeletal abnormalities (such as clubfoot) and some babies are born without parts of their arms or legs. Inhalants can cause malformations and birth defects. PCP can cause withdrawal symptoms. Steroids have been implicated in causing low birth weight babies and particular defects such as cleft palate. Many other medications, both prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs (for example, anticonvulsants, antimigraine drugs, NSAIDs, anticoagulants, etc.), also have side effects potentially harmful during pregnancy.
Abstinence is the Best Policy
Drug use during pregnancy can place a fetus at risk for numerous complications and birth defects including mental retardation, gross malformations, and behavioral disorders. Use of any drug during pregnancy unless by doctor’s prescription, should be avoided. Simple prevention can prevent complications and an enormous emotional lifetime cost for parents and children.
FASD
(Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders)
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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is an umbrella term used to describe the wide range of effects on an individual whose mother used alcohol during pregnancy. The degree and severity of these effects can vary from very mild to severe, and can include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities that may be lifelong implications. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Partial FAS, and Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) are some of the different areas in which children can fall under the spectrum of FASD. Specialized medical care and educational services for these children can run from hundreds-of-thousands, to millions of dollars per child.
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DID YOU KNOW?
- FASD is 100% preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy.
-— 1-in-13 women report drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
-— A developing baby cannot process alcohol and have the same BAC (Blood
Alcohol Content) as the mother.
-— 1-in-100 babies has some form of FASD.
The Surgeon General issued a new advisory which states in part:
-- Alcohol can damage the embryo or fetus at any stage of pregnancy.
-- No amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe.
-- Damage can occur in the earliest weeks of pregnancy, even before
a woman knows she is pregnant.
-- The cognitive effects and behavioral problems resulting from
prenatal alcohol exposure are LIFE LONG (permanent!)
- FASD is 100% preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy.
-— 1-in-13 women report drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
-— A developing baby cannot process alcohol and have the same BAC (Blood
Alcohol Content) as the mother.
-— 1-in-100 babies has some form of FASD.
The Surgeon General issued a new advisory which states in part:
-- Alcohol can damage the embryo or fetus at any stage of pregnancy.
-- No amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe.
-- Damage can occur in the earliest weeks of pregnancy, even before
a woman knows she is pregnant.
-- The cognitive effects and behavioral problems resulting from
prenatal alcohol exposure are LIFE LONG (permanent!)
ADDICTION / DEPENDENCY
Regular drug use can produce dependence in the newborn, and the baby may go through withdrawal upon birth. Most research in this area has focused on the effects of opioid misuse (prescription pain relievers or heroin). However, more recent data has shown that use of alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and caffeine during pregnancy may also cause the infant to show withdrawal symptoms at birth (Hudak et al., 2012).
The type and severity of an infant's withdrawal symptoms depend on the drug(s) used, how long and how often the birth mother used, how her body breaks the drug down, and whether the infant was born full term or prematurely.
Symptoms of drug withdrawal in a newborn can develop immediately, or up to 14 days after birth. Drug withdrawal is not an easy syndrome to go through.
The type and severity of an infant's withdrawal symptoms depend on the drug(s) used, how long and how often the birth mother used, how her body breaks the drug down, and whether the infant was born full term or prematurely.
Symptoms of drug withdrawal in a newborn can develop immediately, or up to 14 days after birth. Drug withdrawal is not an easy syndrome to go through.
Every Mother wants a healthy and Happy Baby!
Remember:
There is no safe time or amount to drink or use street drugs
while a woman is pregnant…
Your Baby’s LIFE Depends upon it!
