Substance Use by Pregnant Women Can Endanger Baby

When a person decides to drink alcohol or use drugs, that person puts himself or herself at risk for problems that can range from nausea and addiction to death. However, when a pregnant woman uses alcohol or drugs, she also places her unborn child at risk for numerous serious problems, which may be irreversible.

Among pregnant women ages 15 to 44, 9.1 percent used alcohol and 3.1 percent reported binge drinking in the month prior to participating in the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

Children born to mothers who drink alcohol while pregnant often are born small and can have trouble eating, sleeping, and learning. They also might need lifelong medical care. In fact, maternal prenatal alcohol use is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Prenatal alcohol exposure also can cause the child to be born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), which sometimes is referred to as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. FASD typically includes brain abnormalities; growth retardation; facial malformation; and heart, lung, or kidney defects. These children often suffer lifelong problems, such as mental retardation, learning disabilities, and serious behavioral problems, according to CDC. Other symptoms found in children with FASD include difficulty:

• Following directions and learning to do simple things
• Paying attention and learning in school
• Getting along with peers and controlling his or her behavior.

Remember, no amount of alcohol use is safe for a woman who is pregnant. One 12-ounce beer has about as much alcohol as a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or a wine cooler. In other words, no matter what type of alcoholic beverage you choose, no form is safer than another.

© This information is from the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information