Most of us are familiar with the effects alcohol abuse can have on others around us, but many mothers-to-be do not understand the dangers even one drink during pregnancy can have on an unborn child. An advisory by the U.S. Surgeon General says that alcohol can cause damages at any stage of pregnancy. Research shows that up to 20 percent of mothers-to-be continue to drink during pregnancy. Experts say this is due largely to the fact that many women are not aware that even small amounts of alcohol can cause harm to the unborn child.

Drinking during pregnancy can cause a number of serious problems in a child, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which is a set of physical and mental birth defects (including brain damage, facial deformities, and growth deficits).Other problems that may affect the baby are: heart, liver and kidney defects; vision and hearing problems. Children and adults born with FAS have learning, attention, memory, and problem solving difficulties. Each year, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as many as 40,000 babies are born with FAS, but many go undiagnosed because the symptoms are subtle or mild.

For a pregnant woman, drugs may harm health which interferes with ability to support the pregnancy. Some drugs can directly impair prenatal development. During pregnancy, virtually all illegal drugs pose a danger. Even legal substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, and prescription medications are dangerous to expecting women.

Pregnant drug users also run a much higher risk of giving birth to low weight babies, as well as, babies with disabilities. Drug abuse can affect the baby both before and after birth. Before a baby is born most drugs reach the fetus by crossing the placenta. If the mother uses drugs after the baby is born, they can be passed to him or her through the breast milk.

Sources:
http://www.recoveryconnection.org/
http://www.usnodrugs.com/

What to Avoid During Pregnancy

From www.Baby.com

Harmful Substances

If you work with harmful substances, speak to your healthcare professional about the risks to your baby and your options. In general, the sooner you stop exposing yourself and your baby to those substances, the healthier both of you will be.

If you are having trouble breaking certain habits, such as smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine, or taking drugs, speak to your healthcare professional.

All the following have a proven or highly suspected adverse effect on you and/or your developing baby and should be avoided:

Alcohol

Alcohol passes through the placenta and may result in miscarriage, low birth-weight babies and severe disabilities associated with fetal alcohol syndrome.

There is no established safe level of alcohol that can be consumed during pregnancy. You may remember having consumed a small amount of alcohol before you knew you were pregnant. You can take comfort in knowing that there's a good chance that this small level of alcohol had no impact on your developing fetus.

Caffeine

Results of studies on the impact of caffeine consumption during pregnancy are controversial, but caffeine does pass through the placenta to the baby. Remember that some tea, many sodas, chocolate and over-the-counter medications contain caffeine, too.

Glycol Ethers

These chemicals are found in inks, finishes, antifreeze and solutions used in electronics manufacturing. Glycol ethers are suspected of having a potent effect on both female and male reproduction – including infertility – and causing chromosomal damage leading to miscarriage or genetic abnormalities in the fetus.

High Temperatures

Although studies are inconclusive, experts say that during your pregnancy you should avoid any activity that could raise your body temperature over 102° F (38.9° C) and keep it there for awhile. That includes hot weather workouts and steam rooms, as well as saunas, hot tubs and whirlpools. Take care with electric blankets: if you use one to warm the bed, turn it off when you get in.

Radiation

The ionizing radiation in X-rays is dangerous, so exposure should be carefully monitored by your healthcare professional and dentist. Nonionizing radiation from televisions, computer screens, microwave ovens and power plants has been suspected to be harmful, but current studies are inconclusive.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia and other diseases can have an adverse impact on your fetus. If you are at risk for STDs, use condoms, abstain from having sex, or have sexual relations that do not put you or your baby in jeopardy.

"Social" Drugs

Marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin and other social drugs all pass through the placenta and can seriously affect the baby. Among the serious problems that result from drug exposure during pregnancy are miscarriage, premature labor, and increased numbers of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life.

Tobacco Smoke

Smoking reduces your baby's supply of oxygen by constricting blood vessels. Even secondhand smoke from other people's cigarettes, cigars or pipes has been associated with miscarriage, low birth weight, preterm deliveries and other problems.

Toxoplasmosis

Toxoplasmosis is a disease you can get from cats, from eating raw meat or from drinking unpasteurized milk. The disease can harm the fetus, but if you've had cats for awhile, chances are you've got an immunity to it already.

Your healthcare professional can give you a test to see if you have immunity, and you can also have your cat tested for active infection. You can protect yourself and your baby by cooking all meats thoroughly and wearing rubber gloves when handling uncooked meat, changing cat litter boxes or touching garden dirt that might contain the toxoplasma parasite.

Local Substance Abuse Resources:

Santa Clara County Department of Alcohol and Drug Services: The First Step To Alcohol & Drug Screening, Information & Referral.
1-800-488-9919
www.sccgov.org/portal/site/dads/

Perinatal Substance Abuse, Santa Clara County Department of Public Health – Frequently Asked Questions about Alcohol and Drug Use During Pregnancy.
www.sccgov.org/portal/site/phd/menuitem.244564f66e6d425580b558bb35cda429...

Asian American Recovery Services - Treatment services for adults and youth experiencing substance abuse issues.
www.aars-inc.org/programs/programs.html

Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County – Substance abuse treatment services for adults.
www.ccsj.org/services/behavioral_health/bh.html

Substance Abuse Treatment Locator – Finds substance abuse treatment services by zip code.
www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov/

Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) – Provides substance abuse prevention and treatment services for adolescents and families.
www.chacmv.org

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) – Resources for substance abuse prevention and treatment.
http://www.ncaddsiliconvalley.org/