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Protecting Your Baby’s Brain Before Birth
By Joan Swirsky
Modern first-time mothers are amazingly informed about what’s good and bad for the babies they’re carrying. They know about the importance of prenatal medical or midwife care, the benefits of prenatal vitamins (including folic acid), the positive rewards from being physically fit, and the harmful effects of junk food, cigarettes, marijuana and stress. But even the most sophisticated women often rationalize that the one or two white wines they’re used to drinking every evening, or the one joint they puff on to “unwind,” are perfectly okay to indulge in while pregnant. In fact, according to the American Pregnancy Association, of the 6 million women who are pregnant every year:
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820,000 smoke cigarettes, 221,000 use illicit drugs and 757,000 drink alcohol.
If these women have bought the hype about there being a “safe” amount of these substances, it’s not true. There’s no safe amount. If a couple of drinks or some puffs on cannabis make you tipsy or high, imagine what havoc they wreak on the fragile developing brain of your baby. Some women may make the case that others have indulged in this “minor” way and even given birth to Nobel Prize winners. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but the overriding “rule” for maximizing your baby’s well-being is to opt out completely from any and all mind-altering substances for the entire duration of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
According to the March of Dimes, “No level of drinking alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy. The U.S. Surgeon General states that the patterns of drinking that place a baby at greatest risk for fetal alcohol syndrome are binge drinking and drinking seven or more drinks per week.” But the syndrome can also appear in the babies of women who drink significantly fewer drinks.
In his book, The Mystery of Risk: Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and the Vulnerable Child, Dr. J. Ira Chasnoff explains the devastating effects drugs and alcohol – as well as heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, tobacco, marijuana and prescription “pain pills” – have on the fetal and embryonic brain, not just in early pregnancy, but throughout the entire gestation process, and that can result in dire behavioral, emotional, social and learning difficulties, growth retardation, memory deficits, motor development, neurological problems, academic performance, et al, that last a lifetime.
To make things worse, pregnant women with substance abuse problems often suffer from inadequate prenatal care, poor nutrition, high stress, mental illness, feelings of shame and guilt, and fear of losing custody of other children.The good news is that substance-abusing women are often motivated to get help before they get pregnant and with high motivation and family and medical support often succeed in beating their addictions.
Joan Swirsky is a psychotherapist, former OB nurse, and the author of Gift of Life: A Spiritual Companion for the Mother-to-Be.
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Experts say that if you’re pregnant and addicted:
Experts say that if you’re pregnant and addicted:Enroll immediately in a 12-step or other program, which is free and anonymous, not only to get clean but to avoid jeopardizing custody of your baby in the future.Call your county’s Help Line to line up ongoing support and advice. A national 24-hour hotline that offers assistance is 800-559-9503.Nassau County Drug & Alcohol 24-hour Hotline: 516-481-4000.Suffolk County Drug & Alcohol 24-hour Hotline: 631-751-7500. Don’t give up. Millions of women have suffered with but overcome addiction. Pregnancy and its promise of a new life can mean a new drug-free life for you too. |
Resources:
The Mystery of Risk: Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and the Vulnerable Child by Dr. Ira J. Chasnoff (NTI Upstream, $16).
Drugs, Alcohol and Pregnancy [Kindle Edition] by Christina Dye (Do It Now Foundation,
$3).
The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy by Erika Lenkert (DK Adult, $15).
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