Drug use before, or during, pregnancy is a common issue all around the world. Commonly, it is street drugs that are abused in these situations. What exactly is a street drug? Street drugs (also called illegal or illicit drug) are drugs that are against the law to have or to use. Street drugs are bad for you, and they’re bad for your baby. About 1 in 20 women (5 percent) take street drugs during pregnancy. Can-Am would like to bring awareness to this very tragic issue and to provide some education on the reality of this subject
Some examples of street drugs include:
- Cocaine
- Ecstasy, methamphetamine and other club drugs
- Heroin
- Marijuana
- Prescription drugs that are abused
How can street drugs harm your pregnancy?
Using street drugs can cause problems for you before and during pregnancy, including:
- Not being able to get pregnant. This is called infertility.
- Problems with the placenta. The placenta grows in your uterus and supplies your baby with food and oxygen through the umbilical cord.
- Preterm labour. This is labor that happens before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.
- Miscarriage. This is when a baby dies in the womb before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
- Stillbirth. This is when a baby dies in the womb before birth but after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Babies born to moms who use street drugs during pregnancy can have these complications:
- Preterm birth. This is birth that happens too early, before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.
- Low birthweight. This is when a baby is born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
- Smaller-than-normal head size (called reduced head circumference)
- Heart defects
- Birth defects. These are health conditions that are present at birth. Birth defects change the shape or function of one or more parts of the body. They can cause problems in overall health, how the body develops, or in how the body works.
- Infections, including hepatitis C, HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) and zika. These viruses often affect people who share needles when they use street drugs. Moms can pass these infections to their baby during pregnancy or at birth. If you get infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy, it can cause a birth defect called microcephaly and other brain problems.
- Neonatal abstinence program (also called NAS). This is a group of health conditions that a baby can have if his mother uses addictive drugs during pregnancy. NAS can happen when a baby is exposed to a drug before birth and then goes through drug withdrawal after birth.
Babies born to moms who use drugs often have problems later in life, including:
- Learning and behavior problems
- Slower-than-normal growth
- Sudden infant death syndrome (also called SIDS). This is the unexplained death of a child while sleeping.
It’s hard to know exactly how each street drug harms your pregnancy. This is because women who use street drugs may use more than one drug and may have other unhealthy behaviors, too. For example, they may smoke or drink alcohol. They may not eat healthy meals. They may be more likely to get sexually transmitted diseases. All of these can cause problems during pregnancy.
How can you keep your baby safe from street drugs?
The best way to keep your baby safe from street drugs is to avoid them! Don’t use street drugs. If you use heroin or the prescription drugs called opioids, don’t stop taking them without getting treatment from your health care provider first. Quitting suddenly (called cold turkey) can cause severe problems for your baby, including death. Your health care provider or a drug treatment center can treat you with drugs like methadone or buprenorphine. These drugs can help you gradually reduce your dependence on opioids and heroin in a way that’s safe for you and your baby.
Help?
Can-Am Interventions helps individuals and their families through all types of life altering addictions. From professionals using on the job, to persons living on the street using, trying to manage and feed their addiction(s). Drug and alcohol use during pregnancy is also another common scenario that we help addicts with on a daily basis. We are here to understand how deep the addiction has grown and to provide a treatment plan to give the addict resources and guidance throughout the recovery process. We are not only here for the addict suffering, but also to those who surround this person (Family, friends, co-workers etc). If you or someone you care about is struggling with these types of problems, we invite you to speak with us. We are here to help you. The first step is a phone call away.
E: patti.pike@canaminterventions.com W:www.canaminterventions.com
1-800-638-1812 Toll Free Internationally
415-827-3725 Cell /Text
415-578-2875 Office
