In the past, little was understood about drug or alcohol abuse, and not a lot could be done to help a person with these problems. Today, healthcare providers are able to recommend suggestions and provide care to those who use or abuse drugs, alcohol or other substances. Do not be embarrassed to confide in your doctor about substance use. Your doctors is concerned about and your baby. We have learned much about drug and alcohol use and the effect on pregnancy in recent years. We now believe the safest approach to drug or alcohol use during pregnancy is no use at all.

It makes sense to solve these problems before pregnancy. By the time you realize you are pregnant, you may already be 8 or 10 weeks along. Your baby goes through some of its most important developmental stages in the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. You might use drugs and not realize you are pregnant. Few women would take these substances if they knew they were pregnant. Stop using any substance you do not need at least 3 months before trying to conceive.

As research into these substance abuse problems continue, we have learned that the use of drugs or alcohol while pregnant could seriously affect the IQ of a child, its attention span as well as its learning ability. As of this date, there is no safe level for any of these substances. Drug use before pregnancy is serious business. Fortunately, there is help for those who use drugs. Get help before you become pregnant. Preparing for pregnancy may be a good reason for you and your partner to change your lifestyle.

Another very common form of substance abuse is tobacco. Our society has been aware for a very lengthy time that smoking has a detrimental affect on fetal development. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have low birth weight babies or babies with intrauterine-growth restriction. Ask for help to stop smoking before you become pregnant. Your doctor should be receptive to this request.

In the past, some believed a small amount of alcohol during pregnancy was okay. Today, we believe no amount of alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy. The problem is that alcohol crosses through the placenta and has a direct effect on your baby. And you must realize that very heavy consumption while pregnant can likely result in fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol exposure (FAE).

Studies have indicated that cocaine affects the baby throughout pregnancy, and not just during the first trimester. Should you consume cocaine during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, you are running an extremely high risk of having a miscarriage. Cocaine can also cause severe deformities in a fetus. The type of defect caused depends on the point at which cocaine is used in the pregnancy. Infants born to mothers who use cocaine during pregnancy have been found to have long-term mental deficiencies. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is also more common in these babies. Many babies born to women who use cocaine are stillborn.

The thing is that cocaine adversely affects the expectant mother as well. It is considered to be a stimulant and therefore cause their heart rate and blood pressure to rise. Women that use this drug while pregnant experience a much higher rate of placental abruption, which is the premature separation of the placenta from the uterus. In some parts of the United States, more than 10% of all pregnancy women use cocaine at some time during their pregnancy. Stop using cocaine before you stop using birth control. Damage to the embryo can occur as early as 3 days after conception.

Marijuana is dangerous during pregnancy because it crosses the placenta and enters the system of the new baby. It can have long-lasting effects on babies exposed before birth. Research has shown that the use of marijuana during pregnancy can affect cognitive function, decision-making ability and future-planning ability in the child. Continued usage could also negatively impact the verbal reasoning and memory of the child. And if your partner smokes marijuana, you should encourage him to stop. There was one study that indicated the risk of SIDS was as high as twice the average for children with fathers that smoked marijuana. The risk is also existent if the male consumes prior to conception. Researchers now feel that the THC in marijuana may adversely affect sperm and the growing fetus.