The damage done to the unborn child through the continuing use and abuse of drugs or alcohol devastates that child throughout their natural life. The teratogensic effects of substance abuse on the unborn child are a completely preventable tragedy, and we must all do whatever possible to avert this damage.

In many sad cases, the mother to be does not know of her pregnancy until much damage has been done, or even worse, knows of the pregnancy but is unable or unwilling to stop the use and abuse of drugs or alcohol.

Fortunately, many women take pregnancy as a motivation to change their behaviors, if only to protect the health of their unborn child; and to best ensure success when the stakes are so high, pregnant women needing drug or alcohol treatment need to consider residential rehab.

Unfortunately, although pregnant women seem deserving of immediate treatment above all others, the additional complications of treating pregnant women greatly limits the number of available facilities willing or able to take them in.

Ideally, pregnant women searching for drug or alcohol rehab need:

1 Safe detox

Both the bodily stresses of withdrawal as well as certain medications used to ease detox symptoms can harm the fetus. Pregnant women need to detox in a facility aware of the unique health needs of pregnant women.

2 Intense and comprehensive drug therapies

The personal toll of relapse extends to the fetus, and to ensure a successful period of treatment pregnant women need intensive and comprehensive therapies; ideally incorporating an intense period of one-on-one therapy and other group and cognitive therapies.

3 Prenatal care and education

All pregnant women deserve adequate prenatal care, and all unborn children benefit from appropriate medical management of a pregnancy. Pregnant women substance abusers often enter into treatment in imperfect health, and as such the risks to the fetus are proportionally greater. Comprehensive prenatal care within a residential drug treatment facility offers both the mother and child the best chance of health and happiness.

4 Parenting classes

Drugs don't discriminate, and a substance abuse problem indicates nothing about a woman's background, level of education or future capabilities as a parent; but all women benefit from parenting education, and since mothers newly struggling with sobriety face challenges above and beyond the normal mothering experience, they benefit greatly from parenting education and learned strategies.

5 Intensive aftercare

The single greatest predictor of long term success and sobriety is an intense and lengthy participation in offered aftercare therapies; with the stakes of relapse so high, pregnant women need intense and frequent aftercare and ideally case management observation.

What has potential for tragedy can turn to beauty if a substance abusing women uses a pregnancy as a motivation for change and treatment. Pregnant women need the most intensive care possible, they need it right away and they need it for as long as necessary.