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Introduction
Pregnancy
and Drugs
Breast
Feeding
Mixing
Drugs
Anaesthetic
Gases & Solvents
Designer
Drugs
Marijuana
Cocaine
Amphetamines
(Speed)
Analgesics
and Over-The-Counter Drugs
Alcohol
Tobacco
Heroin
& Methadone
Prescription
Drugs
Resources
Acknowlegements
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Pregnancy and Drugs
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A common complication in pregnancy, where the mother has
been taking drugs or alcohol, is an increased incidence of
premature labour, with babies often arriving more than six
weeks early. Overall, babies born to mothers who are using
drugs or alcohol are smaller than the average baby. Low birth
weight babies often have breathing difficulties and are more
vulnerable to infections. During a pregnancy where the mother
has been using alcohol or other drugs, the baby needs to be
carefully monitored at ante-natal visits. This is done by using
ultrasound to check the baby's growth and other tests to check
that the placenta continues to work well.
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WITHDRAWAL is the reaction of the body to going without
drugs on which it has become dependent to feel normal. Babies whose
mothers have taken drugs during pregnancy may experience withdrawal.
This will depend on the drug, the dose, the purity, how often it is
used and the woman's general health. Drug withdrawal symptoms for the
baby can occur both during the pregnancy and after birth. There are
common signs and symptoms of drug withdrawal in the new-born baby
regardless of which drug is used by the mother.
Withdrawal often develops after the first 24 hours of life. The babies are
agitated and irritable, difficult to settle and suck poorly. They often have
diarrhoea and scratch themselves; hiccups and coughs sometimes occur.
Withdrawal can be so severe that the babies have convulsions if not treated.
In about 75% of cases the only treatment which is required is supportive care,
that is, soothing the baby by bathing more often and feeding frequently. The
baby is wrapped tightly in blankets to make him/her feel secure. If the
irritability is extreme the baby may need medication.
- Although some drugs are excreted into breast milk, breast feeding may still be the right choice
to make for feeding your baby. One important reason to consider breast feeding is the bonding
that it can encourage.
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