Substance Use During Pregnancy: Brief Version

What is substance use during pregnancy?

Anything you eat, drink, swallow, or even breathe goes through your blood to your baby through a special organ called the placenta.

• All the food and oxygen the baby needs to grow goes through the placenta.
• Harmful things like alcohol, drugs, and cigarette smoke also move through the placenta to the baby.
• Even medicines and caffeine can go through the placenta to the baby.

If you are pregnant, any of these things can hurt your baby. For example, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco, can cause:

• Birth defects and lifelong learning problems.
• Miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death.
• Low weight at birth.

These things can also cause health problems for you.

What about alcohol?

When you drink alcohol, so does your baby. Because your baby is so small and growing so quickly, this is very dangerous. The more you drink, the greater the danger to your baby. Alcohol can cause lifelong health problems for your baby.

Alcohol use can cause babies to be born with a birth defect called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Babies with FAS may:

• Have small heads and heart defects.
• Not grow as they should.
• Have learning problems.

It's best not to drink at all when you are pregnant. If you are drinking, the time to stop is now. But that may not be easy. If you need help, talk to your heath care provider.

What about street drugs?

Pregnant women should not use any street drugs. Babies of women who use drugs may have lifelong problems or even die. Using drugs can also harm the mother.

• Using cocaine or other drugs can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or brain damage.
• Marijuana can cause a baby to be born too early or too small.
• A baby whose mother uses heroin may be born addicted and go through withdrawal.
• Drug use can put the mother in danger, too. For example, using drugs can cause the placenta to separate from the inside of the uterus before the baby is born. This can cause severe bleeding.

It's best not to use drugs at all while you are pregnant. If you use drugs, the time to quit is now. But that can be hard to do by yourself. If you need help, talk to your heath care provider about getting into a treatment program.

What about smoking?

When you smoke, less oxygen gets to you and your baby. This makes it harder for you to have a healthy pregnancy.

• You may have a miscarriage.
• Your baby may be born too small or too early.
• Your baby could have learning problems or other health problems later on.
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) happens more often in babies whose mothers smoke.

If you smoke, stop now. It's not easy to quit. Call the American Lung Association for ideas, classes, or support groups (1-800-586-4872). Talk to your heath care provider if you need help.

What about medicines my doctor prescribes?

Talk to your heath care provider about any medicines you may use. Be sure to tell anyone who prescribes medicine for you that you are pregnant.

If you have an infection that may need an antibiotic, check with your heath care provider. Some antibiotics are safe. Others could hurt your baby. For example, tetracycline could:

• Cause your child's teeth to be discolored.
• Change the way your child's bones grow.

What about medicines from the store?

Check with your heath care provider before you use any medicine. Some medicines you get at the drug store or grocery store can cause problems when you are pregnant. Always check with your provider to be safe.

• If you have a fever, talk to your heath care provider. You may be able to use acetaminophen (Tylenol). Do not take aspirin.
• If you have heartburn, talk to your provider. Ask which antacids may be helpful for you to use. Use them only the way he or she tells you. If you take too much, they can cause constipation.
• If you have hemorrhoids, talk to your heath care provider about what would work for you.
• Ask your provider before you take any medicine for a headache, cold, cough, or diarrhea. He or she can tell you what would be safe and work the best for you.

What about caffeine?

Caffeine is found in coffee, some kinds of tea, chocolate, some soft drinks, and some medicines. While having some caffeine while you are pregnant is not harmful, it is a good idea to use less caffeine for these reasons:

• Caffeine may make it hard for your body to absorb the iron you and your baby need.
• Caffeine takes away the water, calcium, and vitamin C your baby needs to grow.
• You may eat or drink less of the things that are good for you and the baby.