What Do You Know About Taking Drugs and Drinking Alcohol During Pregnancy?
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and using illegal drugs can have serious consequences for a pregnant woman and her baby. Knowing what these dangers are, and how to avoid them, can help you have a healthy pregnancy and baby. To assess how much you know about using drugs during pregnancy, try your hand at this quiz.
1. Pregnant women who smoke are less likely to have miscarriages and deliver low-birthweight infants.
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Women who smoke cigarettes have a higher risk of miscarriages, stillborns, and premature or low-birthweight infants than pregnant women who do not smoke.
2. Studies have shown that infants of women who smoke have an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and of developing asthma.
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An infant exposed to harmful amounts of cigarette smoke is at a higher risk of SIDS and developing asthma.
3. Smoking after your baby is born won't harm the child.
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Smoking after your baby is born can increase the child’s risk of developing asthma, chronic ear infections, and other health problems.
4. It's safe to drink alcohol during pregnancy as long as you don't drink a lot or every day.
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Drinking alcohol at any time during a pregnancy can cause harm to an unborn child. Alcohol increases the risk of miscarriages, delivering a preterm infant, and behavioral problems in infants.
5. A woman who drinks alcohol while pregnant puts her baby at risk for physical or behavioral problems.
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The primary cause of developmental delays is drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is heavy drinking while pregnant.
6. Aspirin and ibuprofen are not safe to take while pregnant.
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Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, laxatives, or cold or allergy medicines, may be harmful to an unborn child. Always talk with your obstetrician (pregnancy doctor) before taking OTC medications or medicines prescribed by a different doctor.
7. Babies born to women who used narcotics while they were pregnant can have withdrawal symptoms.
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The babies can also have increased irritability, slow growth, and behavioral problems.
8. Women who inject drugs intravenously while pregnant risk becoming infected with hepatitis B or HIV, which can be passed on to their babies.
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HIV-positive mothers also can pass the virus on to their babies through their breast milk.
9. Babies born to women who used heroin during pregnancy can have mental and behavioral problems, low-birth weight, and an addiction to the drug.
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Other potential problems include shallow breathing and bleeding (hemorrhage) inside the head.
10. It's safe for a pregnant woman to take tranquilizers, sleeping pills, or amphetamines.
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Babies born to mothers who take these medications can have trouble breathing, poor muscle tone, and other developmental problems.
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