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Drug Effects on Infant Development

A pregnant mother who uses illegal drugs is creating a double danger to her and her baby. Drugs have an adverse effect on an infant's ability to be healthily, as they interfere with the prenatal development process. It is critical that mothers maintain a clean and sober lifestyle during pregnancy if they want to give their infant the chance to live a healthy life.

  1. Neurological Effects

    • When a mother uses drugs at any point in her pregnancy she exposes the fetus to neurological dangers. Infants born of mothers who used substances during pregnancy are at risk for developing neurological disorders, such as cerebral palsy and infantile seizures. An infant's nervous system starts to come together as a fetus, but drugs impact the ability for a baby's brain and nerves to form healthily. An undeveloped nervous system can also result in brain damage, which can impact a child's ability to learn and be able to see and hear.

    Birth Defects

    • Infants may not develop properly in the physical form when parental drug use is involved. Cleft lip or palate, undeveloped limbs, fingers and toes and heart defects are examples of birth defects linked to specific types of drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Using such drugs during pregnancy increases the chances of the infant not forming properly. The March of Dimes also explains that using certain types of prescription drugs, such as Accutane -- acne medication -- increase the chances of infants developing congenital heart defects.

    Behavioral Problems

    • Infants born with preexposure to drugs are at risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems due to chemical imbalances. While evidence of emotional or behavioral problems may not be entirely prevalent at the infant stage, as the child grows older he can start to display symptoms of ADD, ADHD, depression or bipolar disorder. Such emotional and behavioral disturbances can be traced back to drug exposure in the womb, as well as exposure to drugs after birth if the mother used substances and nursed her baby.

    Infant Withdrawals Symptoms

    • Pregnant mothers who use addictive substances such as heroin during pregnancy can also get their infants addicted to the drugs while still in the womb. The result is that when the baby is born he begins to display symptoms of drug withdrawal. Vomiting, severe shaking, seizing and abnormal crying fits are evidence that the child may be withdrawing from the drug. Doctors must attend to the infant immediately so that the baby does not go into shock and die from the sudden withdrawal.

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