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The Effects of Drug Use on an Unborn Baby

The effects of drug use on an unborn baby are devastating and completely preventable. Whether you use recreational drugs on a casual, social basis or are a habitual drug user, you should abstain from using any drugs when you are pregnant. There are certain pharmaceuticals and some over-the-counter medications that have negative effects on unborn babies, too.

  1. Premature Labor

    • Women who use drugs while pregnant run the risk of premature labor. Doctors try to keep the baby in the womb as long as possible, but sometimes premature labor leads to premature birth. According to The American Pregnancy Association, babies born at less than 24 weeks of gestation stand little to no chance of making it, and those who do are often riddled with life-long medical issues. A baby's survival rate increases dramatically once he reaches 32 weeks of gestation, though there may still be complications.

    Low Birth Weight

    • Babies born at a low birth weight, 5.5 lbs. or less, require constant monitoring, fluids and minerals not given to healthy weight babies. Babies who are exceptionally small often experience health complications, including vision problems and heart issues. Some low birth weight babies experience intraventricular hemorrhage or brain bleed. While most cases are minor and self-correcting, some need medical intervention. Other small babies are susceptible to breathing problems because their lungs are not fully developed.

    Addicted Baby

    • A baby born addicted to the drug her mother used while pregnant suffers various forms of withdrawal. If she was full-term, she may have tremors, hyperactive reflexes, weak sucking, dehydration, diarrhea, seizures or vomiting. If she was born premature, her symptoms may include irritability and inability to be soothed, tremors, fast breathing and weak sucking. Babies born with addictions go through pain and discomfort. Some babies withdrawing from opiates, like heroin, may be given methadone to ease severe withdrawal symptoms. The babies then need to be weaned off the methadone. It is an uncomfortable process that does not correct itself overnight.

    Long Term Effects

    • An unborn baby's exposure to drugs does not always show complications at birth. However, the child may experience learning disabilities, attention deficits, behavior issues and addictive tendencies down the road. Because there have not been many studies on this, no one truly knows what long-term effects babies born to drug users will suffer.

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