subject: Discover The Association Of Drug Abuse And Pregnancy [print this page] Pregnancy is a phase of a woman's life that entails a lot of bodily changes. Hormonal surge brings about a lot of emotional and physical changes. Health issues are properly addressed among pregnant women because they have special needs. Nutrition for expecting mothers is vital in order to have a healthy baby. Physicians thoroughly assess sick pregnant women prior to giving medication because it is not only the health of the mother that requires consideration but also of the unborn.
Many pregnant women thought of pregnancy as a positive stage that they go through but there are also some women who think otherwise. Depression among pregnant women is also prevalent and leads to detrimental behavior such as heavy alcohol drinking and drug addiction. Cases of addiction have gone higher over the past few years and more babies are left in the hospital to undergo treatment for withdrawal signs that resulted from a mother's drug abuse. Seizures and breathing problems have been found among babies whose mothers have use drugs while they were pregnant. This kind of problem requires the treatment of both the mother and the baby and it is difficult. Infants have high risks for overdose even when given at low doses. Hospitals are very much careful in the treatment of these babies.
Current studies have revealed that many newborn babies need to receive the same drug that their mother used in order to manage withdrawal effects. Dosage is slowly reduced to wean the baby from the effects of the medication. It was also discovered that there were more women who admitted starting substance abuse addiction while they were pregnant. The newborn babies are the ones who suffer after the mother gives birth. The health conditions of these infants are terrible and extreme in some cases. About 13,500 babies born in the past year have symptoms of withdrawal from opiates. They experience a disorder called neonatal abstinence syndrome characterized by seizures, depressed breathing, irritability, dehydration and difficulty in feeding. Cases like these are increasing which makes attention to pregnant women with addiction a high importance. The country has a lot of drug treatment programs that address the special requirements associated with pregnant women and addiction.
So what happens if a pregnant mother is suffering from an addiction problem? The kind of treatment also varies in this case. There are many drug rehabilitation programs that specifically cater to pregnant women with addiction problem. Approaches need to be centered on the mother and with consideration of the unborn child in the womb. Usually, counselling sessions help control cravings but if cases are severe, medication may be given but extreme caution is highly applied. Many pregnant women experiencing drug abuse hesitate to undergo treatment because of fear of possible repercussions. Family members must intervene at times to bring patients for therapy in order to save not only the life of the mother but also the unborn baby.
