There is sometimes confusion about drinking alcohol in pregnancy. We all know that getting drunk is never good for the baby. We even know that drinking a glass of wine with dinner every night is not safe. But what about one glass of wine in the entire nine months? What exactly is safe? Adding to the confusion, recommendations change. During my first pregnancy, I was told by my doctor that an occasional glass of wine was not harmful. Recently I’ve read that no amount is considered safe. To err on the side of caution, it is currently recommended that women … Continue reading →

Studies have shown most illegal drugs to have a negative effect on the baby. The effects can vary according to the drug taken, the amount or frequency of the drug use and the time in pregnancy when the drug is taken. It’s best to refrain from all drug and alcohol use during pregnancy. Marijuana is the most commonly used drug in America. There are no conclusive studies on the effect of marijuana on the fetus. One reason for the lack of conclusive evidence is that most mothers who smoke marijuana also tend to smoke cigarettes. This makes it difficult to … Continue reading →

You may think blogs about drug use in pregnancy aren’t needed. After all, we all know that using street or even many prescription drugs isn’t safe, right? Well, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 5.5 percent of women reported using illegal drugs during pregnancy. Cocaine is one of the more commonly used drugs, due to addiction factors and women fearful of admitting the addiction to their health care providers. It is estimated that as many as a hundred thousand babies are exposed to cocaine in utero in the U.S. each year. The National Institutes … Continue reading →

If you are pregnant, you have likely heard or read that alcohol should be avoided in pregnancy. There is a good reason to abstain from the adult beverage during these nine months, your baby’s health. Babies born to mothers who drink during pregnancy are at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome. According to the Centers for Disease Control, drinking during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of birth defects in the United States. An astonishing 1 in 750 babies is born with symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome. Tens of thousands more suffer from fetal alcohol effects, a less severe side effect … Continue reading →

If you are pregnant in the United States, you may have seen the Food and Drug Administration’s use in pregnancy ratings for drugs. This rating scale has five categories. Each category is designated by a letter: A, B, C, D and X. Category A: Drugs in the A category have been studied and the studies have not shown a risk of abnormalities in the fetus when the mother has taken the drug. The results hold true for all three trimesters of pregnancy. The studies done on these drugs are considered to be well controlled scientific studies and several have been … Continue reading →

If you take drugs and are pregnant, the greatest gift you can give your baby is to quit. There are really no safe drugs or no safe amount to take when you are pregnant. It is best for the health of your baby for you to quit. In fact, his life may depend on it. When you discover you are pregnant, you will find that you think of yourself less and your baby more. This makes it easier for some women to quit drugs than at any other time in life. Take advantage of this natural maternal instinct to help … Continue reading →