Substance Exposure & Your Baby
Research shows that use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, opioids, or misuse of prescription medications while pregnant can have health consequences for your infant.
Regular use of some drugs can cause Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), in which the baby goes through withdrawal upon birth. Most research in this area has focused on the effects of opioids (prescription pain relievers or heroin). However, data has shown that use of alcohol, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and caffeine during pregnancy may also cause the infant to show withdrawal symptoms at birth.
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Alcohol can also impact your developing child. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person who was prenatally exposed to alcohol. The effects can include physical, behavioral and/or learning problems. There is no known safe time, amount, or type of alcohol. FASDs are 100% preventable if there is no prenatal exposure to alcohol.
FASD diagnoses are based on symptoms and include:
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
- Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)
- Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
- Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE)