Addictions

Mothers and drugs: How a child’s life is impacted when she is an addict

Women are typically cautioned about what they put into their bodies long before they become pregnant; if the pregnancy is unplanned, the mother needs to take immediate measures to modify her diet and habits as soon as she realizes she is with child so they do not harm the growing fetus. From various types of food to vitamin supplements and prescription medications to over-the-counter products, there is nothing that escapes scrutiny when it comes the impact such external influences have upon a developing baby. In light of this understanding, it seems unconscionable that a woman would ingest illicit drugs during her pregnancy when there is no question - both anecdotally and scientifically proven - that such behavior serves to detrimentally impact the fetus’s mental and physical formation.

“Because the embryo and the child are growing and their tissues and organs are differentiating, deleterious effects may occur at lower exposures to some chemicals, drugs, and physical agents and produce more severe effects than those seen in adults” (Brent et al, 2004, p. S935).

Of all the potential drugs a mother can use during pregnancy, crack cocaine is one of the most readily available and commonly used, with research in both animals and humans proving how crack cocaine is instrumental in causing birth defects in pregnant females. Women who have been studied as pregnant users of crack cocaine overwhelmingly demonstrate that premature delivery, low birth weight and retardation as three of the primary afflictions babies suffer. When used during pregnancy, crack cocaine also encourages the separation of the placenta from the womb, which is an essential life-giving force between mother and fetus; if this ultimately occurs, it can cause “shock and death” (Petitti et al, 1990, p. 25) to both individuals.
Petitti et al (1990) further point out how the rate of incidence among the various races has been noted as being a significant indication of whether or not a woman takes crack cocaine while pregnant. Studies have shown that two-thirds of those who do so are black, with one-third being white. The implications of such findings clearly stress the need for a more comprehensive look at the urban population with regard to pregnancy and crack cocaine use (Petitti et al, 1990). In addition to there being a higher incidence of crack cocaine use during pregnancies of black women, there is also a greater likelihood of those same users being older and unmarried. As well, the use of crack cocaine during pregnancy is often coupled with the ingestion of other drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana and tobacco (Richardson et al, 1994).
Studies have demonstrated the fact that those women who had previously been using crack cocaine but stopped during the first trimester did not have the same increased risk of fetal growth retardation or premature delivery as did those women who used crack during their entire pregnancy. What this ultimately illustrates is that women who are habitual users still have the opportunity to have healthy babies in spite of the fact that they are crack cocaine addicts (Eyler et al, 1998). Stopping the use of crack during the first trimester of pregnancy is a start to avoiding the life-threatening effects it has upon the fetus, but the ideal situation is to incorporate the help of early intervention with community education as a means by which to ensure that maternal crack cocaine use never becomes an issue in the first place.
For children who have been born by women who used crack cocaine during their pregnancy, there are a number of adverse effects from which they can suffer. Possible reactions to maternal crack use include seizures, irritability, muscular disorders and growth retardation. Moreover, increased daily cocaine use during the first trimester is “related to smaller babies and, in later pregnancy, to babies with smaller heads” (Eyler et al, 1998, p. 229). Childhood neurological problems directly related to crack cocaine use during pregnancy often mirror those of adult addicts, inasmuch as the drug has many of the same adverse effects on both the mother and the baby. Children who are exposed to crack cocaine on a constant basis after birth are vulnerable to experiencing lung problems from the smoke emission; when the smoke enters the lungs, it causes the airways to spasm, making it very difficult to breathe (Smart, 1991).
In a study that sought to understand the inherent relationship between crack cocaine use during pregnancy and the adverse effects upon the fetus, results indicated that older, unmarried black women from lower income families were the primary candidates. It was also found that the babies they were carrying at the time of the study were not their first; rather, this particular group had had “more pregnancies, more births, and more abortions than the women who did not use cocaine/crack” (Richardson et al, 1994, p. 28). Interesting in these statistical findings is the fact that miscarriages were not dependent upon crack cocaine usage, instead happening equally to both users and nonusers. Additionally, there were little to no differences between the two diverse groups with regard to prepregnancy weight or the weight gain that occurred during pregnancy (Richardson et al, 1994).
Inasmuch as crack cocaine users did not seek out medical attention during their pregnancy nearly as often as did the nonusers, it stands to reason that the frequent users experienced considerably “more medical problems and difficulties” (Richardson et al, 1994, p. 28), yet did not reflect a difference with delivery. One of the most predominant aspects of this study was the finding that eighty-two percent of those who were considered to be frequent crack cocaine users during pregnancy also used tobacco; it was also apparent that frequent users “significantly more likely” (Richardson et al, 1994, p. 28) to incorporated alcohol into their daily intake.
In a statistical sense, the three-quarter pound difference between the birth weight of a crack cocaine user’s baby and a nonuser’s baby is quite significant. Coupled with lower birth weight are the adverse effects that play out as the baby grows into childhood. Eyler et al (1998a) note how “babies exposed to cocaine during pregnancy may have diminished attention and responsiveness several days after birth” (p. 237); moreover, neurological problems associated with crack cocaine use during pregnancy can continue on with the child’s development, causing increased difficulties in managing those particular issues. Seizures represent some of the most debilitating of all adverse effects to maternal crack cocaine use, in addition to the ongoing influence of crack smoke upon the lungs if the child is forced to grow within a crack environment. Richardson et al (1994) point out that inasmuch as researchers are trying to identify the long term consequences of crack cocaine use during pregnancy, it is a difficult achievement because “longitudinal studies are rare” (p. 28).
Alcohol is another common drug used during pregnancy; inasmuch as it is a socially acceptable drug, it does not bring with it the same cultural stigma as crack cocaine yet it still imparts the same detrimental impact upon the unborn baby. Long before he is even out of the womb, the baby of an alcohol abuser has already had to fight for his life. During the developmental months, a baby whose mother consumes alcohol is at risk for developing fetal alcohol syndrome and the associated health risks of lower weight, shorter stature, smaller heads, facial deformities, abnormal joints and limbs, poor coordination, learning problems and short memories (Stratton et al, 1996).
As the infant grows into the toddler stage, an intoxicated parent begins to represent a dysfunctional role model for emotional support. However, children of alcoholics (COAs) do not always have to follow in their mothers’ footsteps and can overcome the odds as they grow into adulthood. Medical intervention is critical for ACOAs who want to break the chain of chemical dependency brought about because of their mothers’ use during pregnancy. To be sure, possessing the desire to quit is essential in the overall success of such a formidable challenge, which is why the individual needs to use a more forceful - and proven - approach in order to obtain total freedom from alcoholism.

REFERENCES

Brent, Robert L.; et al (2004, April). A pediatric perspective on
the unique vulnerability and resilience of the embryo and the child to environmental toxicants: the importance of rigorous research concerning age and agent. Pediatrics 113.4, S935(10). Eyler, Fonda Davis; et al (1998, February). Interactive and dose effects on health and growth, Part I. Pediatrics 101, 229(9). Eyler, Fonda Davis; et al (1998a, February).
Interactive and dose effects on neurobehavioral assessment, Part II. Pediatrics 101, 237(5). Petitti, Diana B. & Coleman, Charlotte (1990, January). Cocaine and the risk of low birth weight. The American Journal of Public Health 80, 25(4). Richardson, Gale A. & Day, Nancy L. (1994, January). Detrimental effects of prenatal cocaine exposure: illusion or reality? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 33, 28(7). Smart, Reginald G. (1991, March). Crack cocaine use: a review of prevalence and adverse effects. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 17, 13(14). Stratton, K.; et al, eds. (1996). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention, and Treatment. Washington, DC; National Academy Press.