Alcohol, Tobacco, Caffeine, and Drugs

The most common threats to fetal health come from substances the mother may ingest; alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, and drugs.

Alcohol
A women with drinks alcohol during pregnancy is effect giving her baby a drink, too: alcohol will cross on the mother’s. in the 1970s the term fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was coined in recognition of the fact that babies born to heavy drinking mothers are often born with a predictable set of abnormalities.

Pregnant women, the Surgeon General has stated, should drink no alcoholic beverages because there is no known level of alcohol intake that is safe for the unborn baby.

Tobacco
Tobacco, like alcohol, is known to affect fetal development. Women who smoke have a higher than normal rate of miscarriage and stillbirth. And when their babies survive, the babies are smaller than average and are more likely to be irritable and hyperactive. Smoking has also been associated with a higher risk of cleft palate, crosses eyes, and hernias in the newborn.

Caffeine
Caffeine, which is present in coffee, hazard to the fetus. A high caffeine intake has been associated with increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects. The pregnant woman should think seriously about reducing or eliminating her intake of caffeine.

Drugs
In recent years doctors have become increasingly aware of the potential hazards to the over-the-counter medications as well as illegal drugs.

Since most prescription drugs have not been proved safe for pregnant women (and several are known to cause birth defects), most physicians avoid prescribing any new medication for the pregnant patient.

Not everyone relaizes that over the counter drugs, which are often taken by pregnant women are also risky. According to current medical knowledge, aspirin is dangerous to the baby and may pose risks to the mother, particularly if she takes it near the time of labor and delivery. (Aspirin is known to decrease the blood’s clotting ability, and it may cause either mother or baby to bleed excessively.)