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NICOTINE, ALCOHOL AND DRUG USAGE DURING PREGNANCY
How much can I drink?
Unfortunately, the answer varies from one woman to another, as some
people do have a natural resistance to alcohol - if for instance,
you are of a large build, you may be able to consume far more than a
person of a small frame would, before suffering any ill effects. Or
on the other hand, you may be blessed with a metabolism that
disposes of alcohol, quickly and efficiently. But seeing that there
is no method to measure your resistance to alcohol, the wisest thing
you can do is refrain from drinking altogether during the nine
months, or adapt your habit accordingly:
(* one unit = a small glass of wine or sherry, a single tot of
spirits or 285ml of beer)
Seven units or less per week:
Women falling into this category are not particularly at risk, and
are less likely to miscarry after the third month, than heavier
drinkers.
More than ten units per week:
Chances of miscarriage after the third month, are seven times more
likely to occur in this case, than in those who averaged less than
one drink per day.
More than 28 units per week:
Consuming more than 28 units of alcohol per week during pregnancy
(especially in the first three months), is risking detrimental
long-term effects on the child's development.
Drinking and conception
The woman who is aware of the precise time she is likely to
conceive, is rare indeed! On the other hand there are many that have
a niggling suspicion that their 'wonderwork' was actually brought
into being by a particularly merry night on the town, and if this is
the case, there is absolutely no point in worrying about it - your
baby will most probably be of sound health. But for those of you who
are considering or currently trying for a baby and want to know if
there is anything constructive you can do (apart from the obvious)
to aid the situation, then it is worth considering that large doses
of alcohol just before ovulation can lead to abnormalities in the
egg that is released, as can exposure immediately following
conception.
What about your partner?
Unless his drinking is causing relationship upsets, the only other
problem in this case would be the direct effect alcohol could have
to his sperm count. Continuous heavy drinking can lower a man's
sperm count to such an extent that conception is difficult, and also
increases the number of abnormal sperm produced. But it is very
unlikely that foetal abnormalities are linked to abnormalities of
the sperm - but why chance it?
If you are one of the many women battling to fall pregnant and
suspect that it may be due to your partner's drinking habits, then
why not suggest that he gives up? It has been proven that those men
who have a low sperm count due to heavy drinking, can, on completely
abstaining for six to nine months, place themselves back into
fertile range.
SMOKING
Smoking related deaths are estimated at about 12 000 a year in South
Africa alone, and some two million worldwide. Cigarettes contain an
astonishing 4 000 chemicals, including tar, nicotine, carbon
monoxide ammonia and hydrogen cyanide, and apart from the adverse
effects smoking has on the foetus, not to mention on the smoker, it
does not benefit your chances of conception. Smoking affects
fertility levels as well as developing sperm.
Estimates vary about exactly how much damage passive smoking can do
to a non-smoker, but it is thought that the chances of lung cancer
increase about one-third, which is small compared to the risks to
smokers, but it still amounts to many lives lost every year. One of
the most distressing aspects of passive smoking is the effect it has
on babies and children.
Smoking during pregnancy, increases the chance of a miscarriage,
stillbirth, premature birth or death of the baby in the first week
after birth - by about one-fifth if the mother smokes less than 20
cigarettes a day, and by one-third if she smokes more. One can never
prove one hundred percent that smoking was the sole cause of a
miscarriage or stillbirth, but it will create a terrible sense of
guilt and shame if it does happen to a mother who smoked throughout
her pregnancy.
Women who have not kicked the habit early in pregnancy, should not
give up hope, because quitting at any point, particularly before the
sixteenth week of pregnancy, lessens the dangers, so 'better late
than never'. Effects continue after the birth too, since nicotine is
concentrated in breast milk to two or three times its level in
blood.
Older children exposed to cigarette smoke are also at risk, and
studies have shown that the smoke they breathe is equivalent to
smoking an average of 80 to 150 cigarettes a year. As a result, they
can suffer more attacks of pneumonia, bronchitis and asthma. These
hazards lie within your control, so try and avoid them, to give your
baby the best start to life.
MEDICINES AND DRUGS
Fortunately, not all drugs are harmful to babies, with some only
being dangerous at certain stages of your pregnancy, and others to
be avoided throughout the 40 weeks.
For this reason it is vitally important, before taking any tablets,
to discuss their effects on your unborn baby with your medical
doctor or pharmacist.
13 Days to 2 Months
Drugs reaching the fetus at this early stage of pregnancy can cause
major physical abnormalities, which will have a significant impact
on the future growth of the foetus. From as early as 13 days to
eight weeks after fertilisation, it is considered to be a critical
stage for organ development, and this is when almost all major
structural abnormalities can occur, affecting the heart, limbs,
ears, eyes, teeth, external genitalia, and the central nervous
system.
8 Weeks to 38 Weeks
Further organ development occurs during this stage , and since the
organs are enlarging through swift cell duplication, any
interference from harmful drugs at this stage will slow down cell
growth. This will result in an undersized baby at birth or else
individual body parts that are abnormally small.
As your body adjusts to accommodate your growing baby, you may find
yourself suffering from a few unfamiliar ailments, most of which
will be too mild in effect to warrant a trip to the doctor, others
on the other hand may be too troublesome to ignore. Always consult a
professional before taking any medication! |
