| Term Paper Title | Pregnancy |
| # of Words | 1399 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 5.6 |
Pregnancy
Introductory Facts
· During the first trimester of the mother’s pregnancy, when basic body structures are rapidly forming, the fetus is extremely vulnerable to environmental factors such as viral infections, radiation, drugs, and other tetratogens (an agent or influence that causes physical defects in a developing embryo), any of which can cause congenial malformations (A physical defect at the time of birth, either inherited or caused during gestation). (1)
· Prenatal exposure to psychoactive drug, including tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine, are serious and growing problems. (1)
· According to a recent National Institute on Drug Abuse study on estimated use of selected substances during pregnancy, 5.5% of the women surveyed reported using illicit drugs while they were pregnant. Additionally, 18.8% reported using alcohol, and 20.4%reported using tobacco. (3)
· Parents who abuse alcohol and illicit drugs face risks of losing custody of their children. Pregnant women who continue to use drugs against medical advice face increased risks of losing their babies once they are born. In some States, they also risk criminal prosecution. (3)
· Children born to women who use drugs like alcohol, tobacco, or cocaine may have long term health problems. (2)
Pregnancy and Smoking
· Cigarette smoking is associated with severe adverse conditions in newborns, including low birth weight. Infants whose parents smoke are unusually susceptible to pneumonia and bronchitis during their first year. (1)
· For women trying to become pregnant, smoking may impair fertility. For pregnant women, smoking increases the risk of ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, miscarriage, and stillbirth. (1)
· Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy may suffer from growth retardation in the womb and typically lower in birth weight than are babies born to non-smoking women. As a group, they also perform worse on tests in both infancy and childhood. Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are at a higher risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) than are babies of non-smokers. (1)
· If the mother smokes during pregnancy, it can cause, in the later life of her child, hyperactivity, short attention span, and lower scores on spelling and reading tests. (1)
Statistics
· Smoking by pregnant women is responsible for up to 10% of all infant deaths in the country. (1)
· Smoking by pregnant women accounts for up to 14% of pre-term deliveries and 20-30% of low birth weight babies. (1)
· 20-25% of pregnant American women continues to smoke throughout pregnancy.
· More than 60% of all SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) are due to cigarette exposure. (2)
· Maternal smoking causes and estimated 4600 infant deaths in the United States. (2)
· Environmental tobacco smoke triggers 150,000-300,000 cases of bronchitis, pneumonia, and other respiratory infections in infants and toddlers up to 18 months of age each year, resulting in 7,500-15,000 hospitalizations. (2)
Pregnancy and Alcohol
· A high level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with stillbirths and miscarriages. (1)
· Studies suggest that binge-like drinking, or more drinks in a short amount of time, may be more harmful to the fetus than exposure to the same or larger amounts of alcohol spread out more evenly over time. (3)
· There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption for a pregnant woman. Pregnant women who consume more than one or two drinks per day are twice as likely as non-drinkers to have low birthweight babies and are at an increased risk for miscarrying during the second trimester of pregnancy. (3)
· The alcohol in a pregnant mother’s bloodstream is carried into the baby’s bloodstream. Because the baby is still developing, your consuming alcohol can lead to a miscarriage or birth defects. (4)
· Any alcohol consumed by a nursing mother quickly enters her breast milk. (1)
· Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE)- is a milder version of birth defects found in some babies of women who drank less during pregnancy. (4)
· Fetal Alcoh...Read entire document
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