Each substance can cause severe and permanent damage to children before and even after birth. Researchers have found that these substances can cause low birth weight, premature delivery, fetal alcohol syndrome, mental retardation, learning disabilities, stillbirth, miscarriages, and under developed limbs. Many babies born to mothers that have abused alcohol and drugs while pregnant are born addicted to the substance and go through withdrawal symptoms after being born. Some women are able to quit using these substances when becoming pregnant but many women are not and need professional help to quit. Pregnant women face many barriers when trying to get help for their substance abuse problems.
While many people believe that marijuana may not be as harmful as these other drugs, it can still affect the infant in a few ways. The baby can have physical problems; for example low birth weight and/or a small head. Developmentally, the child may experience difficulty with memory or attention, depression, and/or inadequate problem-solving skills (Berk, 2008, p. 67). Tobacco and alcohol are two of the most common and harmful teratogens which affect an unborn baby’s growth. Extensive alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to a very detrimental and potentially fatal disorder known as fetal alcohol syndrome.
Smoking can also damage your baby's lungs. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have: •An ectopic pregnancy •Vaginal bleeding •Placental abruption (placenta peels away, partially or almost completely, from the uterine wall before delivery) •Placenta previa (a low-lying placenta that covers part or all of the opening of the uterus) •A stillbirth Babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to be born: •With birth defects such as cleft lip or palate •Prematurely •At low birthweight •Underweight for the number of weeks of pregnancy Babies born prematurely and at low birthweight are at risk of other serious health problems, including lifelong disabilities (such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and learning problems), and in some cases, death. Secondhand smoke Breathing in someone else's smoke is also harmful. Secondhand smoke during pregnancy can cause a baby to be born at low birthweight. Secondhand smoke is also dangerous to young children.
As a parent, I know we have to be informed about all the problems our kids may be involved in. A first drink of alcohol at an early age increases the risk for heavier drinking, and more negative consequences of drinking later. According with Dr. Morean; “15-year-olds who start drinking are at greater risk for subsequent heavy drinking and alcohol-related problems than teens that do not begin drinking until age 17. However, if those 15-year-old drinkers also drank to intoxication at 15, their risk would be greater than if they had their first drink at age 15 but did not become intoxicated until age 17”. Furthermore teen’s alcohol problems are a social problem that we have to take an action on.
There are also groups within a society who are vulnerable based on their low socioeconomic status, prominent among which are teenage mothers. Most teenage mothers are products of unplanned pregnancies, which force them out of school or other formal training institutions, imposing on them lives of adulthood for which they are not prepared. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2012) reported that Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs seem to be working such that, at a rate of 31.3 live births per 1000 women between ages 15-19 in United States, in 2011, it accounts for an 8% drop compared to 2010. However, teen pregnancy issue is still crucial that it remains one of CDC’s top six priorities. Lavin & Cox (2012) opined that the teen pregnancy is still a subject of public concern in United States despite the fact that the rate is declining every year.
Effects of Premature Birth The health and birth records of just about a million adults showed the risk of mental and health disorders going from cerebral palsy to being mentally delayed in adulthood increased with reducing gestational age at birth. Babies born earlier than 37 weeks are considered premature. According to a new study, the effects of premature birth may last further than adolescence and affect adult psychological and physical health in numerous ways. Effects of premature births are learning problems, vision and hearing problems, and feeding and digestive problems. These all can change an individual life tremendously The most common lasting effect of prematurity is another form of learning disability.
These drugs are ones that are not prescribed and are illegal. If they are being taken the baby is at risk mostly in the first 12 weeks when the foetus is developing. During pregnancy you cannot drink high levels of alcohol as the baby is going through critical development and this can cause them problems such as, mental disability, heart defects, cleft palate, hare lip, physical defects and kidney problems (FAS). In the first year of a baby’s life a bond between them and their parents needs to be formed. These relationships make a difference to the quality of care that the adult provides.
This kind of cause occurs when a baby does not grow well in the utero because of problems with the placenta, or the mother's health or birth defects. Babies with Intrauterine growth restrict may be born early, also premature babies with intrauterine growth restrict may be very small and physically immature, and full-term babies with Intrauterine growth restrict may be physically mature but weak. Also, low birth weight also depends on the age of the mother. If the mother is a teenager, then it is more likely for her baby to have low birth rate, especially those younger than 15. Multiple birth babies are at increased risk of low birth weight because they are often pre mature.
Teenage pregnancies are connected with many social issues, such as higher poverty rates, lower education, single parent homes, violent homes, and low self-esteem. Moreover, children of teenage parents are more likely to follow the path of their parents. Girls born to teenage mother have a 22% higher chance of repeating the teen mother cycle, and boys have a 13% higher chance of ending up in prison (Furstenberg, Levine, & Brooks-Gunn, 1990). According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (2012) about one- third of girls in the United States will become pregnant before the age of 20 which means approximately 820,000 teenage girls become pregnant at least once before the age of 20. The United States have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy among 46 developed countries ("U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics National and State Trends and Trends by Race", 2006).
Too large of an amount of bilirubin is reabsorbed from the intestines before the baby gets rid of it in the stool. High levels of bilirubin — usually above 25 mg — can cause deafness, cerebral palsy, or other forms of brain damage in some babies. In less common cases, jaundice may indicate the presence of another condition, such as an infection or a thyroid problem. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all infants should be examined for jaundice within a few days of birth. There are a number of common types of jaundice that occur.