Specialized Substance Abuse Services for Pregnant Women - Research Paper Example

 Substance Abuse Services for Pregnant Women Abstract Drug and alcohol abuse is a serious issue in our world today. What an adult does their body is, generally, up to them. We, as a society, simply ask that they live within the mores of their community. Unfortunately, this same line of thinking cannot apply to females who are pregnant. A fetus has no voice and no say how they live their life, yet their very blood stream is connected to the mother. If a women chooses to abuse drugs or alcohol, or both, then they are making decisions for the child that can very well last a lifetime. It is important, therefore, to understand the effects that drug and alcohol have a fetus. It is equally critical that this information be used to educate mothers-to-be about the dangers of such substance abuse, to any degree, during the entire term of a pregnancy. Beyond this, health professionals need to be equipped to care for drug and alcohol addicted mothers and provide them treatment services that can benefit both them and the unborn child. These services, then, must continue for years after birth, not only for the sake of the child, but to ensure that the mother does not revert to conceiving another child during subsequent drug abuse. Substance Abuse Services for Pregnant Women Introduction Conceiving a child should be one of the most beautiful aspects of a woman’s life. The thought of brining another living, breathing human being into this world both excites and terrifies men and women, yet the thought of raising a family quickly consumes many people as they make final preparations for the birth. Sadly, however, not everyone experiences this excitement and joy. Some women who get pregnant are substance abusers and, while they know the harm they can be doing to their unborn child, find it difficult to stop. Some are even unwilling to stop. It is important to understand that there are numerous substances we can ingest on a regular basis that can do babies harm. These range from drugs and alcohol, to smoking and other types of harmful activities (Parnell, West, & Chen, 2006, p. 1409). It is also vital that these women receive help. This can take place in the form of treatment services during the pregnancy, if the woman agrees to it, or in the form of services for the child after the birth, if damage was already done. The purpose of this study is to first determine the effects that drugs and other harmful substances have on the fetus, and to determine the best treatment services currently available in order to assist the mother, child, and entire family support system. Effects of Drugs on Fetus It is well known that cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and street drugs contain certain additives or ingredients that can be harmful to the development of a human embryo. In fact, these substances can potentially be toxic (Suarez, et. al., 2008, p. 394). It is important to understand the unique aspects of each of the harmful substances. This section will briefly examine the various effects of alcohol and specific drugs on the development of the fetus. Alcohol Effects on Fetus Alcohol can be a social beverage, or it can be a way to drown your sorrows. In the case of a pregnant mother-to-be, however, neither of these uses for alcohol is acceptable. The liquid can actually pass from the mother’s blood directly into the baby’s blood stream. Alcohol can also work disastrous effects on the baby’s cells, affecting their growth. Finally, brain and spinal cord cells are particularly hard hit when too much alcohol enters a baby’s blood stream (Altai, Macleod, & Hickman, 2008, p. 660). Some of the more noticeable effects of alcohol use during a pregnancy can be physically seen once the baby is born and begins to develop. By the time a child is 2 or 3 years of age, for example, they can develop distinctive facial features, such as a small head, flat face, or other malformations (Kelly, et al., 2009, p 131). When too much alcohol was consumed during pregnancy, the growth of the child may be stunted, resulting in the individual being noticeably smaller than other people the same age. Other problems from alcohol include learning and behavioral disorders, birth defects, and in severe cases, problems boding with the mother or even breastfeeding (Henderson & Brocklehurst, 2007, p. 247). Cocaine Effects on Fetus Cocaine is another powerful drug that should never be used, particularly during a pregnancy. Cocaine has many of the same effects as alcohol, and then some. If cocaine is used heavily during the early months of a pregnancy, the woman places herself at a higher risk of having a miscarriage. Stillbirth risk is also increased substantially when using cocaine during the pregnancy, particularly late in the term. Statistics show that women who use cocaine while pregnant are two times as likely to experience a premature birth. In addition, the baby is more likely to be born underweight when compared to babies born to mother who did not use cocaine during their pregnancy Altai, Macleod, & Hickman, 2008, p. 661). Finally, similar to alcohol use, babies born from mother who abused cocaine are more likely to be born with small heads and smaller brain that is disproportionate to their body size. Crack Effects on Fetus Crack cocaine is even stronger than powdered cocaine and can have more serious effects on a fetus. We know that a fetus needs proper blood flow during pregnancy in order to develop normally. Using crack cocaine inhibits this blood flow, denying the unborn child vital access to blood, causing developmental deformities before they are even born (Altai, Macleod, & Hickman, 2008, p. 662). Since a fetus obtains 100% of his or her nutrition directly from the mother, this means that the unborn baby receives actual cocaine directly through its placenta. This particular drug restricts the flow of oxygen and denies proper nutrition to the baby. This means that he or she is not able to grow properly, ending up in a large number of these babies being born severely underweight. This is particularly troubling when we consider that low birth weight babies are much more likely to die during their first month than other babies that are born at a more stable birth weight. Marijuana Effects on Fetus Many may consider marijuana to be a harmless drug. Regardless of one’s personal or moral attitudes about the drug, health professionals all agree that using this drug during a pregnancy can result in irreversible damage to an unborn baby. This damage can last a lifetime. Scholars make the claim that marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among women who are pregnant. Many do not believe it does damage to the fetus, primarily because not much is spoken about in terms of marijuana use. It has been determined that, while the effects or marijuana use may not be as severe as other illicit drugs, such use can interfere with key brain functions, causing abnormalities that cannot be reversed (O’Callaghan, 2007, pp. 117-118). Heroin Effects on Fetus Heroin can be passed directly from the mother to the fetus. This occurs via the placenta. Heroin, however, is difficult addiction to break. If a mother is using heroin when a baby is conceived, the risk becomes high that she will not be able to break the habit in time to save the unborn child from a lifetime of harmful effects. It should be noted that many unborn babies die, either before birth, or immediately thereafter. Those that do survive are often born addicted to the drug themselves. It has been shown that many babies born to heroin-addicted mothers begin to experience withdrawal symptoms within 96 hours of birth (Parnell, West, and Chen, 2006, p. 1410). If the hospital knows the mother has been using heroin, they can have intervention measures in place. Sadly, many doctors are in the dark about the drug use, however, so the withdrawal symptoms are the first signs they have. From there, we notice that there are hearing, sight, or speech problems, in addition to various learning disabilities all as a result of heroin use during the pregnancy. Treatment Services Society cannot simply abandon a mother and a child born to some addicted to drugs or alcohol. These disorders are illnesses and, as such, they must be treated. Quite often, a pregnancy is not even discovered until a month or two into the term, occasionally longer. In these cases, some damage has already been done, even if the pregnant individual can quickly break any addiction. For these reasons, and others, it is important to offer treatments services to the child and the family, or caretakers (McCollum, et. al., 2005, p. 112). This section will take a look at some of these issues and what society and medical professionals are doing to help impacts individuals and families. Continuing Care One must remember that women often feel guilt and shame when they are abusing alcohol during pregnancy. Because of this, they may be hesitant to receive help because of these very emotions. For this reason, it is important to receive such an individual with care and compassion, so that the moment their addiction is discovered, they can receive quality and continuing care. One method of providing this care is to be open to women and all them to set goals that enable them to improve their health, help their unborn baby, and be ready for any consequences that may occur after birth. This entails care for a woman that is ongoing. They will need even more support once the baby is born. If there are disorders or defects with the baby, then the guilt and shame will intensify. In addition, a mother that is fit to care for the child must deal with those disorders medically. Care must also be ongoing for another important reason. In the event the baby is born healthy, and the woman is still of childbearing age, the likelihood of her becoming pregnant again intensifies (Sayal, et. al., 2007, pp. 427-248). If this occurs, the woman might succumb to her old ways because she feels like the risks are misstated. It is critical, therefore, that continuing care be given to all such women to ensure that all of these risk factors are minimized to the greatest extent possible. Substance Abuse Counseling and Education During pregnancy, and after, it is important to offer assistance to the mother in terms of breaking her addiction. This fact cannot be forgotten after the child is born. It is important to remember that children born to mothers who abused harmful substances during pregnancy will likely encounter numerous health and psychological disorders (O’Callaghan, et. al., 2007, p. 117). It is, therefore, important that the mother be prepared to deal with these problems. The best way to get prepared is to break an addiction herself, so that she can focus on being the best mother that she can be. There have been numerous programs designed to help a mother do just this, for as long as three years after the birth of the child. Such substance abuse counseling and support has shown signs of tremendous success. During a, “Post program follow-up, [researchers] observed a significant increase in abstinence from alcohol and drugs for 6 months or more, and significant decreases in subsequent pregnancies and deliveries” (Grant, 2003, p. 211). This is particular important given the knowledge that certain behaviors tend to be repeated, and this puts mothers at risk of future alcohol and drug exposed births if counseling and education programs are not offered. Parent and Child Development Education If the effects of alcohol or drug use on a fetus are already realized, one cannot go back in time and revere it. Therefore, it is prudent for the medical community to provide education to the family, and the child when he or she is of age, to learn how to deal with any abnormalities or disorders that may occur. It is important to note that many such babies may go undiagnosed for a long time. If the mother did not reveal her alcohol use, for example, a baby may be born with fetal alcohol syndrome and go untreated for along time until symptoms occur. It is important that medical professionals have open and safe communication with pregnant mothers. They need to be educated in the reality that, if they are abusing alcohol or drugs during pregnancy, then they must disclose that as soon as possible so help can be given. Education goes a long way towards making this happen. Mothers need to know what damage can, or has been done, to the development of the child and learn how to immediately being taking better care of herself and the fetus (McMahon, et. al., 2005, pp. 82-83). Pharmacotherapy Drug and alcohol addiction can often be treated through pharmacotherapy. This entails actually prescribing certain drugs to help ease the effects of withdrawal, and eventually lead the patient into breaking the habit altogether. This type of treatment actually began back in the 1960’s to treat heroin and meth users and has shown promising signs of success. When dealing with a pregnant mother than cannot break a habit, any such intervention method becomes particularly appealing. The key is to help the mother to be as soon as possible. Every moment counts. By injecting certain drugs into the individual, addictions can often be broken, and the focus be returned to living a healthy life, and giving the fetus an opportunity to do the same. Conclusion Drugs and alcohol are meant for adults. The debate about whether or not adults should even indulge in these substances is a topic for a different paper. The bottom line is that drugs and alcohol were never intended for children. For whatever reason, adults often fail to realize that a fetus is more susceptible to the effects of such drugs than a human residing on earth. They have no choice but to receive everything into their bloodstream that the mother feeds him or her. As such, the results of such drug or alcohol use on a fetus can be devastating. Someone must give the fetus a voice and education is a way to make this happen. Mothers-to-be must be willing to break their addiction in order to give their unborn baby the maximum chance possible at a healthy and long lasting life. They deserve that much. References Altai, R., Macleod, J., Hickman, M., et al. (2008). Intrauterine exposure to alcohol and tobacco use and childhood IQ: Findings from a parental-offspring comparison with the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Pediatric Research 64(6), 659-666. Grant, T. (2003). Post program follow-up effects of paraprofessional intervention with high-risk women who abused alcohol and drugs during pregnancy. Journal of Community Psychology, 31(3), 211-222. Henderson, J., Gray, R., Brocklehurst, P. (2007). Systematic review of effects of low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on pregnancy outcome. BJOG 114(3), 243-52. Kelly, Y., Sacker, A., Gray, R., et al. (2009). Light drinking in pregnancy, a risk for behavioural problems and cognitive deficits at 3 years of age? International Journal Epidemiology. 38(2), 129-140. McCollum, E. E., Nelson, T. S., Lewis, R. A., & Trepper, T. S. (2005). Partner relationship quality and drug use as predictors of women’s substance abuse treatment outcome. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 31(1), 111-127. McMahon, T. J., Winkel, J. D., Luthar, S/ & Rounsaville, B. J. (2005). Looking for poppa: Parenting status of men versus women seeking drug abuse treatment. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 31(1), 79-91. O’Callaghan, F. V., O’Callaghan, M., Najman, J. M., et al. (2007) Prenatal alcohol exposure and attention, learning and intellectual ability at 14 years: A prospective longitudinal study. Early Human Development. 83, 115-123. Parnell, S. E., West, J. R., & Chen, W. J. A. (2006). Nicotine decreases blood alcohol concentrations in adult rats: A phenomenon potentially related to gastric function. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 30, 1408-1413. Sayal, K., Heron, J., Golding, J., Edmond, A. (2007). Prenatal alcohol exposure and gender differences in childhood mental health problems: A longitudinal population-based study. Pediatrics. 15(2), 426-434. Suarez, L., Felkner, M., Brender, J., Canfield, M., & Hendricks, K. (2008). Maternal exposures to cigarette smoke, alcohol, and street drugs and neural tube defect occurrence in offspring. Maternal Child Health Journal, 12(1), 394-401. Read More