Pregnant+Cocaine+Users

= = =__**Pregnancy and Cocaine Dependent Women **__=



Cocaine supresses the mother to be appetite, which leads to poor maternal and fetal nutrition .([|www.village.com], 2000-2013).

Some repercussions you may get from using cocaine can include: heart attack, respiratory failure, strokes and seizures. These life threatening injuries can be passed down to unborn babies as well. ([|www.webMD.com] 2005-2013)

Using drugs during pregnancy increases the high risk of birth defects. ([|www.webMD.com] 2005-2013) A mother using cocaine during pregnancy can pass down brain structure changes that persist in early adolescents.

Babies born to mothers who smoke crack cocaine during pregnancy are called "crack babies", they usually have their own set of mental and physical problems. ([|www.webMD.com] 2005-2013).

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, exposure to cocaine in the womb can lead to subtle, yet significant, deficits later in children. These deficits usually show up in areas such as cognitive performance, information-processing, and attention to tasks. These are areas that are vital for success not just in school, but in life. ([|www.webMD.com] 2005-2013).

Babies that are exposed to cocaine have a very high risk of birth defects that impact the urinary tract or heart. Cocaine can also cause a stroke in an unborn fetus, resulting in brain damage and even death. ([|www.webMD.com] 2005-2013).

Using cocaine in the early stages of pregnancy can result in the risk of miscarriage, later in the pregnancy it can cause pre-term labor and low birth weight and also babies who are irritable. ([|www.webMD.com] 2005-2013).

Some withdrawal symptoms to a baby born to a cocaine dependent woman are: seizures, depression, feeding problems, hyperactive reflexes, vomiting, high pitched cry, diarrhea, and restlessness.([|www.ivillage.com], 2000-2013).

Below is a link to a movie from Durham College called Unborn addicts [] (Films for the Humanities and Sciences (Firm) c1994)

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