Addictive substances and pregnancy
Even moderate consumption is harmful!
Alcohol: do not drink Alcohol when you are pregnant
However much she drinks, almost all the alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman quickly passes into foetal blood. This can lead to delays in the child’s development (writing, reading, fine motor skills etc…) and cause behavioural disorders (hyperactivity, aggressiveness).
If the mother drinks a great deal of alcohol, the child may suffer from foetal alcohol syndrome with severe development disorders. Drinking alcohol is harmful throughout pregnancy. No threshold below which the risk is zero has ever been shown; hence the recommendation “Do not drink alcohol when you are pregnant.” Ideally, you should stop drinking alcohol as soon as you wish to become pregnant.
A woman who is breastfeeding and drinks alcohol passes this on to her baby in her milk. As is the case during pregnancy, do not drink alcohol when you are breastfeeding!
Did you drink alcohol before you even knew you were pregnant? Rest assured, the risks of malformation and development disorders are very low after drinking small amounts or after a binge drinking episode in early pregnancy. However, you must make sure to stop drinking any alcohol once you know you are pregnant.
You are pregnant but find it hard to stop drinking alcohol? Talk about this with your general practitioner, obstetrician or midwife. Solutions do exist.
Tobacco: if you smoke during your pregnancy so does your baby
Smoking during pregnancy involves risks for the mother (miscarriage, placental anomalies, premature birth) and for her baby (delayed growth in the womb).
If the pregnant woman is exposed to passive smoking, the risk is less severe. Note: in the absence of reliable knowledge about e-cigarettes, it is better not to use them.
Tobacco is the principal cause of sudden infant deaths.
Pregnancy is an ideal time to stop smoking. Solutions do exist to help you. Discuss the matter with your healthcare professional.
Drugs and pregancy
Using drugs (cannabis, cocaine, heroin…) during pregnancy can have severe consequences for the baby’s development. Drugs break through the placental barrier and go straight into the bloodstream of the foetus which, in some situations, can suffer from real “withdrawal symptoms” upon birth.
Structures and associations are there to help you. Talk about this with your healthcare professional.