Prenatal Parenting

Life begins at conception. This is a common Christian viewpoint that I would like to take even a step further: Parenting begins at conception. Although, this is a bold statement, I believe that it can be applied to the issue of abusing licit and illicit substances during pregnancy. In 2010, there was a 3% increase, from a 2002 study, in drug abuse during pregnancy for women ages 15-44. 4.4% of these reported the recent use of drugs.

 Andria Wendell mentions in her article, Overview and Epidemiology of Substance Abuse in Pregnancy, that “smoking during pregnancy is one of the most common preventable causes of infant morbidity and mortality”. This devastating fact can cause a newborn to be born early, have a low birth weight and birth defects, and also increases the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Wendell mentions that there are many contributing factors for women who choose to smoke while pregnant, such as, SES, race, age, marital and education status.

            Marijuana is the most abused illicit drug during pregnancy; up to 11% of women report using cannabis during pregnancy. 10.8% of pregnant women also report using alcohol during pregnancy, which can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

            When it comes down to it, abusing licit and illicit drugs during pregnancy is a growing problem in America and is a form of child abuse. Unfortunately, it is a difficult problem to tackle and it also an underreported one. Women are afraid of the negative stigma associated with using drugs during pregnancy that they will lie about their use. Another limitation is that the article does not state how many women were surveyed in their findings. Having an unknown sample size increases the risk for error. Either way, every life is worth saving and if there are techniques and treatments that can be implemented to help pregnant women stop abusing and become better parents, than they should be put into place.

Abstract

Reference:

Wendell, Andria D. (2013). Overview and Epidemiology of Substance Abuse in

            Pregnancy. Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology.