Alcohol or Drug Use During Pregnancy
Overview
One of the most important things you can do when you're pregnant is to avoid alcohol and drugs. During pregnancy, everything you eat, drink, or take into your body affects you and your growing baby. Using alcohol or drugs while you're pregnant can cause serious problems. It can cause problems for you during your pregnancy and when it is time for your baby to be born. It can also affect your baby both before and after birth.
Using drugs can also create an unsafe environment for your child. Exposure to even a tiny amount of any drugs, including ecstasy, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl, can make your baby or child very sick or cause death. Exposure can happen in different ways, like:
- Breathing in second-hand smoke or vapour from drugs.
- Being exposed through breastfeeding or breastmilk.
- Transferring from clothing, hands, or skin to a baby or child’s body, toys, soothers, bottles, and other items.
- During diaper changes.
- Accidentally eating or touching drugs.
Babies and children are in contact with their caregivers and everything in their environment, so exposure can also happen in many places, like in your home and other homes, in vehicles, and in public places.
Keep all drugs and drug-related items, like bongs, pipes, lighters, needles, spoons, and fentanyl patches, locked up, out of sight, and out of reach of children. Anyone who comes in contact with drugs or drug-related items should wash their hands and change their clothes before handling or feeding a baby or child or touching toys or other items.
The best time to stop using alcohol and drugs is before you get pregnant. But sometimes pregnancy is unexpected. Drugs and alcohol can harm your baby in the first weeks of pregnancy, so the sooner you can stop, the better.
Risks of substance use during pregnancySubstance | Possible effect on mother | Possible effect on fetus or baby |
|---|
Alcohol | - Lack of certain vitamins
- Miscarriage
- Stillbirth
| - Low birth weight
- Intellectual disability
- Heart problems
- Learning and behaviour problems
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
|
Cocaine | - Seizures
- Hallucinations
- Fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema)
- Breathing problems
- Heart problems
- Abruptio placenta
- Miscarriage
- Stillbirth
| - Certain birth defects
- Low birth weight
|
Ecstasy | | |
Heroin or opioids | - High blood pressure during pregnancy (preeclampsia)
- Bleeding in the third trimester
- Abruptio placenta
- Breech birth
| - Seizures
- Withdrawal symptoms after birth
- Breathing problems
- Low birth weight
- Physical and mental development problems
|
Inhalants | - Life-threatening breathing problems
- Convulsions or seizures
- Coma
| - Low birth weight
- Problems with how bones form
- Learning problems
|
Cannabis | | - Low birth weight
- Learning and development problems
|
Methamphetamine | - Stroke
- Brain damage
- Miscarriage
- Abruptio placenta
| - Low birth weight
- Learning and memory problems
|
PCP or LSD | - Confusion
- Delusions
- Hallucinations
- Risk of overdose
| |
Getting help to stop using alcohol or drugs
You may already know that alcohol and drugs can harm you and your baby. But it can still be hard to stop. Changing your behaviours isn't easy. Some people need treatment to help them quit using drugs or alcohol.
Here are some things you can do.
- Tell someone.
If you can't stop drinking or using drugs on your own, tell someone that you need help. There are people and programs to help you.
- Your doctor is a good place to start. Your doctor can talk with you about treatment options. If you have a history of problems with quitting drugs or alcohol, tell your doctor.
- You might also want to tell a friend or loved one. Having someone to encourage you can help.
- Visit the Government of Canada's Get Help With Substance Use website at www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/get-help-problematic-substance-use.html to learn about treatment programs in your area.
- Make changes to your lifestyle.
You may need to make changes to your routine, like not being around certain people, or not going to places where you used to drink or use drugs. Ask friends and family to support your changes.
- Consider counselling.
Counselling helps you make changes in your life so you can stay sober. You learn to manage emotions and make good choices. You may get counselling in a group or one-on-one.
- Join a support group.
Groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), SMART Recovery, or LifeRing help members get sober and stay that way. There are also support groups for family members and friends.
Credits
Adaptation Date: 9/13/2024
Adapted By: Alberta Health Services
Adaptation Reviewed By: Alberta Health Services
Adaptation Date: 9/13/2024
Adapted By: Alberta Health Services
Adaptation Reviewed By: Alberta Health Services
