Drug Rehabilitation Facilities For Pregnant Women

Alcohol and Drug misuse among pregnant women is a frightening concern especially due to the fact that of the harmful damage that may be caused to the unborn child. A recent report indicated that about 4% of females were seeking drug treatment after abusing harmful substances while pregnant. According to the same report females who drink alcohol during their pregnancy are also likely to consume other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and marijuana.

Similar studies indicate that when pregnant females have drug and alcohol disorders and addiction, they tend to fail to reveal their ailment or seek treatment. This is due to the fact that they fear the repercussions that may take place and their unborn children.

However, if you have such a problem, it crucial that you seek help from drug rehabilitation facilities for pregnant females. This could save both you and your unborn baby both in the short and in the long run.

Importance Of Drug Rehabilitation Centers For Pregnant Females

Being expectant or pregnant is a great time in your life - a point where you need to focus more on your own physical well-being because it will reflect on the health and wellness of your baby. As such, pregnant women should be more aware of every single thing that you consume and how it may impact the baby you are carrying.

Although, if you are addicted to an intoxicating substance, you may find it difficult to overcome your using habit. This is even though continued drug and alcohol misuse could put you and your baby at risk of suffering adverse consequences and effects. The only solution is to seek help now.

Risks And Dangers Of Substance Misuse While Pregnant

Using drugs and consuming alcohol while pregnant is associated with unique risks and dangers. These may, however, depend on the amounts of harmful substances you use, the point at which (during your pregnancy) you begin using these substances, and the specific drugs/alcohol you consume.

Although various substances are associated with various dangers and risks, some of the evident dangers that could befall you include but are not limited to:

• Miscarriage
• Stillbirth
• Small head size
• Low birth weight
• Premature birth
• Birth defects
• SIDS (or sudden infant death syndrome)
• Drug dependency in the baby

In addition, babies born to mothers who have been abusing drugs and alcohol may endure additional complications including:

a) Preterm Labor

Using heroin, methamphetamines, opioids, cocaine, and marijuana could lead to preterm labor. Every one of these substances comes with its own risks for unborn babies following birth, including SIDS, behavioral issues, stunted growth, respiratory issues, and feeding problems.

b) NAS (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome)

NAS happens when babies are born addicted to the substances that their mothers were using while pregnant. As such, the newborns may experience withdrawal symptoms.

c) Infections

HIV and Hepatitis C are often transmitted to individuals who share needles with infected intravenous drug users. If you take drugs in this way, you might get infected and pass the disease to your unborn baby - either at birth or while pregnant. Most of these infections cause latent damage (or even death) to the infants.

d) Health Complications

Children born of mothers who were misusing drugs/alcohol while pregnant often experience other complications later in life. Such as slower growth rates along with learning and behavioral issues.

e) Heart Defects

If you take certain substances or drink alcohol while pregnant, your baby might have heart defects. In particular, they may be born with septal defects meaning that they will have a hole in their heart. Most of the infants who are born with these heart defects perish within their first year.

Detox For Addicted Women During Pregnancy

Most drug rehabilitation centers for pregnant females will begin the treatment process by offering detoxification services. Although you might be tempted to try stopping your drug or alcohol misuse on your own, it is advisable that you only do this under the care, guidance, and supervision of a doctor and staff of detoxification professionals - both for your safety and that of your unborn baby.

This is due to the fact that pregnant women require specialized rehabilitation plans that are designed to help both them and their babies. The detox process that will be used will essentially depend on the substances you misused, the level of your abuse, as well as your medical history and health.

Detoxification may come in the form of tapering off the substances you are addicted to. This means that the physicians will slowly taper the dose you are administered over a period of time until you stop getting the drug. As an alternative, if you are addicted to opiates, the physicians might use alternative medications such as methadone and buprenorphine.

As you undergo detox, you might also receive other recovery resources to to assist you in your bid for a life free of drugs. Although medical stabilization and detox is essential, it is just one aspect of the process that drug rehab programs for pregnant women deal with. As such, you will want to follow it up with comprehensive therapy to ensure that all the causes that caused you to abuse drugs/alcohol while pregnant are addressed.

Drug Rehabilitation For Pregnant Females

Many pregnant females assume that consuming drugs and alcohol in the first trimester would already have caused irreparable damage and harm to the unborn baby. In fact, this belief is unfounded. In fact, NIDA (the National Institute on Drug Abuse) indicates that drug treatment programs for pregnant women can help you even after your first trimester. Particularly if it involves complete discontinuation of substance misuse combined with prenatal care and excellent nutrition. In doing so, your fetus might have enough time to catch up in development and growth.

To this end, most drug and alcohol rehab facilities for pregnant women focus on providing comprehensive treatments in an encouraging and nurturing atmosphere thereby offering both the mother and the infant with the best chances for recovery.

If you are concerned about judgement and repercussions that may arise because of your choice to become sober or from law enforcement and healthcare professionals, you should talk about them with the intake specialist at the center you check into.

For the most part, once all your problems have been addressed, the treatment and rehabilitation process will focus on a variety of therapies. Such as:

• 12 step programming
• Aftercare planning
• Assessment, testing, and rehab for any cooccurring mental health conditions
• Individual, family, and group therapy
• Life skills workshops
• Medical detox, where needed
• Parenting education
• Pregnancy counseling and education
• Prenatal care
• Specialized treatment plans planned by addiction and substance misuse rehab experts with varying specialties

In closing, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers for pregnant females will help you realize that drug and alcohol addiction is a medical condition that you need to deal with before any further damage and harm occurs to you and to your baby. At the end of treatment, you might be able to protect both you and your baby and eventually overcome your substance use disorder.