By Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, Teratogen Information Specialist and Coordinator, MotherToBaby North Carolina Back in the early 1970s, pregnant women and their health care providers didn’t talk about alcohol and drugs in pregnancy. Birth defects caused by alcohol? Unheard of! Then, along came two pediatric specialists at the University of Washington who changed everything: Drs. David W. Smith and Kenneth Lyons Jones noticed that a group of babies who had been exposed to high amounts of …
The Baby Blog: Drugs & Substance Use
Marijuana, Pregnancy & Breastmilk: Getting Closer to Answers
By Sonia Alvarado, MotherToBaby California Teratogen Information Specialist I wrote a blog about marijuana and pregnancy three years ago and it’s become the most visited blog on the MotherToBaby website. No surprise, considering that marijuana is an even hotter topic today than it was previously! Three years ago, two states had laws allowing recreational use. Now, 29 states allow medicinal use, recreational use or both (with limits on amounts varying from state to state). I was recently asked …
The Allure of Alcohol: Why do Women Continue to Drink during Pregnancy?
By Lori Wolfe, Certified Genetic Counselor and Teratogen Information Specialist, MotherToBaby North Texas Have you ever had a pregnant friend tell you, “it is OK to have just one glass of wine now and then, that’s what my doctor said,” or “my mother drank beer when she was pregnant with me, and I turned out fine.” As a Teratogen Counselor (a birth defects expert), I hear these statements more than you would imagine. You may think it is common knowledge that there is no safe level of alcohol …
Alcohol, Tobacco & Marijuana: What You Need To Know During Breastfeeding
By Beth Conover, APRN, CGC, MotherToBaby Nebraska So…you were really good during your entire pregnancy, giving up every drop of alcohol, quitting smoking tobacco, and, of course, avoiding any drug like marijuana. You were concerned about the development of your baby, and doing everything you could to make a healthy outcome more likely. Good job! But now here you are….you’ve had your baby, you’re giving breastfeeding your best shot…do you still need to be so careful? If you’re wondering this, …
Forging Ahead With Facts As Her Fuel
By Jennifer Lemons, MS, CGC, MotherToBaby Texas TIPS It was the longest 3 minutes of her life. As she opened her eyes to glance at the test, her heart stopped. She couldn’t breathe. Frantically, she tore open the instructions that came with the test to confirm what she already knew. She was pregnant. She laid her head on the bathroom stall, tears threatening to fall. It was then that the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. It was time to go to class. But all she could think was, “I’m only …
