Drugs and alcohol pose serious risks to fetus

Toddler M’s* (5) mother was addicted to cocaine and several other drugs while being pregnant.

It is believed she sometimes didn’t eat at all and only relied on drugs.

According to M’s foster mother Susan Ferreira*, his biological mother died at the age of 20, only two months after he was born.

The severity of her drug abuse left him with several medical problems.

As a tiny baby his skin colour wasn’t normal but red and the doctor informed Susan the drugs had burned his skin and it will take a very long time for his body to get rid of it.

Susan says the drugs also caused a chemical imbalance in his brain.

At the age of five he still needs to bath with aqueous cream and she treats his skin with epiderm cream.

He had to sleep in an upright position as he couldn’t keep the formula down and he had to take reflex medicine as well.

The toddler only started walking when he was four years old.

Susan had to keep on comforting him through nights of nightmares and withdrawal symptoms.

She says the withdrawal sessions lasted as long as three hours at a time.

He goes to crèche now but will be on medication for the rest of his life.

“Above all he is also HIV positive which he got from his HIV positive mother,” says Susan.

Her advice to mothers-to-be is to come clean before falling pregnant as it is unbearable to see what these infants are going through.

Parkland Clinic gynaecologist Doctor Bolelwa Mzileni says drugs used during pregnancy is detrimental to the baby because they are connected by the placenta and umbilical cord (navel-string).

“Whatever the mother takes will be shared with the baby,” she says “as the foetus is very sensitive to drugs and alcohol.”

She says the intake of drugs and alcohol can lead to a chemical build-up which will cause permanent damage to the baby.

“Drugs increase the risk of medical problems and birth defects including a stroke, seizure, mental retardation and learning disabilities.”

She adds drugs used later in pregnancy can affect the development of the baby’s central nervous system.

Her advice is to quit before getting pregnant but better yet, to avoid drugs altogether.

Ask advice from the health provider as early diagnosis might reduce the long-term risk.

She says it is very important to tell the health care provider if drugs or alcohol have been used.

The effect the drugs have on the foetus affects the baby’s life drastically after birth.

Parkland Clinic paediatrician Doctor Legodimo Madihlaba says she treated an eight-month-old baby whose lack of growth can be compared to a three-month-old infant.

“It is not fair to the child to take drugs during pregnancy as it will affect their brain, heart and growth,” she says.

These children are also prone to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cardiac problems and mental retardation.

Both doctors say a lot of medication and alcohol affects the growth of the baby and results in abnormalities.

They agree that in the event of alcohol, it can lead to sudden infant death syndrome better known as cot death.

(* not their real names)

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