Quote:
Originally Posted by ShaniFaye
I wouldnt sweat it....Im not sure what doctors say now...but 16 years ago when I was preggie I was allowed the occasional drink and my doctor allowed me 5 cigs a day. My child is almost 16 now and besides the occasional cold hasnt been sick a day in her life...no ear infections, no asthma...though she has taken an interest in bondage as of late lol Tylenol was all I was allowed to take when I was preggie...have they changed that now? I know I hear some women say their doctors dont allow them things that just make me say "huh? geez how did the world manage to get over populated if all this stuff is that "bad" for you?"
Somehow babies are geared the first 3 months to withstand all the stuff that we women do before we know we're expecting.
I hope you stop feeling like puking soon  |
It's really only the first two weeks that the zygote does a good job of protecting itself--from 3 weeks onward, exposure to teratogens (including alcohol and tobacco smoke) can cause damage. The embryonic stage is critical, and exposure to teratogens can cause major structural defects. But it's important to keep in mind the dose and duration of exposure to teratogens.
Nicotine use during pregnancy is primarily associated with low birth weight, but it also increases the likelihood of other serious problems: miscarriage, prematurity, impaired heart rate and breathing during sleep, infant death, and cancer later in childhood. A baby born to a mother who smoked throughout pregnancy is more likely to die of SIDS. How does smoking harm the fetus? Well, nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, and it decreases the blood flow to the placenta, thereby decreasing the blood flow to the embryo/fetus.
Alcohol use is also very problematic. We had to watch a video in my infant and child development class this term of what a fetus looks like when a mother takes a drink of alcohol. It looks like it's having a tiny seizure. Obviously, here too the dose and duration is important--one drink probably isn't going to make a huge difference, but habitual use of alcohol increases the likelihood that the child will have a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
And yes, Shani, I agree that some doctors seem to be overly paranoid, but the fact of the matter is that this kind of public awareness about teratogens and their effects has probably contributed to the low infant mortality rates in this country, among other factors. Additionally, no one wants to make another mistake like the one that was made with thalidomide.