Maria Pierce
English 112 Online
Professor Cassel
19 July 2013
Life is a Gift
One of the greatest gifts that life can offer is the gift of life. Millions of babies are born in
the United States every day; each is born with their own special gift. Some of them will use their
gift to become doctors, some will become athletes, some will become elected representatives in
government, some will become mothers and fathers, and some will become teachers. Whatever
gift they may possess, they have the opportunity to make it their own. However, some children
are born with only half of their gift; they are missing the instructions or maybe a piece of their
puzzle due to a decision their mother made. According to the University of Michigan about every
hour a baby is born addicted to opioids, (ScienceDaily, par.1), not including those who are born
with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or those who are born addicted to methamphetamine or cocaine.
In addition to being addicted to drugs, a fetus will experience damage from teratogens that will
affect a person for the rest of their life. Overall, women who decide to partake in drugs such as
cocaine, methamphetamine and opiates; who consume alcohol; and use tobacco while at the
same time being pregnant are not only harming their fetus, but they are hindering a child from
having a normal life. Therefore we need to inform women of the risks of consuming teratogens,
in parallel with pregnancy, who may not know the situation and offer them a place to
anonymously seek help for the addiction.
To begin informing future mothers, women should be educated on the consequences of
taking drugs while being pregnant. The harmful drugs not only include cocaine and
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methamphetamine, but also include opiates such as opium, codeine, morphine, fentanyl,
OxyContin, and heroin. While cocaine and methamphetamine have different side effects on a
baby than opiates; all of them are very dangerous and harmful to a fetus. For example, some of
the effects of methamphetamine are “clefting, cardiac anomalies, fetal growth retardation,
behavioral problems, and cranial abnormalities” (Lester 294). In continuation, cocaine has its
own effects which include, “pattern of small deficits in intelligence and academic skills” (Lester
294). These symptoms mean that the child could display effects such as behavioral and cognitive
problems or impaired attention, language, and learning skills. By participating in either of these
drugs women are hindering their children from being successful in school, from growing normal,
and even looking normal. In conclusion, mothers who participate in these actions cause innocent
children to be born with abnormalities and disabilities; hindering them from using their gifts.
Another form of drugs that cause damage to fetuses is opiates; while these drugs have
more of an immediate effect, they can be just as dangerous. Babies who are born to mothers
addicted to opiates experience neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). According to a study done
at Michigan University, “physicians found that diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome, a
drug withdrawal syndrome among newborns, almost tripled between 2000 and 2009”
(ScienceDaily, par.2). Author Sherri Kuhn explains that during NAS newborns will experience
symptoms such as tight muscles tremors, jitteriness, weight loss, gagging, vomiting/diarrhea,
color changes, fever, fast breathing or hiccupping. She also describes that newborns have
difficulties with state regulation; meaning they have trouble going through sleep wake cycles
which causes them to become irritable and cry. In addition, the babies have difficulty responding
to stimuli; a baby can become overwhelmed and have atypical reactions to touch, sound,
movement or visual stimulation. (Kuhn, par.5). Nurse Christy Thomas stated in a personal
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interview that due to the painful symptoms that NAS babies experience, they do not want to be
held. She has worked as a labor and delivery nurse for several years and has seen first-hand what
a NAS baby looks like. Christy explained that the baby will not stop crying because of the pain
they are in. Likewise the baby will not eat and it will not pass the APGAR test: this is a test that
is given to newborns to make sure they are healthy enough to go home. Overall she says that this
part of her job is the hardest; having to see babies in pain is very disheartening and frustrating.
Christy explains that the amount of care she can provide is limited because the baby must go
through withdrawal in order to be healthy and grow in the future (Thomas par. 1-5). Even though
this immediate effect may not alter a child’s gift at birth, the child will be taken by child services
and will be placed into a different home due to the mother’s addiction and inability to care for
the child. This alone could potentially cause problems for the child later on in life, once again
hindering them from having a normal life and reaching their full potential.
Fig. 1. This image shows a NAS baby who is experiencing the painful symptoms
(Christopoulos).
As well as doing drugs during pregnancy, consuming alcohol can be very dangerous for a
fetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome has very severe side effects and can affect a child for the rest of
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their life. Due to alcohol’s ability to easily cross the placenta, the teratogen “can alter fetal
development by interfering with cellular differentiation and growth, DNA and protein synthesis,
and cell migration” (Pinto, par. 2). This means that they baby can be born with mental
retardation along with physical deformation. According to an article posted by Suzanne Pinto
some of the defining features that a FAS baby will display are prenatal/postnatal growth
retardation, and characteristic craniofacial anomalies which includes small eyes with short slits
and groove between upper lip and nose. In continuation, the article describes central nervous
system (CNS) abnormalities which includes cognitive impairment, learning disabilities, and
behavioral abnormalities (Pinto, par. 3). Whether it is mental retardation, physical deformity, or a
learning disability, a child with FAS could lack confidence in school and life and could have a
hard time achieving their fullest potential in life due to the decision their mother made.
Fig. 2 shows some of the defining features of a FAS baby (Warren).
Last but not least, the other most common abused drug during pregnancy is tobacco.
While tobacco may not seem as severe as other drugs, it easily passes through the placenta and
the carbon monoxide and nicotine from the drug will interfere with the fetal oxygen supply,
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causing serious damage to the fetus. For example, some of the effects include, “increased risk for
stillbirth, infant mortality, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, preterm birth, respiratory problems,
slowed fetal growth, and low birth weight” (Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse, par. 4).
Smoking during pregnancy is also associated with cognitive and behavioral problems. The
unique thing about the effect of nicotine on pregnant women is that second hand smoke can have
an effect on a fetus as well; even if the mother isn’t actually smoking, being around someone
who does, can affect her baby. In continuation, second hand smoke has been linked to low birth
weight and premature birth in newborns whose mother had been exposed. Therefore it is
imperative for mothers to not smoke or to be aware of their surroundings and not expose their
baby or themselves to someone who does smoke due to the serious consequences a newborn
could experience.
When researching the side effects of each drug a pattern began to immerge in the type of
women who participated in drugs and alcohol during pregnancy. In addition, research studies
that had been done on the economic status and personal life concluded that the women
participating are of low economic status with little education. Many of them experience physical,
emotional, and sexual abuse from a spouse or intimate partner. In one of the articles the author
writes that “Universal screening provides the practitioner with the opportunity to talk to every
client about the risks of alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription drugs, tobacco, and other substances
and risky behaviors (Meyer 6). However, for many women it is too late to talk about addictions,
they are already hooked on the drug. A solution to this problem is educating women before they
get pregnant. For example, in high school I had many volunteers come and talk to my school
about safe sex, STD’s and violence. But I never had anyone talk about being safe while being
pregnant, or how to prepare myself for later down the road when I wanted to have a baby.
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Likewise, researchers found that “among pregnant women ages 15 to 44, the youngest ones
generally reported the greatest substance use” (Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse, par. 1).
Therefore it is imperative that women within these age groups are targeted and educated before
they become addicted and/or pregnant.
In conclusion, receiving a gift with half of the pieces, missing instructions, or even
cheaply made parts, always ends up with a broken or incomplete product. Each child is a unique
individual that has the right to enjoy every part of their gift; unfortunately when mothers decide
to be irresponsible and selfish during pregnancy many kids are born incomplete. Therefore
women need to be educated on the risks and potential side effects of taking drugs while being
pregnant. In order to educate these women, more programs need to be implemented into high
schools and colleges informing them of the risks and providing them with support places. By
making an effort to target the problem before it happens, more babies will be saved from
teratogens, and more children will have a chance to live a normal life and use their gifts to better
this world.
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Works Cited
Christopoulos, Alexandra. "Project Bean Sprout." Project Bean Sprout RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 03
Aug. 2013.
Kuhn, Sherri. “Babies born addicted: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.” SheKnows Parenting.
SheKnows LLC, 20 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 July 2013.
Lester, B et al. "Methamphetamine And Other Substance Use During Pregnancy: Preliminary
Estimates From The Infant Development, Environment, And Lifestyle (IDEAL) Study."
Maternal & Child Health Journal 10.3 (2006): 293-302. CINAHL Plus with Full Text.
Web. 17 July 2013.
Meyer, Marjorie MD. “Screening for Substance Abuse During Pregnancy.” University of
Vermont College of Medicine. University of Vermont, 2009. Web. 9 July 2013.
Pinto, S, and T Schub. "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome." (2012): CINAHL Plus with Full Text. Web.
17 July 2013.
Thomas, Christy. Personal Interview. 9 Feb. 2013.
“Topics in Brief: Prenatal Exposure to Drugs of Abuse.” National Institute on Drug Abuse.
National Institutes of Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 2011.
Web. 20 Jul. 2013.
U.S.." ScienceDaily, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Jul. 2013
Warren, Kenneth R. "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Research Challenges and
Opportunities." Alcohol Research & Health, Volume 34, Number 1. U.S Department of
Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2013.