The time that the fetus is in the womb is one of the most crucial times in development. It is during this time that the fetus is easily susceptible to catching anything that the mother consumes or is exposed to. One of the many foreign bodies that can not only effect, but harm the fetus are known as teratogens. Teratogens are defined as environmental agents that can cause deviations from normal development and can be attributed to causing abnormalities or even death of the fetus during the developmental process. These teratogens affect the child’s health and the way they later learn and are mainly found in prescription drugs, illicit drugs, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and also from viruses that the mother suffers from. During pregnancy, mothers
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More people are likely to drink an alcoholic drink rather than take harmful drugs, because alcohol is more widely ingested. Mothers are often unaware that frequently drinking these beverages can have long term effects on their child. It depends on what period of their pregnancy and how much is consumed that the severity of the defects is determined. Depending on how much the mother consumes defects can range from mental retardation to deficits in leaning abilities. According to a study conducted by Susan Maier, “When the children were studied at age 7.5, maternal binge drinking in the month prior to pregnancy recognition was the best predictor of neurobehavioral deficits in attention, memory, and cognitive processing as well as inflexibility in problem-solving”(Mailer). In most cases, the mothers who were unaware of their pregnancy and consumed alcohol later claimed that their children suffered from disabilities such as learning problems, being below average academically, and as well as being hyperactive and impulsive. These children have been noted by teachers to be slower learners and expressed behaviors that were incompatibly with learning at the average rate. These children that suffered from the mother drinking alcohol while pregnant are also described as restless, easily distracted and had a lacking in persistence. Later in the study that Maier conducted, “the …show more content…
Mothers that are addicted to heroin and other opiate based drugs pass down that addiction to their child during pregnancy. The children born to these mothers must be given substances like methadone post-birth, to prevent sever withdraw. These methadone treatments combined with natal care can be effective in the development of the child post-pregnancy. These babies suffer from extreme pre-mature birth and low birth weight. This is known as neonatal withdraw syndrome. Later learning disabilities can be somewhat prevented by the sporadical use of methadone. Heroin itself does not cause any major malformations. It also can cause slow fetal growth with could disrupt pregnancy by the mother giving birth to the baby but the baby being extremely underweight and under developed. “Heroin and other opiates are not associated with physical abnormalities in babies, however ongoing heroin use may result in your baby being born smaller than expected, earlier than expected and he/she may have other health
More people are likely to drink an alcoholic drink rather than take harmful drugs, because alcohol is more widely ingested. Mothers are often unaware that frequently drinking these beverages can have long term effects on their child. It depends on what period of their pregnancy and how much is consumed that the severity of the defects is determined. Depending on how much the mother consumes defects can range from mental retardation to deficits in leaning abilities. According to a study conducted by Susan Maier, “When the children were studied at age 7.5, maternal binge drinking in the month prior to pregnancy recognition was the best predictor of neurobehavioral deficits in attention, memory, and cognitive processing as well as inflexibility in problem-solving”(Mailer). In most cases, the mothers who were unaware of their pregnancy and consumed alcohol later claimed that their children suffered from disabilities such as learning problems, being below average academically, and as well as being hyperactive and impulsive. These children have been noted by teachers to be slower learners and expressed behaviors that were incompatibly with learning at the average rate. These children that suffered from the mother drinking alcohol while pregnant are also described as restless, easily distracted and had a lacking in persistence. Later in the study that Maier conducted, “the …show more content…
Mothers that are addicted to heroin and other opiate based drugs pass down that addiction to their child during pregnancy. The children born to these mothers must be given substances like methadone post-birth, to prevent sever withdraw. These methadone treatments combined with natal care can be effective in the development of the child post-pregnancy. These babies suffer from extreme pre-mature birth and low birth weight. This is known as neonatal withdraw syndrome. Later learning disabilities can be somewhat prevented by the sporadical use of methadone. Heroin itself does not cause any major malformations. It also can cause slow fetal growth with could disrupt pregnancy by the mother giving birth to the baby but the baby being extremely underweight and under developed. “Heroin and other opiates are not associated with physical abnormalities in babies, however ongoing heroin use may result in your baby being born smaller than expected, earlier than expected and he/she may have other health