In the first three months of pregnancy the fetus is more vulnerable to alcohol effects, and doctors highly recommend not to consume alcohol in this period. Heavy drinking mothers" babies need to be carefully monitored at antenatal visits. Using an ultrasound to check the baby's growth does this. There are other tests done to check that the placenta remains healthy. Just remember, if you drink, your baby does too. .
Many people say that as alcohol isn't an illegal drug, it would be a discriminatory act to ban alcohol from a pregnant mother. It is a mother's choice if they want to harm the baby by their own indulgence. Yet others prove that the baby cant have any control over what the mother does. I can't imagine anyone who would give a two-year-old a few beers at dinner, and by drinking, this is what you are doing to the small baby inside the womb. Perhaps alcohol shouldn't be banned, but parents should become more aware of the dangers it can bring to the unborn child.
Smoking cigarettes while pregnant can cause placental abruption, miscarriages, premature rupture of membranes, premature birth and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking can even lead to fetal death. Smoking cigarettes while pregnant has the same effects on your baby, yet milder, as cocaine would have on your child. This isn't surprising, as cocaine and cigarettes have a similar effect on your brain and circulatory system. .
The placentas of a smoker look older than they should because the blood vessels are calcified and partially blocked. This is a cause of vascular disease, which means blood is more likely to find it difficult to reach the placenta. Placental Abrubtion is when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus while the baby still needs the oxygen and nutrients. This occurs a lot more in smoking mothers. This supports the reality that smoking reduces the amount of nutrients a baby will receive. Not only will the baby receive less nutrients, resulting in underweight birth, but the nicotine in cigarettes has a direct effect to damaging nerve cells.
