cocaine use during conception

Nurseinthemaking · Jul 29, 2005

She needs to see a Dr.

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 29, 2005

I agree with the above. Not knowing a thing about her history, I can't reassure her all will be ok----nobody here truly can. If I were her, I would discuss this w/my OB/GYN/Midwife at the earliest opportunity. And of course, she needs to refrain from ALL drug use of any sort, except prescribed by her health care provider, from this point on, to ensure the best outcome for herself and her baby. I wish her the best.

amber1142 · Jul 29, 2005

Hi received a phone call today from a girl who is a friend of my younger sister. She is 20 years old and has been experimenting with cocaine for approx 2 months. Today, she found out that she has become pregant... She asked me if she didnt use anymore, will her baby be alright? I urged her not to use cocaine anymore.. She agreed.... But is concerned that the damage may already be done.... This is not my area of experise... I would like to draw from the OB nurses experience on this one. Thank you.

She should NOT use cocaine any more. In my opinion, she should stop torturing herself about what she's done in the past. She should take good care of herself and get good prenatal care. These links gives some information about what researchers know about cocaine use.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7523482&dopt=Abstract

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/107/5/e74

RNnL&D · Jul 30, 2005

I agree with the other posters about seeing a doc. In all honesty, as a labor nurse, I see cocaine's effects on laboring patients and new Moms. I'm unsure of the effects of cocaine early in pregnancy.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 30, 2005

i agree with the other posters about seeing a doc. in all honesty, as a labor nurse, i see cocaine's effects on laboring patients and new moms. i'm unsure of the effects of cocaine early in pregnancy.

it has been proven that if women cease the use of cocaine immediately after discovering they are pregnant they can reduce the risk of preterm and/or low birth weight infants. earlier studies stated that the infant would be born severely brain damaged (in most all instances) and this has proven to be untrue. the risk of miscarriage is greater when cocaine is in use. that is about all the information i can think of for early pregnancy.

now the issue of later pregnancy and use/continued use of cocaine is another matter. those babies are at risk for stroke, smaller heads and thus smaller brains, lifelong disabilities, cerebral palsy,visual and hearing impairment,

and greater risk for urinary tract abnormality, and the list goes on.

i do hope she stops this now and seeks out her pcp/ob/midwife immediately.

siri, crnp, clnc, rlnc

BabyRN2Be · Jul 30, 2005

I agree with the above posters. Her PCP must be called and she needs to be totally honest with him or her about her substance abuse/use history. This is not the time to hide this information, and I do hope she finds a doc who appreciates her honesty. I do hope that she stops the cocaine use. We've had a rash of DHS holds in our well baby nursery for drug use.

I took care of one a few weeks ago, and his case was just sad. He wouldn't stay comforted for long periods of time, and he'd startle/jump at the slightest stimulation - and that was me holding him in a dark room. He was responded to noise in the nursery!

I do hope that she gets help, she's honest with her doctor and that the baby will be OK.

daisybaby, LPN · Jul 30, 2005

Your friend needs to get consistent prenatal care starting now. It's not easy to talk about, but she can't go wrong by being forthcoming about her cocaine use. If/when social services should become involved, it will be to her advantage that she is up front about it.

Good luck to her.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jul 30, 2005

How sad that she chose to "experiment" and pregnant, but thrilled to learn you convinced her to stop. The best part if to know that she cares about her pregnancy and is showing some concern for what possibly could be an outcome. Best wishes to her. I agree, that we certaintly don't know her history and other factors and definetly needs to see a Doctor. Best wishes to her and yourself. :)