Cocaine use
...iscarriage. If used during the late months of pregnancy, this drug may trigger premature labor. Cocaine during pregnancy may also cause the unborn child to have some type of irreversible brain damage, have a stroke, or even die (March of Dimes). According to Arlene Burroughs, cocaine use during pregnancy increases the incidence of a premature birth (107). Premature babies may be much smaller than otherwise normal, healthy babies. Cocaine babies also tend to have smaller heads, which indicates a smaller brain. Cocaine cuts the flow of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus; the baby may be smaller at birth than it would be otherwise (March of Dimes). Still other problems facing an exposed baby genito-urinary malformation tract (The Lindesmith Center). Cocaine use during pregnancy also puts the exposed baby at a greater-than-normal risk of dying of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (Burroughs 107). Exposed babies are also affected emotionally and intellectually. For example, there are no differences in early measures of intelligence between cocaine exposed and non-exposed babies. However, studies of cocaine-exposed school-aged children do suggest subtle effects on intelligence and behavior (March of Dimes). Problems include irritability and hyperactivity, low tolerance to frustration, impulsiveness, and impaired concentration (James). Exposed children tend to score about three points lower on tests of IQ than non-exposed children. While effects on overall intelligence appear small, the effects on specific language abilities are larger (March of Dimes). Babies exposed to cocaine before birth sometimes, also have feeding difficulties and sleep disturbances. Other problems beginning at birth that some exposed babies go through are ‘withdrawal’ from the drug (March of Dimes). These babies tend to be irritable and jumpy, and it is difficult to calm them down enough so that they will take a satisfying feed (Kitzinger 105). In contrast, other cocaine-exposed babies seem to ‘turn off’ their surrounding stimuli by going into a deep sleep for most of the day. In either case, the baby’s reaction to cocaine frequently coupled with the mother’s continued dependence on the drug makes bonding between the mother and baby difficult. Bonding is believed to be very important to a baby’s emotional development (March of Dimes). In 1985, a case study by Ira Chasnoff, et al., which reported damaging effects of cocaine use during pregnancy, touched off a massive media response, which continues today. Many politicians enacted laws requiring health care professionals to report pregnancy illicit drug users to child welfare authorities, initiated policies requiring authorities to separate children from mothers who used drugs while pregnant, and pursued legislation making drug use during pregnancy a criminal offense. In July, 1996, South Carolina’s Supreme Court became the first to uphold the criminal prosecution of women for child abuse by the way of ...