Pregnant women should avoid Cola, Smoking, Alcohol and Meth

Pregnant women should avoid certain addiction to have safe pregnancy and delivery, and for better health of the baby. I have observed rise of these addictions in girls and women of child-bearing age.

As health consultant and homeopathic physician, I receive many queries about what are bad-effects of smoking and drinking during pregnancy. Following research studies show clear evidence to avoid such addictions.

1. Sugary cola drinks increase gestational diabetes risk

Researchers have found that drinking more than 5 servings of sugar sweetened cola a week prior to pregnancy appears to significantly elevate the risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), defined as glucose intolerance beginning during pregnancy, is one of the most common pregnancy complications. Women with GDM are at increased risk for complications and illness during pregnancy and delivery, as well as post-pregnancy type 2 diabetes. Children of mothers with GDM are at increased risk for obesity, glucose intolerance, and early onset diabetes. (Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, USA)

2. Smoking in pregnancy causes psychotic symptoms in teenager

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their children at greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms in their teenage years. Smoking during pregnancy was found to be associated with an increased risk of psychotic symptoms in the children. The researchers observed a ‘dose-response effect’, meaning that the risk of psychotic symptoms was highest in the children whose mothers smoked the most heavily during pregnancy. (Cardiff University, UK)

3. Smoking during pregnancy increases cancer risk in child

New research by the Cancer Institute NSW has provided the strongest indication yet that smoking during pregnancy increases a child’s likelihood of developing cancer. Smoking during pregnancy is proven to cause: Lower birth weight, Premature birth, Admission of the baby to a neonatal intensive care unit. This new research we have credible evidence that these known birth complications associated with smoking during pregnancy could also increase the risk of childhood cancers. (Cancer Institute NSW, Australia)

4. Smoking during pregnancy fosters aggression in children

Women who smoke during pregnancy risk delivering aggressive kids according to a new Canada-Netherlands study. While previous studies have shown that smoking during gestation causes low birth weight, this research shows mothers who light up during pregnancy can predispose their offspring to an additional risk: violent behavior. What’s more, the research team found the risk of giving birth to aggressive children increases among smoking mothers whose familial income is lower than $40,000 per year. Another risk factor for aggressive behavior in offspring was smoking mothers with a history of antisocial behavior: run-ins with the law, high school drop-outs and illegal drug use. (University of Montreal, Canada)

Why pregnant women should avoid smoking? – Now you can understand this question very well, i.e. for the wellness of your baby, please avoid smoking.

5. Alcohol in pregnancy leads to child behavior problems

Amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy affects child behavior in different ways, revealed by Australian researchers. Mothers who reported what we would classify as heavy drinking in the first trimester of pregnancy were nearly three times as likely to report that their child suffered with anxiety and/or depression or somatic complaints. Those who drank moderately during that first trimester were twice as likely to report those types of behavioral issues for their child. Exposure to moderate or heavy levels of alcohol in late pregnancy increased the risk of aggressive types of behaviors in the child. This research suggests that both the timing and the intensity of alcohol exposure in the womb affect the type of behavior problems expressed. (Research Australia)

6. Meth use during pregnancy linked to abnormal brain in baby

A first of its kind study examining the effects of methamphetamine use during pregnancy has found the drug appears to cause abnormal brain development in children. Methamphetamine use is an increasing problem among women of childbearing age, leading to an increasing number of children with prenatal meth exposure. Findings suggest prenatal meth exposure accelerates brain development in an abnormal pattern. Such abnormal brain development may explain why some children with prenatal meth exposure reach developmental milestones later than others. Prenatal meth exposure can lead to increased stress and lethargy and poorer quality of movement for infants. (American Academy of Neurology, USA)

Enjoy safe pregnancy.