I have a friend who has been badly addicted to crack cocaine and she is 3 months pregnant...?

Question

She recently admitted to me that she was still doing drugs in the beginning of her pregnancy KNOWING that she was pregnant. Her husband has not been supportive because he is the one that got her to do drugs in the first place. She claims that she is not doing it anymore. I want to know if she has stopped doing crack now and doesn't do it for the rest of her pregnancy will her baby still be born addicted to crack? And what damage could have possibly already been done? I am really concerned about this situation. She is a good friend in a rough place right now and her and her husband just started going to bible study with me and want to get serious about God.

Just to clarify, the question is about the damage to the baby.

Answer 1

All the damage has already been done. During the first trimester (first three months) the baby actually grows organs, bones, develops his nervous system, etc. The other 6 months are spent just growing and getting bigger, basically. Whatever harm she's done has been done, and there's no turning back now.

Answer 2

The baby will have complications at birth.The child will most likely be born coming out of withdraw.Because the child is now an unwilling addict.She or he will have to stay in the hospital for a little while after birth(longer than normal) and has a high possibility of having brain damage.And can even be disfigured physically as well.I am no expert on this or anything, it just seems like common sense to the outcomes.Just an honest opinion.

Answer 3

Ughhh...............that was plain selfish of her. Okay, I think that alot of damage might have already been done to the baby. I think that if she stopped it now then the baby would have a better chance than if she kept doing it, but it could still be effected. Maybe you should report her or something so that she can get the help that she needs while she is pregnant. That's not being a bad friend, it's being a good friend who cares about the welfare of the child and the mother.

Answer 4

Call child protective services they will force her into a rehab until the child is born and then they would determine if she is fit to be a mother if she is they would give her back her child. If she is not fit they would put the child into a foster care or up for adoption and you would be able to adopt the child. But lets just hope that alot of damage isn't already done to the child. If there is alot of damage her child would either be mentally disabled, physically disabled, mentally and physically disable or the child would just be stillborn.

Here is the number for child protective services:
1-800-342-3720

and here is the website for child protective services:
http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/cps/


GOOD LUCK and remember it is not your friend's life that is at stake here it is an innocent child

Answer 5

very critical, please call the right people for help. the baby does not deserve this and the mother should have not gotten pregnant.
i'm not a believer in god, but i do believer our children are our future and this is why we still have rough places, bringing baby's into the rough place's to live and start a life

Answer 6

Right now what is important is that she seeks immidiate medical help, and I mean soon---- if she plans to keep her baby. Most damage is done in the first tri-mester because that is when the baby is forming. No matter what kind of drugs your on, you need medical attention to help you get off of them as soon as possible, or get her at a lower dose that way if the baby is born addicted, the doctors can easily wean then baby off the crack. Check this out.....

Medications

Many drugs are appropriate for use in pregnancy, if really needed. But a pregnant woman shouldn't take any medication, even an over-the-counter one, unless she checks with her doctor first. If possible, she should avoid taking drugs in the first trimester or taking more than one medication at a time. She can also ask for the lowest dose possible to treat her condition.

Some medications have a long history of being used in pregnancy without problems. A pregnant woman shouldn't be deprived of drug therapy she really needs, says Sandra Kweder, M.D., the co-chair of FDA's task force on pregnancy labeling. She adds that women with pre-existing medical conditions such as epilepsy, lupus, asthma, or high blood pressure shouldn't quit their drugs because of pregnancy. Safer drugs can be used if necessary, but those medical conditions still need to be treated.

Kweder explains, "A common thing with patients is that they'll say, 'I know I'm supposed to take medication, but I'm worried about my baby, so I'll take less of it instead.' They'll take it every other day, or half as much. That's not wise."

The risks of a drug have to be weighed against its benefits. For example, some epilepsy drugs are known to cause birth defects, but an epileptic seizure can cause brain damage to the fetus. Most experts agree that the benefits of medication in such cases outweigh the risks.

Other drugs, however, are not so clear-cut. "It's really hard because there aren't easy answers," says Kweder. "For a baby to be healthy, it needs a mother who's healthy." However, most drugs have not been tested scientifically in pregnant women. Reliable scientific information about medication use in pregnancy is often incomplete or nonexistent. FDA is trying to change that.

The agency has begun a comprehensive review about how it regulates drugs for pregnant women and how safety information is communicated on the label. The present system is not as helpful as the agency would like. "The system has been criticized, and rightly so," says Kweder. "It is complicated to interpret data for medications used in pregnancy. We're making progress, but it's slow."

A new system is needed, she says, but it will be difficult to create. Drugs can't be tested in pregnant women the same as in other groups of people. Animal studies, while helpful, don't necessarily show what a drug will do to a woman and developing fetus.

In the meantime, a woman who has taken a drug and discovers she is pregnant should consult her doctor and avoid making decisions about her pregnancy in panic. While about 80 percent of approved drugs lack adequate scientific evidence about use in pregnancy, that doesn't necessarily mean they can harm the fetus or are harmful in the doses prescribed.

Only a very few drugs definitely known to be extremely bad for a human fetus are clearly labeled or, in one case, have special requirements attached to their approval. The drug thalidomide, which was recently approved by FDA to treat leprosy and is being explored for other uses, is devastating to developing fetuses and causes severe deformities of the arms and legs. FDA is requiring that patients who take the drug enroll in a national registry that will track their progress monthly and record the occurrence of any pregnancy. The hope is that this process will discourage physicians from prescribing the drug to women who might become pregnant and keep patients from "sharing" the drug with a woman of childbearing age


So in essence, have her seek help if she really wants the best for her baby, because it is not fair to bring a child into the world severely addidcted to drugs, not to mention the birth defects it may have. She needs to take responsibility, heck.....she had sex, and sex is a big responsibility, now it's time ti grow up and live up to her actions.

And lastly, bible study definetly helps. It changes people (not over night) but over time. When you get to know God's personality and what hurts him, it motivates a persont to change out of love towards him and out of respect. You need to think how long she and he have been on drugs, so it's going to take some time to "undo" what they are used to. Best Wishes!!!!! ----Mua! I hope this helps.

Answer 7

the baby will probably be adicted,but if it isn't it'll have some pretty mested up brain damage.
and start doing things for yourself,instead of asking for help from imaginary beings.