“Health officials work to reduce substance abuse by pregnant women - Carroll County Online” |
| Health officials work to reduce substance abuse by pregnant women - Carroll County Online Posted: Posted: Sunday, February 20, 2011 12:15 am | Updated: 11:33 pm, Sat Feb 19, 2011. Kathleen Mitchell consumed alcohol during all five of her pregnancies. "Not one physician ever mentioned that alcohol was not safe to use while pregnant," said Mitchell, the vice president and national spokeswoman for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Mitchell, of Olney, lost two children, one at birth and the other to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which she now attributes to alcohol consumption. She also has a daughter, Karli, who was diagnosed at age 16 with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome because of her distinct facial features, signs of growth delay and brain dysfunction. She was previously diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Karli, now 37, still lives at home and has trouble with even basic tasks. "She will always need to be taken care of and supported," Mitchell said. Though Mitchell said her daughter brings beauty to the lives of those around her, life is definitely more difficult. "I've always got a child at home that I worry about and it's because I drank [while pregnant]," Mitchell said. Mitchell said it's important for her to speak out about what happened to her so other families can avoid the hardships that her family has experienced. The problem in Carroll County The number of pregnant women in Carroll County in treatment for substance abuse isn't as high as national statistics project it should be, which health officials say could be a problem. It is estimated that about 10 percent of the national population has a substance abuse disorder and abuse prescription medication, drugs or alcohol. That percentage is also expected to translate to the pregnant population, said Susan Doyle, director of addictions services at the Carroll County Health Department. Based on that statistic, 85 percent or more of substance abusing pregnant women in the country are not getting the help they need, according to data from 2008 through 2010. "We're not seeing the numbers we should be seeing," Doyle said. That most likely means many women who are pregnant and addicted to alcohol or illegal drugs aren't going to get the treatment they need, she said. If women aren't identified early in the pregnancy for substance abuse or dependency, they are at a higher risk of continuing use throughout their pregnancy and putting their child at higher risk for preventable birth defects and conditions such as intellectual disabilities. About 50 percent of pregnancies are unintended and most women don't know they're pregnant during the first six weeks, so a lot could go into their bodies before they know they are caring for an extra life, Doyle said. "The number one reason women drink while pregnant is because they don't know they are pregnant," Doyle said. Doyle said it's important for the safety of the child that women not drink if they think they are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant. Abusing alcohol during the first 21 days of pregnancy is the time when it would mostly affect the baby physically, Doyle said. For the rest of the pregnancy, it would largely affect the baby cognitively. The effects of alcohol use on the fetus relates to what part of the fetus was forming when the drinking occurred, she said. Children who are exposed to alcohol and drugs while in the womb are also likely to have behavioral problems that would require specific treatment methods, she said. Babies who were exposed to cocaine or heroin while in the womb typically develop at a slower rate and experience behavioral and learning problems as they grow, Doyle said. Heart and breathing problems in children, which can result from substance abuse while in womb, increase the possibility of Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome, she said, which was previously known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. What's being done It's unrealistic for people to think there is no substance abuse problem in their communities, Doyle said. The county is statistically on par with substance abuse based on the national average, she said, and several county obstetricians were seeing pregnant women they knew had substance abuse problems but they didn't have the resources to assist them. Now the Screening Assessment Referral Treatment team is trying to make sure those resources are made available, Doyle said. All OB providers in the community ask pregnant women to answer behavioral health screening questions during their visit to help identify those at risk for things like substance abuse, domestic violence and depression, Doyle said. She said the SART team is trying to reduce the number of babies admitted to the special care nursery. Many times problems with the baby caused by substance abuse in pregnant women were found at the time of delivery, if at all, said Linda Grogan, executive director of women's services at Carroll Hospital Center. "Some would fall through the cracks," she said, adding that women can also refuse treatment. Mitchell said she had two children before 1973, which is the year a research paper was first released about how alcohol caused birth defects and the term FAS was coined. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, which are much more common than FAS, include learning disabilities, attention deficits, problems with memory and judgment and possible cognitive or neurological issues, Mitchell said. It is also typically misdiagnosed, she said. Doyle said those children are often thought to have Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder and are medicated when they should instead be receiving behavioral modification treatment. In the next year, the SART team intends to go in to schools to speak about the dangers of substance abuse while pregnant, Doyle said. One of the largest populations they are looking to target is high school-aged teens because they are more likely to binge drink, have unprotected sex, not know they are pregnant for a long time and then more likely to hide their pregnancy for longer, she said. The SART team is hoping to develop a support group for pregnant women with depression in the hospital's The Women's Center by March or April. Reach staff writer Alisha George at 410-857-7876 or alisha.george@carrollcountytimes.com. Posted in Local, Special projects on Sunday, February 20, 2011 12:15 am. Updated: 11:33 pm. 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