The Effects of Prenatal Exposure of Cocaine in Children

Written by: Joey

Edited by: Wynn

During pregnancy, there are multiple things you can’t do: you can’t smoke, drink, or do drugs. For those on the especially cautious side, you may even refrain from eating raw fish, drinking coffee, and going to the spa. But, why is heeding these rules important? This is because it is crucial for the pregnant parent to have healthy habits to protect themselves and the fetus. Healthy habits create a healthy environment for the fetus to develop, and for the pregnant parent to be strong enough to carry the baby to term. Everything that the parent puts into their body during pregnancy influences the fetus and its development.

Cocaine use during pregnancy can have detrimental effects to both the parent and the baby. Cocaine is an extremely addictive stimulant that affects your central nervous system. It can change your sense of sight, sound and touch to get a “high”- this high is a rush of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel pleasure (DrugFacts Cocaine final, n.d) . It can make you feel anxious, restless, scared or angry (Cocaine and pregnancy, n.d.). Cocaine use also leads to immediate changes in your cardiovascular system– it increases blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature- which increases the risk of heart problems (Cocaine and Pregnancy: Dangers of Using Cocaine While Pregnant, 2024). This is why prenatal cocaine use can cause serious issues in the development of the fetus. Cocaine crosses through the placenta and increases risk for placental abruption. Placental abruption occurs when the placenta pulls away from the wall of the uterus before labor (Mother To Baby | Fact Sheets [Internet], 2023), risking the lives of both the parent carrying and the baby. Cocaine’s ability to easily cross the placenta and enter the baby’s body can disrupt the central nervous system during crucial periods of fetal development and inhibit healthy blood flow to the baby’s brain (Cocaine and Pregnancy: Dangers of Using Cocaine While Pregnant, 2024). Placental abruption is harmful for both the mother and the baby since it reduces the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to the baby and causes heavy bleeding in the parent carrying.

Prenatal exposure to cocaine not only affects labor, but can also cause complications during birth. The baby may be born prematurely with a low birth weight. Babies born preterm have a higher risk of intellectual or developmental disabilities and heart or eye problems (Cocaine and Pregnancy: Dangers of Using Cocaine While Pregnant, 2024). A low birth weight baby will have difficulties with feeding, weight gain, temperature regulation, and infection fighting. Additionally, cocaine use during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage by 40% (Cocaine and Pregnancy: Dangers of Using Cocaine While Pregnant, 2024). This risk depends on the amount of cocaine consumed, but is still an extreme risk factor-regardless of the amount. As stated previously, cocaine use during pregnancy can lead to serious neurological and sensory-motor problems in the affected child. Studies have shown that infants exposed to cocaine in utero (while the baby is developing in the womb) have reduced growth, delays in sensory-motor development, attention deficits, and lowered responsivity to social stimulation (Arendt, R. E., Minnes, S., & Singer, L. T., 1996). In infants that experienced prenatal cocaine exposure, microcephaly, a condition of reduced head size because of incomplete brain development, is typically prevalent. Reduced head size in infants has been associated with developmental delay, depressed cognitive functioning, seizure activity, sleep discordance, and abnormalities in the brain. Babies who were exposed to cocaine prenatally showed decreased social skills compared to babies who were not exposed. Infants exposed to cocaine were unable to master cognitive learning tasks and showed decreased arousal and lower emotional responsivity. Motor development and coordination was found to be significantly lower with increased bodily tension, less sustained interest and responsivity to environment and less imaginative play.

Cocaine exposure is extremely harmful to a developing fetus– not just in birth, but also throughout the child’s life. Prenatal exposure to cocaine affects the baby and parent carrying beyond pregnancy and complicates birth. The baby is more susceptible to being born prematurely and having a low birth weight– which puts them at a higher risk for delayed development and risk of survival. Despite the child themselves not using, they will experience the same difficulties of a cocaine user, like withdrawal symptoms. They can also have reduced physical growth, neurological delays, and cognitive dysfunction with lower social skill development. It is important to ensure and reinforce that expecting parents not to use cocaine during pregnancy. Early support and intervention makes a profound difference in the lives of expecting parents and their children.

References

Arendt, R. E., Minnes, S., & Singer, L. T. (1996). Fetal Cocaine Exposure: Neurologic Effects and Sensory-Motor Delays. Physical & occupational therapy in pediatrics, 16(1-2), 129–144.

Cocaine and pregnancy. (n.d.). March of Dimes. https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/pregnancy/cocaine-and-pregnancy

Cocaine and Pregnancy: Dangers of Using Cocaine While Pregnant. (2024, November 21). American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/stimulants/cocaine/dangers-pregnancy

DrugFacts Cocaine final. (n.d.). NJ.gov. https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/dmhas/publications/miscl/NIH_NIDA/Cocaine.pdf 

Mother To Baby | Fact Sheets [Internet]. (2023). In Brentwood (TN). Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK582649/