Pregnancy is a very momentous occasion in a woman’s life. I have yet to experience the miracle of being pregnant, but I could only imagine the various thoughts and emotions that run through a mother-to-be’s head. In the midst of all the excitement that comes with planning for a new baby, parents tend to forget how important maternal health is for prenatal development; The three factors or hazards I feel that are the most important for parents to understand or remember during and for prenatal development are alcohol consumption, smoking and second-hand smoke inhalation, and chemical and drug intake. Alcohol is a vice of many. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2.45% of women over the age of 18 in the United States have at least one drink daily (that’s 7,668,500 people). With alcoholism a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, it’s important that all women who are expectant mothers need to know about the effects alcohol consumption can have an a fetus during it’s development. Serious consequences, including a …show more content…
These drugs can cause severe malformations such as missing or malformed limbs or facial features, fetal death (spontaneous abortion), premature birth, and lifelong behavior and learning disabilities (Marotz and Allen, 2012, p. 60). Just like it’s uncertain at what amount of alcohol could lead to FASDs, it is uncertain to if there are any drug or chemicals that are safe or have no harmful effects on a developing fetus, so women who are pregnant or who want to become pregnant should be wary and careful before using any chemical substance or medications (Marotz and Allen, 2012, p.