Massachusetts Rehab for Pregnant Women
When you’re pregnant and a mother-to-be, you’re not just eating for one – you’re eating for two – because everything that you ingest affects your fetus. If you smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs while pregnant, dangerous chemicals can pass on to the fetus, impacting your unborn child in various ways. Unfortunately, as aware as they may be of the dangers of using drugs while pregnant, many women struggle with addiction before conceiving, and this prior history of drug use can make it difficult to quit. If you’re expecting and struggling with drug or alcohol abuse, our Massachusetts rehab for pregnant women can help.
Effects of Using Drugs While Pregnant
Many factors play into the risks of using drugs or alcohol while pregnant. These include the drug being abused, how often the substance is used, and at what point during the pregnancy the substance was introduced.
These risks can often be avoided with the proper addiction treatment for pregnant women and oversight by a reputable doctor. In general, common effects of substance abuse during pregnancy include:
- Placental abruption
- Miscarriage
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight
- Development defects in the fetus
- Stillbirth
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Additionally, many babies who are born to women who have abused alcohol and drugs may develop additional health issues as well, including:
- Heart problems: Consuming alcohol and taking certain drugs during pregnancy can cause heart defects, particularly septal defects (a hole in the heart). Most infants born with heart defects die within the first year of life.
- Infections, such as hepatitis C and HIV: These viruses are often transmitted by people who use and share needles when they use drugs intravenously, such as injecting heroin. Viruses can be passed on to the unborn baby during pregnancy or at birth, which can increase the likelihood of premature death, among other problems.
- Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS): This syndrome can occur when a baby is born to a mother with a substance use disorder (most commonly, opioid addiction) and develops withdrawal symptoms after birth.
- Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs): These disorders are associated with a range of cognitive and developmental difficulties resulting from alcohol use during pregnancy, and they usually last for life. Adults can even show signs of fetal alcohol syndrome.
Furthermore, there are other alcohol and drug-related developmental repercussions that can become significant issues later in life, such as behavior and learning deficits and slower growth rates.1 Alcohol can cause developmental defects and health problems in a baby if the mother consumes it during pregnancy.
Alcohol abuse during pregnancy is the leading preventable cause of developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and birth defects in children in the U.S. What’s more, women who use drugs are more likely to receive delayed, limited, or no prenatal care at all, which could potentially lead to other complications for the growing fetus.
The sooner an expecting woman can find a rehab for pregnant women, the better chance her baby has at being born full-term without complications.
The Role of Family in the Recovery Process
Pregnancy is a vulnerable time for women who are struggling with addiction. Many women who enter rehab for addiction during pregnancy feel isolated and unsupported. That is why at our rehab center, we believe that involving family and friends in the recovery process is crucial. We work closely with our patient’s loved ones to ensure they have the support they need to overcome addiction and create a healthy environment for their unborn child. Support for families of addicts is also something that our facility prioritizes.
Family and friends can play a significant role in helping pregnant women stay motivated throughout the rehab process. They can help with transportation, childcare, and household responsibilities, allowing women to focus on their recovery. Our rehab center provides family therapy sessions and support, which give loved ones an opportunity to learn more about addiction, receive support, and share their experiences. By involving family and friends, we create a community of support that helps our patients achieve lasting recovery and healthy pregnancies.
Our Drug Rehab for Pregnant Women
Addiction is a chronic disease that affects millions of people in the U.S., including pregnant women. Research shows that more than 17 million people struggle with drinking, and almost 25 million adults abuse illegal and prescription substances.1 No one plans to become addicted to drugs or alcohol, but you can choose to get help.
As is usual with clients who are not pregnant, the first step of treatment for pregnant women at our Massachusetts inpatient drug rehab is medically supervised detox. Our detox for pregnant women is a form of care in which the individual is slowly weaned off drugs or alcohol.
This is an essential step in the recovery process because it ensures that our soon-to-be mothers and their fetuses are safe and healthy during withdrawals. Withdrawal symptoms can be highly uncomfortable, painful, and even life-threatening, and when pregnancy is added to the mix, the risk of relapse and other complications runs high.
Additionally, the risk of miscarriage is high among pregnant women undergoing alcohol detox, which further emphasizes the need for medical detox. Our Massachusetts treatment center offers a safe drug detox for pregnancy that decreases the risk of miscarriage and relapse and increases the likelihood of getting clean.
In addition to our pregnant women’s detox program, our rehab for pregnant women also offers counseling, individual and group therapy, psychotherapy, and aftercare services to help clients get and stay sober. There are not many rehabs for pregnant women or treatment centers that are equipped to treat clients of this nature, but thankfully our Northeast addictions treatment center can help.
The Importance of a Rehab Alumni Plan
At our Massachusetts drug rehab, we understand that recovery from addiction is a lifelong process. That is why we offer a continuing care program for pregnant women who have completed our rehab program. Our post-rehab support is designed to help women transition back to their daily lives while maintaining sobriety and healthy pregnancy. Our addiction aftercare program provides ongoing therapy, support groups, and relapse prevention strategies to help women stay on track with their recovery goals.
Through our continuing care program, we aim to empower women with the tools they need to navigate the challenges of early motherhood while maintaining their sobriety. We work with our patients to develop a personalized plan that addresses their unique needs and challenges. Our program is designed to help women build a strong support system, manage triggers and cravings, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. With our post-rehab support, women can continue to make progress in their recovery and achieve a healthier, happier life for themselves and their families.
Contact Our Rehab for Pregnant Women Today
With the help of various medical experts and addiction specialists, we can offer women who are struggling with drug or alcohol use the safest and most efficient forms of treatment and detox while pregnant. Because both addiction and pregnancy are delicate situations, it is crucial for treatment programs for pregnant addicts to offer care that takes both the woman and the fetus into account.
Prenatal care, therapy, life skills workshops, job training, and parenting classes are some of the many features of our rehab programs for pregnant women. Our goal is not only to help clients get clean but also to help them learn how to care for themselves and their families while developing new skills that are conducive to their recovery.
For more information about our rehab for pregnant women or other forms of Massachusetts addiction treatment, contact Clearbrook Treatment Centers now.
Sources:
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – Treatment for Alcohol Problems: Finding and Getting Help
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