Cocaine BABY

Effects on baby

• brain structure changes
• underweight
• Heart attacks, seizures, and respiratory failure
• More likely to die in first week

THE SCIENCE behind it

• Cocaine (molecule) crosses the placenta into the bloodstream of the fetus
• Prevents the reuptake of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and epinephrine
• The skin of the fetus is able to absorb the chemical directly
• Cocaine can also show up in breast milk

http://www.webmd.com/baby/drug-use-and-pregnancy
http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads/cocaine_pregnancy.pdf