Author: John Carter

Pregnancy Detox for Women with Alcohol & Drug Addictions

detox for pregnant women

Pregnant people often experience challenges that limit their access to needed support and treatment. This can lead to increased maternal mortality and opioid-involved pregnancies in as many as 6 percent of childbirths. Our writers and reviewers are experienced professionals in medicine, addiction treatment, and healthcare. AddictionResource fact-checks all the information before publishing and uses only credible and trusted sources when citing any medical data.

detox for pregnant women

Knowledge is power, especially in this important journey to sobriety. Caffeine is a common ingredient in detoxes, particularly the harsh kind of detoxes that leave you lacking energy and feeling miserable. Since caffeine is a stimulant, it gives you energy and helps counteract the negative effects on your body. A the same time, it’s a diuretic, which is a common goal of detoxes; get your body to process out toxins and expel them more readily. A typical healthy amount of water to drink while pregnant is ounces per day.

What teas are safe to drink while pregnant?

“We live in unprecedented times – we face COVID, opioid use, stigma, racism and pandemics all at once,” says Dr. Rudolf. “At Swedish, we embrace harm reduction and trauma-informed perspective. Swedish Medical Center and Addiction Recovery Services are deeply committed to the health and well-being of pregnant and postpartum people, their families and communities. This includes advocating for the prevention and treatment of substance use-related harms throughout the reproductive years, with a focus on the perinatal period. Inpatient facilities often accept insurance, if you have it, or will work with you regarding costs if you don’t have insurance.

detox for pregnant women

Taking the courageous step to seek help is essential for breaking the cycle of opioid misuse and ensuring the well-being of yourself and your baby. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes through the placenta and reaches the developing baby. This can result in a range of conditions known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. These disorders can cause physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments that may have lifelong effects on the child. SUD is a stigmatized medical condition that impacts 10% of the adult population. It is poorly understood for pregnant and postpartum people, who face discrimination accessing care and treatment.

If you’re very active and exercise a lot, or if you live in a warm climate, you’ll want to drink more water. Likewise, detoxing can put excess strain on the liquid in your body, so you want to replenish it more frequently. Most detox programs, teas, and supplements are not regulated by the FDA. They may list their active ingredients, but they might have a wide range of additional “inactive” ingredients that nonetheless have some effect on your body. The number one piece of advice for any large health concern is to keep in contact with your doctor throughout the whole process. Generally speaking, the more dependent a person is on a substance, the higher the risk of complications occurring during withdrawal.

How to Choose a Detox Center for Pregnant Women

Drug addiction can affect people of any demographic, which includes pregnant women. The risks that drugs can cause to the unborn child can be severe, leading many pregnant women suffering from a substance use disorder to seek medical detox. However, they may also be concerned about the potential health risks of detoxing while pregnant. The journey, however, does not end with drug detox while pregnant. An addiction treatment program may be available at the same facility as the medical detox program. If not, the mother should transfer to a facility that provides this service.

Toxins are scary, so getting rid of them throughout your body sounds like a good idea. Calls to our general hotline may be answered by private treatment providers. We may be paid a fee for marketing or advertising by organizations that can assist with treating people with substance use disorders. We do not receive any compensation or commission for referrals to other treatment facilities. The helpline at AddictionResource.net is available 24/7 to discuss the treatment needs of yourself or a loved one.

This helpline is answered by Ark Behavioral Health, an addiction treatment provider with treatment facilities in Massachusetts and Ohio. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reported that almost 5.5 percent of pregnant people were abusing drugs. Other factors that may affect the fetus, as a result of substance withdrawal, are dehydration, malnutrition, and loss of vital vitamins and minerals. Withdrawal can, in some cases, be dangerous, which is why it may be a good idea for a pregnant woman to undergo detox.

  1. A typical healthy amount of water to drink while pregnant is ounces per day.
  2. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction during pregnancy, seeking professional help is paramount.
  3. In order to protect their privacy, we have changed their names and some personal details.
  4. Instead, a doctor will work with them to lessen the effects of slower withdrawal and protect their baby’s health.
  5. You nor your loved one are under any obligation to commit to an Ark Behavioral Health treatment program when calling our helpline.

There, they can receive support and medical care around the clock, with trained professionals monitoring their health and the health of their babies. Inpatient facilities will typically accept pregnant women no matter what substances they’ve used. They will do everything they can to lessen the symptoms of withdrawal and support you in moving forward with your pregnancy. A doctor will guide the expecting mother on how to undergo safe detox while pregnant.

Keep in Touch With Your Doctor

The actual best time to detox for pregnancy is well before you become pregnant. Obviously this won’t apply to those of you who are already pregnant, but if you’re trying to become pregnant or planning to become pregnant in the future, start your detox early. The best time to detox for pregnancy is roughly a year before you become pregnant.

How to Safely Drug Detox While Pregnant

However, this lifeline also carries a steady stream of chemicals that can cross the placenta and cause damage to your baby. A fiber-rich diet can help you to naturally cleanse your colon without needing any kind of medical procedures. Constipation during pregnancy is quite natural and there are natural methods that can help you with this issue. Alcohol use during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth. It can also contribute to complications such as preterm labor and low birth weight. Prenatal exposure to alcohol can lead to physical abnormalities in the baby, such as facial deformities, heart defects, and growth deficiencies.

What are the Effects of Taking Drugs While Pregnant?

It will allow the doctors to make the appropriate decisions in care, such as regarding the medications being used. Some of the withdrawal medications used for regular patients can be harmful to a fetus. In addition, unlike a regular patient, a pregnant woman needs to be monitored with more care. A treatment center allows for round-the-clock care and therapy to ensure that the woman and her child are safe and in good health at all times.

Caffeine also circulates through your blood and can cause blood pressure and heart rate issues. If caffeine is a stimulant for a healthy adult, imagine what it’s doing to a fetus that barely even has a heart to stimulate yet. While a small amount of caffeine isn’t too dangerous, the excessive amounts found in supplements can cause dangerous issues. One of the most popular cleanses or detox programs is the juice cleanse. Indeed, eating a health amount of fruits and vegetables can be difficult when you’re pregnant, especially if you become food averse to specific kinds of produce.

You are more likely to have a healthy baby if you take proper precautions and maintain a healthy diet. That can vary if you are active or if you live in a warm climate you might want to drink more water. Water is an excellent solution for detoxifying toxins from your body. In some cases, high salt intake can often lead to complications like high blood pressure. Highly processed foods are rich in sodium like canned foods, soups, and boxed grained dishes.