As part of the Child Abuse Prevention Month activities, the Louisiana Children’s Trust Fund, in collaboration with a number of statewide organizations, launched a Prenatal Awareness Campaign. This campaign’s main focus is aimed at addressing the prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome. Too many babies are being born addicted to drugs and alcohol, causing infant mortality, premature births and neuro-developmental disorders in children.
It has been noted that actions such as drinking alcohol, taking prescription medicines, smoking, or taking illegal drugs may cause significant and long-term damage to an unborn child. According to reports, Louisiana has the second highest premature birthrate in the country. An average preterm birth costs 14 times more than for a healthy baby, and over 60% of those births are paid for by Medicaid. Early prevention and intervention from birth through age five can have an enormous impact, not just on the life of the child and his or her family but on the community and the entire state.
Public awareness is being generated to remind expecting mothers that even the smallest amount of
alcohol or drugs may have irreparable damage to their unborn child. When an expectant mother takes pills, smokes or drinks alcohol so does her baby. Posters are being placed in shopping malls across the state of Louisiana and are being distributed to Louisiana Public Health Units.
One
Baton Rouge drug rehab official commented that many expecting mothers used drugs before they knew they were actually pregnant. Unfortunately, drug use during early pregnancy is the most harmful on the unborn fetus.
