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By the time you learn you are pregnant, your baby is probably 2 to 4 weeks old—a tiny placenta and embryo attached to your uterine wall. During these critical weeks, your baby's development can be greatly affected by health and lifestyle issues like:
- It's long been known that folic acid prevents the serious birth defect called spina bifida—a baby born with a spine that is not closed. Fortunately today many food items, such as bread, bagels and breakfast cereal, are fortified with folic acid to help women of childbearing age reduce risk of this birth defect.
- Alcohol has been linked to premature delivery, mental retardation, birth defects and low-birth-weight babies. Smoking can decrease the likelihood of conception and increase the risk of preterm labor and low birth weight.
- Over-the-counter and prescription drugs could also affect your baby's health. For example, during the last few months of pregnancy, NSAIDs—such as aspirin, aspirin compounds (Anacin, Bayer, Bufferin) and ibuprofen (Motrin, Rufen)—can cause a decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid and cause closure of the ductus arteriosa, an important blood vessel in the baby.
- Illegal drugs have their own risks. Cocaine use, for example, can be detrimental and life-threatening to both mother and baby.
- Gum disease can increase the risk of pre-term delivery up to eightfold, research shows. Babies born to mothers with periodontal infections are twice as likely to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit, and three times more likely to need hospitalization beyond seven days, the CDC reports.
