In reference to the article in The Post, “Mothers’ addictions affect unborn Athens County children” I would like to address some of the authors messages, as I feel the author misrepresented some of my views in the article by indicating that I believe women are uneducated about the harms of drug use during pregnancy. I would like to clarify the situation.
An unfortunate number of women have little more than a junior high education when they find themselves pregnant. For women in Appalachia and across the nation, peer groups are where they learn many behaviors and those behaviors often include use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and inconsistent use of contraception.
For women who are addicted to drugs, a majority report that the pregnancy was unplanned. Unintended pregnancy is associated with numerous adverse consequences for women and children, including delayed entry into prenatal care and an increased risk of harmful prenatal behaviors, such as smoking and drinking.
Women may not seek preconception health care for a variety of reasons, including: lack of insurance, insurance that does not cover the cost of a preconception health care visit, the perception that they are healthy and do not need a preconception health care visit, lack of education regarding the impact of current health conditions on pregnancy, or a lack of planning for pregnancy.
Once a pregnant woman seeks care, she is given complete and extensive education on the risk factors of continuing harmful behaviors. Pregnant women are referred to the appropriate resources and encouraged to follow through with the recommendations so they can achieve a healthy pregnancy outcome.
Ideally, a woman considering pregnancy should learn what she can do to improve her health prior to pregnancy. The writer wanted the answer to “why” women continue unhealthy behaviors before and during pregnancy. The answer is complex because it involves many factors, such as poverty, lack of resources, transportation availability, social norms, emotional support and others.
Many women who have unhealthy behaviors during pregnancy often do make a substantial effort to decrease those behaviors, whether that involves calling the Ohio Tobacco Quit Line, talking to their providers about tobacco cessation, enrolling in a Narcotic Management program, and signing up for WIC to maximize their ability to access adequate nutrition during pregnancy.
The prenatal providers at River Rose OB-GYN and Holzer work hard to help women achieve the healthiest pregnancies possible through education, enrollment in appropriate programs, and risk-reduction counseling. They educate and care for their patients with compassion and respect for the barriers many of these women face.
No blame is being passed, no judgment made, by myself, the physicians, or nurses caring for this population of women. Women are given the tools to help change their behavior and then given the support to make healthy changes.
Kelly Gammon is a registered nurse and is the Birth Center Unit Manager at O’Bleness Memorial Hospital.
