Finding out that you are pregnant should be a time of joy and delight, but if you are addicted to drugs, it strikes fear into your heart. No one wants to cause harm to their unborn child but continuing to use drugs will cause harm. Children who are exposed to drugs in the womb can develop an addiction to drugs and it can affect the child’s mental and physical development. It’s best to take the time to find detox centers in Tucson AZ that have openings for pregnant women. The following guide walks you through a few things you need to know about seeking professional help to overcome your drug addiction while pregnant.
Choosing the Right Facility Is Crucial
When you go to a detox facility while pregnant, safety is of the utmost importance. Some people can lash out as they come down from drugs and you want to be sure that you never put your baby or yourself in harms way. Many professionals suggest that pregnant women go to detox centers that specialize in pregnancy care. You’ll be surrounded by other women who are pregnant or who have recently had their child. There are detox centers available that allow new mothers to stay at the centers with their child for a while to help learn how to care for their baby properly and to ensure they don’t relapse when they get overwhelmed.
Don’t be Afraid to Take Treatments that Are Available
Many pregnant mothers are afraid to take any medication when they want to detox from drugs because they think that it will hurt their baby. That isn’t the case, though. Studies have shown that it is safe to take certain treatments to minimize the withdrawal symptoms as you detox. In fact, in some instances, detoxing without treatment can be more dangerous because it puts so much stress on your body and could lead to a miscarriage if your body isn’t able to handle the stress well.
Take Any Classes that Are Offered
When you are in the detox center, there are many different classes that will be offered to you. Take any and all of them that you can. You need to learn how to take care of yourself so that you can take care of someone else. Learning about how to create a balanced diet, how important exercise is and how to manage triggers in your life ensures that you are prepping for your new bundle of joy in the best way that you possibly can.
Many of the detox centers for pregnant mothers also offer parenting classes that you can take to learn everything that you need to know about motherhood. You learn how to change a diaper, prepare a bottle, signs that your baby is ill and how to ease them when they cry.
Being properly prepared for the birth of your child can make the transition into motherhood a bit easier for you. Be sure to take first aid classes if they are available too. Children who have been exposed to drugs in the womb have a high risk of suffering from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This means that you need to be able to provide your baby with CPR if they stop breathing suddenly and learning how to do it properly could save your baby’s life one day.
Learn How to Handle Your Emotions
Many people turn to drugs because they aren’t able to handle stress in their life or to try to numb their feelings. When you are in the detox center, you’ll be able to meet with a counselor to discuss what emotional issues you may be facing. Be honest with him or her so that they can help you develop constructive ways of handling your emotions. You want to be sure that you can be as psychologically sounded as possible when your baby arrives and being able to talk about your emotions can help.
You will also be able to go to group meetings with other women who are struggling with the same issues that you are. You can all share stories about the horrible things that you went through while you were high and grow together to develop peace with your past so that you can move forward to a brighter future.
Avoid a Relapse in the Future
Being a parent is hard. There is a lot of work that goes into it and you get little to no recognition for the dedication that you put into it. You will get overwhelmed at times, but you need to be able to handle those feelings properly. While you are at the center you’ll learn what your triggers are. You’ll develop skills for avoiding them and learn steps that you can take if you feel that they are starting to overwhelm you. The last thing you want to do is relapse. Relapsing could cause you to lose your child and end up far worse off than you are right now.
You’ll learn how to create a support system that you can rely on when you get out of the detox center. You need to be willing to go to meetings on a regular basis where you can discuss what is going on with other recovering addicts.
Addiction is a disease that you’ll have to fight for the rest of your life. When you get out of the center, you won’t suddenly have the perfect life you’ve always wanted to have. You will have to account for the things that you did while you were high and may have to try to mend a few of the bridges that you burnt during your addiction. It’s important to remember that people are going to have a hard time trusting you at first because you have to prove that you have really made a change. Actions speak a lot louder than words and showing that you can be the best parent possible and avoiding shady characters from your past is a great way to get your life back on track and rebuild relationships with friends and family that you may have lost along the way.