Drugs & Alcohol

Your body is your baby’s total environment for the nine months it is developing before birth. To make sure that your baby has the very best chance of developing normally, you will need to eat a good diet, cut back on caffeine, stop smoking, drinking alcohol, or taking illegal drugs, and avoid any medications that might be harmful to the baby.

In addition to the more well-known substances to avoid (see below), there are some things that should never be taken during pregnancy that might be overlooked:

Mineral oil
Aspirin or Ibuprofen These drugs include Advil, Motrin, and Rufen.
Baking soda
Pepto Bismol
Diet pills
Tetracycline This drug will discolor a baby’s permanent teeth.
Cough syrups Most cough syrups contain alcohol - as much as 25%.
Accutane This prescription acne medication contains extremely high levels of Vitamin A and can cause severe birth defects. If you are taking this drug and find out that you are pregnant, stop taking it immediately, and consult your doctor about possible substitutes.