Today I watched a TED Talk called The Toxic Baby. It was explaining the issues with all of the chemicals, such as preservatives and air pollution, that pregnant mothers are surrounded by. Many of the chemicals are linked to health problems like birth defects and cancers. These babies don't even get a chance to live before they are fighting for their lives.
This TED Talk closely relates to the Ronald McDonald House. Many of the people staying at the house are families of children with cancers and premature infants. I can’t guarantee how the children’s cancers formed, but some could be linked to different chemicals their mother was exposed to while pregnant. The bigger issue that the Lexington Ronald McDonald House sees is babies born addicted to drugs. Their mothers abuse Cocaine, Heroin, prescriptions, alcohol, and other things while pregnant, and their babies are born addicted. “Crack babies”, as they are often called, are very common here in Kentucky. According to USA Today, there has been a 2400% increase of infants born addicted to drugs in Kentucky since 2000, and the number only keeps rising.
This link shows a video about the effects of Opiate withdrawal on a newborn. This is a sad epidemic that continues to grow, but needs to be stopped.
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