ELI5- When a mother is pregnant and is given drugs in hospital before giving birth to reduce pain etc, do the drugs have an affect on the baby? (However minor it may be)

Question

ELI5- When a mother is pregnant and is given drugs in hospital before giving birth to reduce pain etc, do the drugs have an affect on the baby? (However minor it may be)

In: Other

Answer 1

A very simple answer is yes.

However, you need to understand that drugs are organic molecules, which differ in size. There is a blood-placental barrier between the mother and the baby, which is specifically designed to regulate chemical flows. It does a pretty good job blocking a lot of chemicals and drugs. Unfortunately, some drugs are small enough to bypass the barrier and thus affect the infant’s growth. Which alcohol is one of them.