Women are still not getting the message about the dangers of drinking and drugging while pregnant. In a national survey of 1,200 pregnant women, more than 54 percent said they had used alcohol or tobacco during their pregnancies, and three percent said they had used an illicit drug.

In Baton Rogue, LA, 40 percent of 850 pregnant women who were seen in prenatal clinics in the past year screened positive for use of alcohol, tobacco or illicit drugs during pregnancy.

"Of those, 63 percent had used alcohol or tobacco and 37 percent had used illicit drugs," Jan Kasofsky, executive director of Capital Area Human Services District, told The Advocate.

Kasofsky said some of the women included in the 40 percent were occasional drinkers, but others had significant substance abuse problems. Some were exposed to education programs to learn about the dangers of drinking while pregnant, while others were referred to alcohol and drug treatment programs.

As a result of these findings, the Capital Area Human Services District has prioritized substance abuse by pregnant women and is revamping its treatment programs to target them, including opening a new outpatient treatment clinic, Kasofsky said.