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DOCUMENT RESUME CG 026 800 ED 393 028 The First Look at Fatherhood: For Men Only. TITLE Iowa State Dept. of Public Health, Des Moines.; Utah INSTITUTION State Dept. of Human Services, Salt Lake City. Div. of Substance Abuse. PUB DATE [95] NOTE 12p. Non-Classroom Use (055) Guides PUB TYPE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Alcohol Abuse; Children; *Congenital Impairments; DESCRIPTORS Drinking; Drug Abuse; *Fathers; Males; *Parent Child Relationship; *Physical Health; Pregnancy; Prevention; Smoking; Well Being ABSTRACT Directed at men planning to become fathers, this booklet offers recommendations on how men can increase their chances of producing physically and mentally healthy babies. A number of precautions can be taken both before and after conception. Potential effects of alcohol abuse, drug use and abuse, smoking, and toxic chemicals encountered in the workplace are discussed with respect to men's fertility and impact on the health of the future child. Ways of encouraging and supporting a partner to pursue a healthy lifestyle once she becomes pregnant are also presented. Contains 12 references, a glossary of terms for fathers-to-be, and 6 additional recommended readings. (RB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** " -.sp..- 4 . tu r -,e2 ik ' 5. e j vcc , ..i.` . , . .5,11 5 ' "4-4 r - 4 - ---,P... gfr ; 411,A. <-`!-4.`11ferl.4 - ,. . ;,..1044`,7 '74{1. ,r 4 f. , - ......"%4".1.5..4...`iA ft . - Zf-- f. - 'giii:' 1 ,i ill-i:ri; '4".1":' Xik ., " .; ..;e4 i. r'lti'';Aq.., -:.- .--"..4...457': (:-P.:-" i, . -t.x.-.4.,.. i. i---i;*...:?-:..-:. -4" ._ - '''.4-11Acliftti"-v , 4 ,-....... - ' -ks-c_.,-,,,-. ..N....::,-,:,,,;:-.. . C;, ....!...ti.:...1,::,y.....,. fe - r"-.7:11,....,.44.04-4i4%;:".:1*;pe 7-::.- i..-z.,!..."4.7:, . OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT S U Irnoravemonl arm New' Researco Educational Office DI ; INFORMATION RESOURCES EDUCATIONAL *- IERICI CENTER - as been reproduced This document has O the or from person oryanization received it originating to beeh made have Minor changes qualify improve reproduction this in Staled opinions ot view or Points - represent not necessarily do document policy or official OERI position - oo wkvvtd.1.0.:i4i) THIS TO REPRODUCE 'PERMISSION BY , GRANTED HAS BEEN -7 MATERIAL 4,11 01.^I sem goo T. FATHERHOZ VApi #411*-1 41' RESOURCES EDUCATIONAL THE TO IERICI." CENTER INFORMATION 1C,A!,3 ;S;T'S...." a , iv, - -1.f MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION ILL YOUR THE FIRST LOOK AT Pet.01:::. ON YOUR BABY FATHERHOOD *BABY wonder about your future children? Who Ever Ways to Make A Good the) will they act hke Will they be healthy? Will Impression On Your Baby have your athletic abilities or you* nose? Are .1`tL'oirQitt they going to follow in your footsteps? 98E:HE4LTHY? These are all very normal questions for a his partner begin to man to ask once he and TOUR,. think about starting a family. plan to Yet, regardless of the influence you be on your future children, there are things you BILITIESt conceived, that will can do, before they are influence them for the rest of their lives. Take a moment to read the following information and discover ways you can make a he good impression on your babynowbefore or she is ever born. TABLE OF CONTENTS IMPRESSIONS FROM THE INSIDE OLT 5 HEALTHY BA 3IESI 'P IN SMOKE . BABIES ,V's,D BOOZE DON'T MIX KIDS. COtAINE AND OTHER DRUGS of I tah Depanment ot Human Services. Division Westtth Floor. 8 e Ahuse 120 North 200 Nuhsu HAZARDS IN THE WORK PLACE 84103 dlt Lalst2 ( its t 9 ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS . AND Department of Public Health. Dis isbn ot luw , 10 GLOSSARY OF TERMS j. , substance kbuse and Health Promotion. I.MCas State olfke limkhrw Des Moines. Iowa S0319 II REFERENCE GI'IDE. e.. 3 v. ; llookIkt funded .0 pan by SAMHSA Bloch (rant. ,"-T!'n. "4'; '", 3 4. , *" IMPRESSIONS FROM result in a loer birth sx eight for your HEALTHY BABY -,.. THE INSIDE OUT bah% t nd .STARTS WITH A VEALTHY FATHER lead to birth defects or serious illnesses for Your ph-sical health can play an important your child alter he or she Ls born.4 role in rile overall health of your future Since sperm develop over a 3-month period 21.- s, %.,..04 children. of time. many medical experts advise not using Studies suggest" that if you drink alcohol, tobacco, alcohol or other drugs for at least 3 smoke, use other drugs, or are exposed to months before conceiving a child. If you work certain chemical.; or environmental hazards around hazardous materials, check with your (such as lead), you may be unable to father doctor. (See page 8.) children. You are also more likely to have children with a wide range of physical and mental problems. Scientists are fiiiding that when vou have certain toxic substances in your body, these toxins can: enter the testicles through the bloodstredm.' lower your sperm count,- alter the sperm's motility, or ability to swim. damage the spermwhich can cause a miscarriage, interfere with reproduction hy changing +Throughuut this [voider sse have used qualifying aords SULh the process through which your sperm are suggested Pray cauw. can cause and hnkyd to We use these terms hetaux: qudies clearly show harmful effects of tobacco. elected for fertihzing the on vier ,tru an,! ork nlay.e the e think there 0 enousay Idenye tor us to he concerned now In potentially be passed to the fetus dt hemical ,utssians es ,0 appear to harm the sperm ' tests ot P141 ;7 resear..I :u substantiate these finding. rhere s ie II conception.' .eai.41 .fr - 't Children In ing in a home where there is irifILDREN HEALTHY BABIES - secondhand smoke are more likely to have UP IN SMOKE .1.111;05*TO sore throats, ,F4T#ER'S IR Until e did not know much about recentl y. coughs. the effects of tobacco or marijuana smoke on a irritated watery eyes. and man's reproductive system. We are also just Miff MiYiE respiratory infections like bronchitis. beginning to understand the effects of pneumonia, and asthma." BOPIttSMALLER secondhand smoke on the baby while still in These children are also more likely to die AHbMAY.HAVE the womb and on the child after he or she is from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), to . #11.KREAS.ED born. develop cancer. or to contract infections of the -10ff:- 4: IL Researchers are finding that smoking may lung, stomach and intestine.' WITENING . tvarw:Aitri,,717. damage the sperm and lower the sperm count. I SEASES.; Even smoking half-a-pack a day can reduce y'our Children sperm count by as much as 20 percent.- exposed to their father's smoking before birth increased may he horn smaller and may have an nsk ot life threatening diseases such as leukemia. lymphoma. and brain cancer.- There is also an increased risk of fathering a child with a cleft lip. cleft palate. w ater-on-the-brain. or heart defects.' After your child is born you still need to be concerned ahout the impact of secondhand smoke on them. The cffects can he severe because children breathe faster than adults. spend o )-80 percent of their time indoors, and w ill inhale more secondhand smoke than an adult living in the a me household.' BEST COPY AVAILABLE 5 ho has a past or prese it dnnking parent AMAN 'S BABIES AND BOOZE DON'T MIX prchlern Children ot alcoholics have four times Sometimes the pliNsical problems w hich are WAITS, .!EFORE' caused by a father s drinking may not show up greater risk of becoming alcoholics than flIE CONCEIVES A until the child is several years old. Yet. studies children of non-alcoholics. ItHILD -CAN-. One out of three American adults sav that show that a man's drinking habits before he THE FLUENC E WM of NIS alcohol abuse has brought trouble to their conceives a child can influence the health of his _ future children.- families. RE Children of alcoholics are at high risk for Heavy aicohol used by the male before WOMEN. conception can be linked to: many emotional and behavioral problems 11 Oktikft570:r infertility, altering of the reproductive chemistry. the baby's reduced weight at birth. and subtle. long-term, and permanent changes in the child."' When it comes to alcohol. your drinking patterns will make an impression. after your son or daughter is born. Parents who abuse alcohol are more likely to abuse and neglect their children. In 60 percent to 90 percent of Iowa's Juvenile and Family Court cases, the abuse of alcohol and other drugs played a major role." 441/11**- The Percentages for the State of Utah are similar lo 1,m s Each year hundreds of Utah's are injured n rcw.iR **Bawd 11 v. in alcohol related automobile crashes. One in four people in the U.S. have a BEST COPY AVAILABLE 6 drug use may In addition, illegal, intraenous SOME DRUGS KIDS, COCAINE AND nsks such as HIV infection cause other health :,,CAPI BE CARRIED OTHER DRUGS with an HI\-- Women who hme sexual relations 85 percent infected partner contract the virus tn being a dad is Ttk One ot the greatest things about EGG born to HIV- of the cases. A third of all babies develop. watching your children grow and -':By THE SPERM. infected with infected woiren will also become drug that Why then, intentionally use a horn with birth the virus.- could cause Your child to be defects? potentially Men exposed to drugs and other chance of toxic substances have a greater conceiving an abnormal baby. A man's drug use can: decrease his sperm count. and decrease the sperm's ability to me. abnormal forms increase the number of found in the sperm." that men s Not only are researchers finding linked to some mental cocaine use may be that problems in ch7'dren, there is mdence and can be carried to cocaine binds to the sperm This interaction of the egg during fertilization. such as cocaine. may sperm with some toxins, lead to damage of the fertilized egg T COPY AVAILABLE . trong eidence links a man s birth deleets HAZARDS IN THE WORK PLACE SUBSTANCES FOUND iN MANY exposure to lead and miscarriages and in addition to health problems caused h ;PESTICIDES, tiND stillbirths substances we intentionally put into our body, Children horn to parents exposed to '11011SE10L-DAND there are nuny substances in the work place that excessive lead levels arc more likely to suffer ..IND6STRIAL can impact future children...before they are from birth defects. mental retardation, and .i.CifthiCALS CAN. conceived. behavioral disorders. or even die during the .:;.CAUSE ADitERSE you'? fff#TS ON A substance found in many pesticides. DBCP first year of childhood.' (1,2.-dibromo-3- chloropropano, c.an cause If you have been exposed to any of the sterility at very low levels of exposure and can substances discussed above, talk to your CHILDREN.. , affect the movement and overall number of physician and your partner's physician before P; - ;. moving sperm. Tests on animals show that a ' there is a chance vou will conceive a child. 'k :.:;;; %.; greater exposure to DBCP results in the destruction of sex gland activity.- Another household and industrial chemical that is used in fumigants and industrial sterilizing agents is ethylene oxide (Et0). Exposure to this gas can possibly cause acherse reproductive effects. damage the make up of cells [the genetic material or MAI and c,m lead to ponuneous miscamages. Although many of the effects of lead poisoning are well known, few people realize that constant overexposure to lead impairs the reproductive systems of both men and women. In n;,11 ;cad exposure ...an decrc.he cx drke or athe impotence and sterility. It can also alter !lie structure of sperm cells. raising the risk of BEST COPY AVAILABLE 8 ()I the more difficult and ith Help WITH ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER chores. especially those that strenuous household 'fATHERHOOD THAN WORDS of chores invole heavy lifting Take charge '3,CM-in THE' cleaning fluids, or requiring use of i.crosol sprns, site and the Once your partner is pregnant. O.PPORTIJNITY help to stay other chemicals. unborn baby continue to need your TO MAKE birth process and talk Learn more about the healthy. -SOOD of the choices she with your partner about some Studies show Keep stress at a minimum. IMPRESSION. regarding your baby's and you will he making during that when women report high stress babies dre more likely to be birth. pregnancy. their responsibility and joy. With fatherhood comes born with health problems. make a good first Take the opportunity to Be understanding. Pregnancy causes many impression On your baby. pleasant changes in a %oman's body, some more will than others. Your pregnant partner appreciate your consideration. positive Promote good nutrition. Be a "Junk" influence on your mate lw eating wisely. the mother-to-he. or food is not healthy for you, your baby. Fathers-to-be Encoirage a healthy lifestyle. other drugs old cigarenes. alcohol. and should mother-to-be to avoid them, and encourage the that when one partner smokes, too. Studies show drugs. the mate is drinks heavily, or uses other them as well. more likely to use daily routine Make cm:rose a part of your Her and encourage , Aar mate to loin %oil. exercise programs doctor should approt e she may riflicIp.a. :0 --""11 . sperm count: tile number ot bing sperm GLOSSARY OF TERMS FOR MEN ONLY tor Fatherslo-Be obsened in a speumen or semen sperm motility: the ability of sperm to mcne Somc of the following terms are used in this forward appropriately. booklet. Others are included for informational purposes. Please talk with your doctor if you sperm viability: percent of sperm moving at the have questions. time of examination. cleft palate: an opening in the roof of the toxic substances (toxins): materials or mouth. poisonous substances that can cause damage fetus: the unborn young developing in the water-on-the-brain (hydrocephalus): utems. a condition characterized by an abnormal accumulation of fluid inside the skull. This genetic material: the material in every cell causes enlargement of the head and destruction nucleus, including the egg and sperm. which of the brain. carries the hereditary characteristics. :7,tC;;;:/.-"Sr::ali womb: the inusuilar organ in which the fetus gestation: the pi ad of development of the develops until birth: also known as the uterus 4e 7 young in the uterus from conception to birth. infertility in men: the inability of a man to produce sperm which can successfully fertilize an egg leukemia: a disease of the blood-forming organs. It is charaLterized hy an increase in the number of white blood cells and abnormal cells in the blood. The course of the disease includes progressive anemia, internal bleeding, and increasing exhaustion. lymphoma: .1 Lancer of the lymph nodes. reproductive system: the organs concerned , with reproduction. primarily the ovaries. uterus and vagina in the female and the testes, prostate BEST COPY AVAILABLE t!land and penis in the male. ;.,