Development is a never-ending cycle in life. Every person begins to develop from the time of conception until death. Now, while most people think that development begins after birth, this is not true. Development begins when the baby is conceived. Everything a woman who is carrying a baby does or happens will result in the baby. The baby shares a blood flow with the mother. Drugs, even legal drugs, will enter the mother's bloodstream, which will then pass into the baby's. “Maternal blood flows through the uterine arteries to the spaces housing the placenta, and returns through the uterine vein to the maternal circulation” (Santrock, 2012, p. 80). This means that anything that enters the bloodstream will also affect the baby. Each type of medicine belongs to a certain category. Psychoactive drugs are drugs that are constantly being studied. According to Santrock (2012), psychoactive drugs are drugs that act on the nervous system to alter states of consciousness, modify perception and change moods. (p.83). They fall into three categories: stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens. Stimulants include caffeine, cocaine, methamphetamine and nicotine. Some people say that pregnant women don't know what taking these products into their body does to their baby. Stimulants are becoming more and more popular and their effects need to be studied and known. Each stimulant affects the baby in the short and long term. Caffeine is a stimulant that hasn't received the attention some say it deserves. Caffeine is found in many everyday substances. It is found in coffee, tea and even sodas. Caffeine can be found on almost every street corner. There is a cafe in almost every town. Sodas and coffee are found...... middle of paper ......cy: effects on mother and offspring Scholarly Journal. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1037005853?accountid=41057Sloviter, V. (2007). Caffeine or no caffeine: what should a pregnant woman do? Pediatrics for Parents, 23(8), 7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200502571?accountid=41057Watanabe-Galloway, S., Ryan, S., MD, Hansen, K., MPH , Wullsiek B., BA, Muli, V., MPA and Malone, AC (2009). Effect of methamphetamine abuse beyond individual users Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 4131, 241-8. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207970885?accountid=41057Wisborg, K., Kesmodel, U., Tine, BH, Sjurdur, FO, & Secher, NJ (2000). A prospective study of smoking during pregnancy and SIDS. Archives of Childhood Diseases, 83(3), 203-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196895386?accountid=41057