Prenatal Substance Abuse
Allegany County has seen an increase in prenatal substance abuse. A mother who uses drugs risks her own life and her baby’s. When a pregnant woman uses drugs, she and her unborn child face serious health problems. It is essential that the mother understands that once the drug enters the blood stream it is able to cross over the placenta to the baby. The elimination of some drugs are considerably slower in the body and newborn that in an adult. Therefore, the drugs remains in the baby’s body for a longer period of time.
Health risks associated with prenatal drug use affect both the mother and the baby. For the mother the risks may be:
- Low weight gain
- Poor nutrition
- High blood pressure
- Miscarriage
- Pre-term labor
- Depression
- Physical abuse
- HIV/AIDS and STDs
Health risks seen in the baby may include:
- Possible birth defects affecting any part of the body, (organs such
as the heart, liver, kidneys, or genitals may be deformed; arms, legs,
feet and/or hands may be missing or deformed; the head and face may be affected)
- Low birth weight
- Poor head development
- Prevalence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
- And the probability of life-long disabilities, including delays in cognitive development, behavioral problems, and visual and hearing problems
When a mother uses an illegal drug during her pregnancy, the baby can be born addicted to the drug the mother used. This causes the infant to go through withdrawal when it no longer gets the drug from the mother. Poor feeding is a common issue with withdrawing infants. Symptoms may include irritability, mild to severe tremors, excessive crying, restlessness, sensitivity to sound and touch, diarrhea and respiratory distress. All drugs of abuse can cause cellular changes that are likely associated with a whole range of behavioral and cognitive changes. Using multiple drugs is likely to be far more damaging.
Women with drug problems are often afraid to seek treatment. Pregnant women who are using drugs need to know they are not alone. With help – they can quit. Friends and family can help find an effective drug treatment program, help with childcare and transportation and by encouraging open and honest communication with her health care provider.
From the eyes of an addicted newborn…
Well they say welcome to the real world. However, I’m only one day old and I’m not sure that I like what’s going on with my body. I knew things would be different when my mommy delivered me but the changes that are happening just don’t seem right. For some reason my body is starting to shake uncontrollably. The nurses here in the nursery wrap me tightly in a blanket but I just can’t stop shaking. “What is happening?” I’m so hungry and the nurses are trying to feed me but I just don’t feel like I am every full. I’m crying so hard and I just don’t know why. The diaper is clean and the nurses are feeding me more frequently than everyone else in the nursery. Oh no, I feel sick and her come my food back up. It didn’t taste as good coming back up as it did going down!
My second day of life is getting much better. Now every time I go to the bathroom my bottom hurts really bad. The nurses apply cream to my bottom but I heard them say that it is bleeding in spots. I just can’t figure out why I feel so stiff and rigid and this shaking just won’t stop. Please, someone help me!
These lights in my new room are so bright and the sounds from my other baby friends in the nursery just won’t stop. I want to sleep, but I can’t. Why am I breathing so hard and why do I feel like I never get enough to eat? No one told me that I was going to sneeze so much in my new world. I thought I liked it when the nurses held me tight and rocked me to sleep but as soon as I’m placed in my crib, I wake back up. Oh no, here comes what the nurses are calling “diarrhea” again. I heard the doctor telling my mommy that he is going to have the nurses give me a medicine call Morphine to help me go through “withdrawal” and some of my symptoms will go away. I sure hope the medicine helps me soon. I just was to be like the other babies in the nursery and go home with Mommy in a couple of days but, I heard the nurses talking and they said that I’ll probably be in the nursery longer than the other babies. A few babies like me leave the nursery in one week, but other babies have stayed for up to two months. The medical staff are whispering that because my mother did illegal drugs while she was pregnant with me, I may not go home with my mommy. If my mommy can’t take me home, what’s going to happen to me now?
Allegany County Birth Statistics As Reported by Western Maryland Health System
| |
July 20, 2008 |
August 26, 2008 |
Number of Deliveries
(for the year)
|
548 |
676 |
Number of
Drug Exposed Infants |
47 |
57 |
Number of
Drug Addicted Infants |
5 |
7 |
From the view of a nursery nurse…
Well God, my shift is about to begin again in the nursery. I pray that our newest admission is setting in his new environment without too many of the symptoms we have come to recognize so well. You see, he’s about 24 hours old now and I’m so afraid after the report I received yesterday, that he will be going through drug withdrawal. He was showing early signs of withdrawal at the end of my shift. The tremors and increased muscle tone he was beginning to experience are heartbreaking. I just hope he isn’t like our admission last month who seized uncontrollably and had to be medicated with not only Morphine for the withdrawal but anticonvulsants for the seizure activity. I just have a gut feeling he is going to be spending quite awhile in our nursery away from his family. I love him as much as I can but my job requires me to attend to other babies, too. Wrapping him tightly in blankets and dimming his lights help but I can’t shut out all the extra stimulation that occurs in a nursery on a daily basis. It’s only natural that the other babies cry. Often times swaddling and rocking our little “drug babies” just doesn’t help and the excessive or high pitched crying continues followed by the sweating which is just another symptom of drug withdrawal. But, oh the tremors right down to their toes are the worst!
I don’t think I have ever had a drug addicted baby that hasn’t experienced them – followed by the insatiable appetite from these little ones or the poor suck reflex. It’s so hard to get their little bellies full, they always seem so hungry and just when you think they’re comfortable, they spit their entire feeding up and the process starts all over again. This leads to the cycle of changing formulas until we can find one that the babies can tolerate. And then there is the loose bowel movement which begin even though the nursery staff change diapers frequently, applying diaper rash ointments, excoriation often occurs in the diaper area which actually bleed at times. These little babies often breath at more than twice the normal rate. We know many of our drug addicted mothers are doing their best to cope with their addictions by attending various treatment programs, but please know your baby will probably experience some type of withdrawal symptom – it’s just a fact of life!
I can only pray God, that maybe, just maybe, my little one born yesterday will be the exception to the rule and not experience the rigors of withdrawal symptoms. He’s so small…and life can be so hard…
Prescription Drugs, Over-the Counter Medications, and Vitamin and Herbal Products in Pregnancy
Many substances can affect the fetus and newborn including NEEDED prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and vitamin and herbal products.
Some can cause miscarriage, birth defects like missing legs or arms, addiction of the newborn, or later learning problems.
Prescriptions
- Seizure medications
- Some antidepressants
- Other psychotropic medications
- Some acne products
- Certain antibiotics
Over-the-Counter and Prescription Pain Medications
- Aspirin and Ibuprofen
- Prescription pain medication can be dangerous and may lead to dependence
- Dependence may lead to need for methadone
- Methadone, while it may be better for the fetus for a more stable pregnancy, is
hard on the fetus after birth
Over-the-Counter Medications
- Some cold products
- Herbal products – little studied, please speak with your health provider
- Excessive use of vitamins
Always make sure ALL your doctors know that you are pregnant. Make sure your doctor knows all the prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamin and herbal products that you take.
Many medications are necessary for the health of the mother and the fetus. Please let your doctor be the coordinator of the medications that you can take safely. Remember the doctor cannot help if he/she does not know.
Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for the baby but many medications pass into the breast milk and some can harm the baby. Work with your own doctor and your child’s pediatrician to determine what is safe for the baby.
Alcohol and Pregnancy – What Moms Should Know
ALL drinks that contain alcohol can affect your baby during pregnancy (wine, beer, liquor, wine coolers, etc.)
When you drink any alcoholic beverage it crosses the placenta from you to your baby. Alcohol can be harmful to the development of your baby’s heart, central nervous system, eyes, arms & legs, and brain.
Effects of alcohol during pregnancy can include:
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
- Low birth weight
- Risk of learning problems, such as speech, attention span, language,
hyperactivity and in some cases, aggressive and delinquent behaviors
The most severe result of alcohol during pregnancy is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is a permanent condition characterized by poor growth, abnormal facial features and damage to the central nervous system.
The best thing you can do if you were not aware you were pregnant and drank alcohol is STOP drinking now. The sooner you quit the better for your baby.
Remember Moms, there is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink during pregnancy.
Please discuss any drinking patterns with your healthcare provider.
|
