When you or someone you know is pregnant, doctors tell you not to take certain medications such as aspirin and cough syrup, because these have harmful effects on the fetus in the womb and on later child development. Aspirin and cough syrup are basic medication that can be obtained over-the-counter and are otherwise harmless.
So imagine if a pregnant woman is taking illicit, illegal drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin among many others?
Watch this video about babies born addicted to drugs:
The Hidden Dangers
In a perfect world, pregnancy is a time in a woman’s life when she should be at her most healthy, as she is not only eating and drinking for herself but for the baby in her womb. However, the world is not perfect and all around, there are pregnant women who are addicted to drugs and are helplessly using throughout their pregnancy.
Drug use and addiction throughout pregnancy not only brings about many dangerous effects on the development of the baby in the womb and, later on, may predispose the child to addiction. There is also another hidden danger that is on the rise especially in countries such as the United States, where heroin and prescription drug addictions are increasing in women.
This hidden danger is called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
What is Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome?
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) occurs in newborns who were exposed to addictive opiate drugs while in their mothers’ wombs. These opiate drugs come in the form of illegal drugs and prescription drugs, which includes heroin, oxycodone (Oxycontin, Percocet), codeine and hyrdocodone (Vicodin), morphine (Kadian, Avinza), methadone, or buprenorphine. Other drugs that can cause NAS are antidepressants and sleeping pills.
While the placenta normally filters the substances that passes through from the mother to the baby, these opiates do not get filtered. Therefore, the baby gets addicted along with the mother.
Babies whose mothers take opiates are born still dependent on the drug, and will exhibit withdrawal symptoms 1 to 3 days after birth.
Image courtesy of purplecrying.info
Symptoms of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
The symptoms of NAS depend on many factors on the pregnant mother’s end:
- The type of drug used by the mother
- How much she was taking during pregnancy
- How long she has used the drug
- How her body breaks down the drug
Another factor to consider is whether the baby was born full-term or premature.teenage
Opiates cause the highest percentage of NAS to infants, as withdrawal occurs in more than half of the babies who were exposed to the drugs in the womb. Cocaine also causes some withdrawal, yet the effects are mainly due to the toxic substances within the drug. Amphetamine and barbiturates can also cause withdrawal, as well as alcohol, which also causes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs).
The symptoms of NAS are:
- Mottling of skin, blotchy skin
- Excessive crying or high-pitched crying
- Irritability
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Excessive sucking
- Poor feeding/nursing
- Fever
- Rapid breathing
- Stuffy nose, sudden sneezing
- Excessive sweating
- Increased muscle tone
- Hyperactive reflexes
- Sleep problems
- Low birth weight and/or low weight gain
- Trembling of limbs or of whole body
- Seizures
These symptoms may also be symptoms of other conditions, so doctors often ask about the mother’s drug use and medical history.
Tests such as toxicology of the baby’s first bowel movement and urinalysis can help determine if the conditions are related or caused by NAS.
Infant Withdrawal
NAS can last from 1 week to 6 months. During this period, it can be unfortunate and heartbreaking to see babies suffer withdrawal symptoms, as they are fussy, irritable, and hard to soothe. They may also be hard to feed and often need to get sustenance with the help of IV fluids.
By gently rocking the baby, reducing bright lights and loud noises, as well as swaddling, may help calm down the baby.
However, those with severe withdrawal symptoms may need treatment through medicines such as methadone and morphine. This is because stopping opioids too quickly can be harmful to the baby as well. Treating the infant with these drugs is based on what the mother used during her pregnancy, and the doses are decreased over time.
Other Complications
Other effects of taking drugs while pregnant may include:
- premature birth
- small head circumference
- birth defects
- developmental and behavioral problems that may persist in later years
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Going Local
Here in the Philippines, there are not much current information on how many women are addicted to opiates and how many of the children born have NAS. However, this is a real concern all over the globe and the best thing mothers can do is to inform their health providers of their drug use or addiction so that they can get the help they need.
If you are pregnant or know someone who is pregnant and are using drugs, please seek help immediately, as this is dangerous not only for the mother but for the baby in the womb. Let us know how we can help.
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