One Drug-Dependent Baby is Born Every 25 Minutes in the US

There is a dramatic increase in the rate of Maternal Opioid use and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in the US according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Should the babies go for a rehab?

According to BBC, one in five hundred babies in hospitals in England are born to be drug-dependent. On the other hand, one baby every twenty five minutes is born to suffer the same withdrawal syndrome in the United States.

The use of opiates during pregnancy is among the main reasons for the drug withdrawal syndrome in newborn babies, which is medically called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). Drugs such as heroin, codeine, methadone, oxycodone (Oxycontin), and buprenorphine greatly contribute to the possibility of having a baby with the withdrawal syndrome when taken by pregnant mothers. These drugs goes through the placenta, which facilitates the connection between the mom and the baby. Babies who have NAS will most likely sufffer from low birthweight and respiratory complications.

NIDA reports that:

"The number of delivering mothers using or dependent on opiates rose nearly five-fold from 2000 to 2009, to an estimated 23,009... newborns with NAS stayed in the hospital an average of 16.9 days... costing hospitals an estimated $1.5 billion; the majority of these charges (81%) were paid by state Medicaid programs, reflecting the greater tendency of opiate-abusing mothers to be from lower-income communities."

As described by Medline Plus, Babies who have NAS usually have blotchy skin color, fever, excessive sucking, diarrhea, seizures, sweating, trembling, irritability, sleep problems, and so forth, much like any drug addict would suffer when withdrawal happens.

The treatment is oftentimes done by giving the drug involved but taking into consideration some limitations. Babies with NAS are also being treated with TLC or "Tender Loving Care" by the people areound them. This is done by giving them most comfortable place and position as possible. No noise, less lights, sweet swadle and gentle rocking. This is the kind of rehab for them.

Most babies survive NAS in a week but need extra TLC for more weeks or even months for complete recovery. Pregnant mothers should be extra careful with the medication that are taken in when carrying a child as this may just cause real suffering to their babies for their first days. Some NAS side effects may be suffered by the babies even as they grow older.