Obstetrics

I have a freind who is addicted to Opiod's.Takes them daily and is pregnant. What are the effects on baby?

I am very concerned for the health of her baby. Will the baby experince withdrawl symptoms after delivery?. What will happen?

Public Comments

1. The use of opioids during pregnancy increases the risk of medical and obstetric complications, potentially affecting both the woman and the fetus. Opioids cross the placenta and enter the fetal bloodstream. The level of opioids in the fetal bloodstream is lower than in the mother's, but drug concentrations are often high enough to harm the fetus. Using opioids during pregnancy may lead to intrauterine growth restriction (the fetus does not grow to its full size while in the uterus), low birth weight, decreased head circumference, and minor developmental delays. Effects on birth Complications that can occur during pregnancy as a result of opiate use include maternal abruption: the premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, a potentially very serious situation for the mother and baby eclampsia: a life-threatening condition involving high blood pressure and seizures placental insufficiency: insufficient blood circulation in the placenta breech birth ruptured membranes premature labour and delivery: the baby is born before full term stillbirth Babies born to women who use opioids during pregnancy are sometimes born dependent on the drug. The withdrawal these infants experience after they are born is called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS usually affects the infant's central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract; symptoms include muscle spasms, irritability, high-pitched crying, diarrhea, disturbed sleep and feeding, vomiting, hiccups, stuffy nose, sneezing, and breathing problems. The onset and persistence of these symptoms vary, but symptoms generally begin 48 to 72 hours after birth and typically subside in a week. Infants born to mothers who take prescribed methadone can also show symptoms of withdrawal, but these are typically treated safely in hospital after birth. I copied this off of a site
2. As much as this person might be your friend, you need to make an anonymous call to her doc and tell them she is on opiates and they should test her urine. That is all you have to do and things will get better. The doc needs to be aware of her addiction and he/she needs to make sure the hospital knows about it too. The baby will, in fact, be born addicted and need to spend at least a couple weeks in the NICU to safely withdraw from the pills. They have to monitor the child, since they can have issues breathing, swallowing, having tremors, keeping their body temp stable. They are also quite small and can have some medical issues like apnea or heart irregularities. It is very important that the baby be monitored and placed on morphine to withdraw from opiates. It is the same thing as the baby being addicted to heroin. Same procedures. And you can help that mother and baby by simply giving her doc the heads up. They can take it from there. Your friend will also have to go to outpatient rehab. They have centers where she can take the baby with her. It is only a few hours each day. I work at one those centers, and that is why I know what you should do.