Addicted Babies
ADDICTED BABIES (This is legally defined as child abuse in some states)
The term "addicted babies" is used to refer to all babies exposed to drugs before birth.
According to a recent federal government report estimated that in the United States each
year some 320,000 babies are born exposed to alcohol and illicit drugs while in the uterus; a
far larger number have been exposed to sedatives and nicotine.
Drug-addicted women often use multiple substances—including ALCOHOL, NICOTINE,
MARIJUANA, TRANQUILIZERS, COCAINE, and OPIOIDS (HEROIN and METHADONE).
The drugs carried across the placenta from mother to fetus. The clinical presentation of the
newborn depends on the substance, the amount and frequency used during the pregnancy,
and the time since last used.
Withdrawal will occur in 55 to 94 percent of infants exposed to heroin and other opioids.
Infants of regular heavy users usually have a low birth weight, because of intrauterine growth
retardation and frequent premature births.
If the mother has used depressant drugs (alcohol, any number of sedative-hypnotics, or
heroin) regularly during pregnancy, there may be a neonatal abstinence or withdrawal
syndrome, which has as key features irritability, tremor, and increased muscle tone. Other
symptoms include poor nervous system irritability, gastrointestinal disorders that lead to poor
feeding, vomiting, and diarrhea; high-pitched cry; difficulty in sleeping; and sneezing,
sweating, yawning, nasal stuffiness, rapid breathing, and seizures.
These babies often require ongoing medical, school, and social services to ensure that they
reach their maximal potential.
The term "addicted babies" is used to refer to all babies exposed to drugs before birth.
According to a recent federal government report estimated that in the United States each
year some 320,000 babies are born exposed to alcohol and illicit drugs while in the uterus; a
far larger number have been exposed to sedatives and nicotine.
Drug-addicted women often use multiple substances—including ALCOHOL, NICOTINE,
MARIJUANA, TRANQUILIZERS, COCAINE, and OPIOIDS (HEROIN and METHADONE).
The drugs carried across the placenta from mother to fetus. The clinical presentation of the
newborn depends on the substance, the amount and frequency used during the pregnancy,
and the time since last used.
Withdrawal will occur in 55 to 94 percent of infants exposed to heroin and other opioids.
Infants of regular heavy users usually have a low birth weight, because of intrauterine growth
retardation and frequent premature births.
If the mother has used depressant drugs (alcohol, any number of sedative-hypnotics, or
heroin) regularly during pregnancy, there may be a neonatal abstinence or withdrawal
syndrome, which has as key features irritability, tremor, and increased muscle tone. Other
symptoms include poor nervous system irritability, gastrointestinal disorders that lead to poor
feeding, vomiting, and diarrhea; high-pitched cry; difficulty in sleeping; and sneezing,
sweating, yawning, nasal stuffiness, rapid breathing, and seizures.
These babies often require ongoing medical, school, and social services to ensure that they
reach their maximal potential.
Behavioral Effects Following Prenatal Drug Exposure
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