Pregnant women and teenagers who are addicted to heroin, fentanyl, kratom, or other street drugs (opiates) or to prescription painkillers have risen dramatically over the years. Babies born to these ladies have serious problems when they are born. A condition known as neonatal abstinence syndrome can result. These babies have withdrawal symptoms in the first few weeks of life when exposed to illicit or prescribed narcotics during pregnancy. These infants are irritable. They have high-pitched crying, tremors, seizures, poor feeding, diarrhea, and vomiting. Even prescribed medications – drugs such as OxyContin, Hydrocodone, Percocet, and oxycodone and other pain medications can cause this harm to the unborn child.
Some of the more serious health consequences experienced by drug-affected babies are caused by alternating high and low levels of narcotics in the bodies of expectant mothers who use drugs without physician supervision. The fluctuating drug levels can cause constriction of blood flow to the baby and result in miscarriage, pre-term birth, or small for gestational age babies. We also can help with alcohol drinking problems during pregnancy to reduce risk of the fetal alcohol syndrome.
