babies born with methadone addiction

cincbrenda · Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

I adopted a child who was addicted to methadone also. Her mother did herion, methadone and anything else she could get her hands on the whole time she was pregnant. They baby was weened off for two weeks in the hospital. She has always been a wonderful child. She is now 2 years old. She seems to be a normal active toddler. Developmently she is ahead for her age. That has a lot to do with how much time and effort you are willing to put in yourself!! What a wonderful person you are for giving these children a second chance!!!

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My mother gave birth to my youngest sister while on Methadone. My sister was born addicted to the methadone and had to go through the withdrawal process. I adopted my sister and have to say that intellectually she has always been above average. She is a very bright and social young lady (now 19). However, she always seem to be a little hyper and easily stressed and overly dramatic. She is very social, very talkative, even seems to speak everything that is running through her mind. I can't say any of it is a problem except that she seems to have high stress levels. Recently, she was diagnosed with high blood pressure (at the young age of 19). That is the only long term effect that I can see, the high stress may have led to the high blood pressure.

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Please don't listen to people who have no medical background. Babies born on methadone do just fine. Withdrawl for babies is not the same as it is for adults, it's much easier!! There is a withdrawl process that some babies do go through but not all of them. The amount of methadone has no bearing. Accually mothers on a lower dose think there helping their babies when alot of the time they are accually causing the babies to be born in withdrawl. Insted of withdrawl coming on slowly. Just know that methadone is so much better than using heroin or pain pills during pregnancy !! Not only putting in a "dirty narcotic" that you have no idea what it may be cut with. Also there is the life style to look at. Methadone users take better care of themselves (eating healthier, hygeine, prenatal care) compared to heroin users. Remember mothers on methadone have to go to a clinic or doctor where they have UA's weekly, group therapy, one on one counseling, also they have to receive prenatal care. Heroin or pain pill addicts who become pregnant have no choice but to go on methadone. They can not safely detox of heroin (or pills)or they are at a high risk of misscaraige. Please respect and don't judge women who give birth on methadone they are doing the best they can for their babies. One more thing if a women is on methadone and becomes pregnant just like with heroin or other pain pills she is pretty much stuck. You really can not safely detox while you are pregnant. The medical field watches babies born on methadone and if necasarry they use phenbarbitol and/or moraphine to help ease any discomfort of the infant. They will stay in the neonatal dept. until they are symptom free ussually they go home within 3 weeks. Razz

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methadone might be a way for some peeps to stay high. But would u rather they robbed, killed, and stealed to get high. Or just go to a Dr. and get it where it lasts a long time and really after the first couple of days the high becomes ur normal. Im on it and ive been addicted on the streets and at the clinic. and there is a major difference in u its affecting. Only me thats who. Not the entire world. So I know people like to raise hell about Methadone but people are going to stay high any way they can if they are an addict. And I know for a fact methadone keeps the illegal activity way down compared to using off the streets. I know its probably not good either way but really which one is the lesser of the two evils. Opiate addicts are always going to be here unless God gives us some type of miracle cure. SO at the current moment Methadone is what it is. I take it for pain also and I dont have pain or an adciction problem out of control. Im actually about to Grad with a BS in Psych then going to Grad school. So u cant say everyone who uses it is worthless. Because Im doing better in school than most the sober kids. Check that. Holla

jenn772 · Newbie Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

did it ever occur to u that ur sister might be doing more than what she is saying. it is sad that u dont educate yourself before u judge someone i guess u r perfect and have never done anyting wrong in ur life well good for u but methadone has helped alot of people and yes including ME! what is sad is the people who do not do with it as they r suppose to which prob. includes ur sister im sorry ur nephew passed away but dont judge other people for the treatment they r trying to get. next time educate yourself before u speak.

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i had my first child born to methadone and i want to say that not all babies are suffering when they are first born my daughter had mild sneezing and occasionall crying but apart from that she was a normal baby it only when the mother is taking alot more than methadone ontop that the baby will experience severe withdrawals. mt daughter is now 7 and a healthy little girl with no problems

monnyfaye · Newbie Joined: 03 May 2008 Posts: 1

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my son is only 5 days old and was born addicted to methadone. we are currently in the nicu. he was able to stay with me the whole time since i had him and didn't even show any signs of withdrawl until about an hour before I was discharged 48 hrs after he Shocked

born. the only withdrawl that he was showing at that time was constantly wanting to suck on his hands and not sleeping longer than 2 hrs at a time. when they started him on the methadone he started sleeping longer, eating even more which is letting him sleep longer instead of eating less everytime he woke. He also has even been sleeping with his hands down to his side, away from his face, showing me that he is more relaxed. now after only two days they are going to lower his dose to begin weening him off of the methadone. He seems to be doing wonderful and is a baby that has been easy to comfort and console since the day he was born. it must be really hard for ignorant people to understand that if you have an opiate addiction that you have been trying to conquer and you get pregnant, methadone treatment is the best way to go and the only way to know that your child will be born with no effect from your own mistakes or choices you have made in the past that got you hooked in the first place. if your baby is born with something wrong it is most likely something else had went wrong with the fetus while in the womb, it happens all the time to women on absolutely no drugs or medication, why is it so hard to believe that it can happen when a mother is on methadone?!!!!!!!!!

recovering · Newbie Joined: 31 May 2008 Posts: 1

Methadone is just a maintenance program. Why not just detox and be done with the drugs?? I guess I understand the pregnancy detox. But in my opinion, people are just using it because they are afraid of a life without drugs. What kind of life is the child going to have. Is the mom constatnly nodding out??? It still makes you high. Furthermore, I think everyone could stop underestimating the effect of the withdrawal on the infant. If the baby could talk I'm sure they would tell you it sucks. In fact, crying is the baby's way of communicating. Do something brave, take a leap of faith, see how wonderful your life would be without any mood or mind altering drug. You may miss out on your baby's first smile while you're nodding off in the chair. Bye the way, why are we withdrawing the baby from the methadone and the mother just gets her usual dose so she doesn't have to feel the effects.

babies born with methadone addiction

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