methadone effects on newborns

[hannahphn]

Hello everyone! I'm new to this forum, so this is my first posting.

I'm a PHN and work with high risk infants. I'm wondering--has anyone had experience with newborns and methadone withdrawal? What are some of the signs/symptoms of methadone withdrawal in newborns?

Thanks for any responses in advance!

[mumandproud]

To the moms who responded on here....you are the minority of what we typically see, a small minority. The majority of withdrawl kids we see are the product of a mom who is not only on methadone, but is still doing whatever else she did before. This is a nurse's forum and we are telling what we see and experience, which is different from your side. We don't mean to disrespect the moms who have come around and straightened out, but like I said, you are the vast minority. And to say we are uneducated on this is not a fair statement, we base our care on evidence based research and experience.

I recently went to a drug rehab with one of our fellows to see what the docs/counselors were telling these moms. They were telling all the moms, regardless of doses of med, what illicit drugs they did, etc that the babies won't withdrawl up to 14 days after delivery, they shouldn't need any meds and if they do they will only be in the hospital for "a week at the most". Needless to say, this has prompted many of our neos and peds to form a clinic just for drug dependent moms so that we can educate them prior to delivery on what truly is to be expected, how we score,etc.

im one of those mums that are doing good on the program my baby is 6mnths and i had to stay in for 3 days to see if she would show any signs of withdrawl as sometimes it doesnt show till 4 5 days after birth. i was liucky my baby had no signs and i was able to take her home to meet her 3 brothers but i had meetings before birth about what could happen and how thay deal with it i think the info us mothers get need to be put more openly be upfront with us mums be stright about what may happen non of this your baby will be fine .... your dose is low so nothing will be wrong wth your baby any thing can happen while preg even with out drugs add drugs it is 70% more likely something will go wrong when i found out i was preg i didnt know wot to do becouse i was on the prog and didnt want to bring a small inacent child into this world needing drugs with out being able to have a say but after wighing it up with my partner and older kids we went ahead wouldnt change it now but if she had problems or something happened to her i would of hated myself

[Mtrac10]

Not at all shocked by the complaints as I will refer to them. To Mothers: these are nurses, not DRs or MD or OBGYNs. (just browsing titles quickly) They are not appropriate for taking medical advise. IE:...To who said, "I would rather see a mother do heroin over methadone" Do you realize the chemicals that people supplement heroin with (YA...some of it is not good...poisons to name one) Never consider that a better option because its easier on you (the nurses personal experience)!!!!!!!!! Cant stress that ENOUGH! I did a search to find MOTHERS experiences w/subutex and the amount being taken while pregnant and wound up here:( Anyway, mothers....like the forum says: Talk to your DRS. I am assuming they know what is best for you and your baby! Best of luck to all of you and your special little ones!

[Munch]

thank you ................ i two have wrote the same on here i am a methadone mother and the things i have read on here made me sad more then anything some of these people are ment to be caring for us and our children and this is what thay are saying.

im up every morining at 6am with my 4 kids and my 6mnth old wakes 2 times a night at the mo is teething and im up walking around singing talking cuddling her one of the post on here said US WE drug mums dont do that for our babys BUT WE DO glad more mums like me are reading this and dstanding up

I thought this was allnurses.com? a forum for nurses to come together and share their experiences? Not a forum meant for everyone to come and comment on what some posters posted. If you were a mother that gave birth to a baby that needed methadone to prevent withdrawal symptoms...then why not start your own forum to support each other? Not come on a nurses forum when you aren't a nurse and get on your soapbox and JUDGE some of our posts posts? Sometimes we call it like we see it. Like I said if you need an outlet start your own forum(or maybe a forum already exists for mothers who are addicts and their babies needed methadone). There are forums FOR EVERYTHING on the net, my friend belongs to a goldfish lovers forum or something like that.

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

I have to agree with most....we see the worst of the worst. Personally, I don't really care why you were on methadone, you were on it and your baby is going to withdrawl, and I am one of many that will care for that baby and my heart will break for your baby because their poor little insides and brain are going haywire. I pray it only lasts a few days, but the majority of the ones we see are there for months, trying to get off the morphine or the methadone we have to use to try to lessen those affects of the methadone and other drugs that were ingested by the person who carried this baby.

And I would rather a kid withdrawl off heroin too...it is faster and less stressful for the baby. We have a slew of heroin kids right now, whose mother's not only did the heroin but methadone too, and anything else they could get their hands on. Sure they put "poisons" in the heroin, but isnt' it all poison? Just saying.

So, moms who feel the need to comment on a nurses forum, you are the exception to the rule. And I find that the people who are the "reformed addicts" are the preachiest ones and they try to rule their kids care because they are feeling bad and guilty and want us to believe that they will be the best mom ever, and you might be, but the majority of the ones in my unit right now aren't and will most likely disappear once county gets involved and insists they go to an inpatient rehab so they can get their baby. Happens all the time. So, please don't judge us...judge the other moms that are on methadone and make us a bit jaded.

[prmenrs, RN]

Amen, BBG. It's the old "walk a mile". And NICU nurses have walked that mile many, many times. Hours of holding, rocking, dealing w/diaper rash because the kids are frantic and eat too much and have intestinal cramping and diarhea, trying to convince to previous shift that it's better to give the meds BEFORE they get crazy and it takes 12 hours to get them under control again. Docs that want to wean too fast, which results in having to go way back up on meds again and start almost all over. CPS workers who are too fast/too slow to remove the baby when our daily encounters w/mom demonstrated good coping or no coping--and certainly no insight to the mess they are in.

And I'll never, ever forget the Dad that did a drug deal right there in the ICU nursery. Honest to God. Oh, yes, no problem, we'll discharge this baby to your home! NOT.

I adopted a little boy whose mom did Heroin, codeine, etoh, and tobacco. Welcome to the wonderful, fun world of Spec Ed. I love the heck out of him, and will protect and advocate for him until I'm on the wrong side of dirt. And make plans for his future w/o me.

After 30+ years of NICU experience, I think I am fairly qualifed to evaluate a withdrawing infant's situation in a NONjudgemental and empathetic manner.

Getting off my soapbox and returning to my fetal position. :chair: