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Are Babies Born Addicted

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Babies Born Addicted to Illegal Drugs
Mothers who use illegal drugs while pregnant increase the risk of the baby being born having health issues. Babies who are born addicted to drugs usually suffer from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Babies that are born to mothers addicted to drugs do not have the choice to be clean. Mothers need to think about their unborn child, instead of being selfish and only thinking of themselves and their next “high.” Addiction is a powerful disease that affects one in every ten people in the United States. However, if people look at it from an outsider point of view, it not only affects the addict, but the addict’s family and friends. When a baby in the womb, he or she gets drugs every day from his or her mother, …show more content…

Under the law, suspicious miscarriages, stillbirths and infants with birth defects are grounds for possible criminal assault charges carrying a prison sentences of up to 15 years. Tennessee, the first to state with such a law, has a high number of babies born with drugs in their systems. Supporters believe that threat of jail will force mothers into treatment. Women who stick with drug addiction programs will not be charged. Critics say the measure will harm babies by making pregnant women afraid to seek medical care and may lead to more abortions …show more content…

Besides the Finnigan Score test, healthcare professionals can also test the placenta, the placenta can be tested all the way back to twenty weeks gestation. Those tests determine what type of drugs the mother passed on to the baby. Also this test is used to determine what type of withdrawal and how severe the withdrawals will be. Babies who are suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), have a special Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. There are private rooms to give the babies peace and quiet. NAS babies are sensitive to being jarred and loud noises. So the unit has alarms, however, they are not loud. Also at ETCH “A small army of volunteers called ‘cuddlers’ help the staff by holding the infants, rocking, and overall just helping them ride out their symptoms. Many of the babies have private, dark rooms with high-tech rocking machines to keep them calm”

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Per Reporter: Christine and the baby tested positive for benzodiazepines and marijuana. The meconium test is pending. There were no birth defects; however, the nurse (unknown) mentioned that the baby is experiencing withdrawals (trimmers). Christine takes Subutex (methadone), which are prescribed.

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Fetal Alcohol Court Case Essay Normally babies would be born healthy from mothers that took care of themselves as best as they could while pregnant. The mothers usually don't drink alcohol because it's not safe for the baby and could cause health problems for them in the future. But, in this case that didn't happen. Jessica Nordeen got pregnant and purposefully still drank alcohol during her pregnancy after not only being told not to drink by the father of the baby but by the doctor that she went to throughout her pregnancy. Jessica Nordeen and Justin Garcia, were seniors in high school at the time and they partied a lot and drank all the time together, then Jessica got pregnant.

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Newborn Experts is a baby doula and baby nursing firm that is located in Maryland. Newborn Experts is led by Lois Ecker, CLC, CPD. Lois Ecker, CLC, CPD possesses more than 40 years of experience as a hands-on newborn specialist and infant nanny. Her services include in home 24-hour care, travel to the client’s home anywhere in the US, lactation consultant, newborn consultant, nutrition advice, swaddling techniques, plus more. Newborn Experts also offers baby/children 's laundry, Layette shopping/nursery organization, infant massage, sleep training consultant, and quieting a fussy baby.

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Catherine Saint Louis is a writer who is constantly writing about issues in health. This article is titled Pregnant Women Turn to Marijuana, Perhaps Harming Infants, published on February 2, 2017. It tells a story about a young women named Stacey who is smoking marijuana while pregnant. Catherine’s purpose in this article is to spread awareness to the world bringing the dramatic issue of destroying infants little by little that have not yet been born. This is a big issue and women don’t seem to understand it.

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613 Words | 3 Pages

Baby Recovers from Heroin Addiction It is very hard to believe what happens to people when they let drugs take over their lives. Especially mothers who are pregnant. In Lenny Bernstein’s article, “When Life Begins in Rehab: A baby heals after a mother’s heroin addiction,” he describes a mother’s life after her baby is born addicted to heroin.

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In addition to Christina’s opioid use disorder, she is also pregnant and carrying twins. Her pregnancy has been complicated by her drug use, and that complication has been further compounded by the absence of prenatal care throughout Christina’s first and partially into her second trimester. One benefit of receiving treatment from the PATHway is that in addition to addressing her opioid use disorder, the program is also able to provide services from high risk obstetricians, nurses, and other supporting medical

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1929 Words | 8 Pages

The author of the article continued to explain the r “As a society, and as clinicians, we have to go far beyond simply viewing the drugs as the problem. In order to give everyone suffering from addiction the best chance possible to enter and stay in recovery, we urgently need to start paying attention to the broader issues that allow addiction to fester, such as housing, employment, poverty, systemic racism, and the effects of incarceration,” (Grinspoon). The author of the article, believes that the problem of addiction in low income neighborhoods is a direct effect of the lower quality systems that are set up for the people living in those neighborhoods. After Sonny’s addiction was caused by the lack of resources in his lower income community, he was unable to get the adequate resources to overcome his cycle of

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1028 Words | 5 Pages

There has been an astounding increase in the use of illegal drugs during pregnancy, therefore increasing the number of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Just a few short years ago, the babies who suffered through Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome were treated with drug therapy with medications such as Methadone, Morphine, or Clonidine in the neonatal intensive care unit. However, the prevalence of drug use in pregnancy and in turn neonatal abstinence syndrome has caused the newborn nursery to turn into a drug rehabilitation center for these babies. Several issues arise with the obstetrical healthcare team when taking care of these patients, such as a negative personal bias resulting from the negative stigma of drug use especially during

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

According to David Chaffin an OB-GYN, in 2009 at Cabell Huntington Hospital 80 out of 1,000 pregnant women were addicted to drugs. In 2014, 139 out of 1,000 pregnant women were addicted to drugs. According to Chaffin approximately, 25 percent of infants born to substance addicted mothers go home after birth. However, majority of babies spend weeks in the hospital being weaned from drugs. Children born to mothers taking subutex spend one week less in hospital care.

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Heroin in Pregnant Women Drug Review Heroin is an addictive opioid that falls into the category of Class One Narcotic per the Drug Enforcement Administration (Drugdex 2016). There are many adverse effects that occurs to the individual who is using Heroin. However, because of the addictive nature these are over looked and the users continue to use the drug and cause self-harm. When people think of heroin users all the think about is the harm they are doing to their bodies, however if the user is a female and become pregnant the child born is at risk because of the drug. The article “Perinatal Effects of combined use of Heroin, Methadone, and Amphetamine during pregnancy and quantitative measurement of metabolites in hair” looks at the effects

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Foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term used to characterise the effects from prenatal alcohol exposure. It is believed to be the primary origin of non-genetic mental retardation alongside further neurodevelopment deficits. They vary from mild to severe but the effects of FASD cause permanent birth defects to which there is no known cure. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Partial Foetal Alcohol Syndrome(PFAS), Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder(ARND), and also Foetal Alcohol Effects(FAE), as well as others, all fall within FASD (Acton PHD, 2013). Defects can occur in a baby due to its mother consuming alcohol during her pregnancy.

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1341 Words | 6 Pages

Correspondingly, releasing a baby into the care of a former drug addict runs the risk of relapse and is a danger to the future of the child. Due to lack of proper care, officials remove the child when a mother does not seek sobriety. With the mother undergoing so much change and barely grasping reality, she is in no condition to look after a baby, she must first help herself. Most hospital workers fail to convince mothers to enter into drug-treatment programs, and some mothers refuse the care-most being poor and uneducated women (Condon 2). These mothers are not able to give the right care for their children and risk the child’s safety.

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727 Words | 3 Pages

Anyone can become addicted and heroin affects all races, genders, and ethnicities equally. Heroin can also kill you, and you don't want to make the decision to take your own life just because of a drug. A drug that will not benefit you in any way. We knew drugs were always bad for you. But, I never really thought of how it will affected my future.

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743 Words | 3 Pages

People hear the side of the addict themselves so much more often, that the parents’ point of view is more shocking and emotional. Thus, they are able to understand better because they can relate to his normal family, that is going through an abnormal

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1013 Words | 5 Pages

The arrival of a new baby, especially the first always marks a new beginning for a mother. It comes with a lot of challenges more so if the mother is less knowledgeable about baby care. Take such as cleaning the baby for the first time, or feeding, it is not easy. The baby is still fragile and slippery and needs a special care. But if the mother is not ready for all these, or maybe, does not have any knowledge on what to do, the baby’s life might be endangered since the baby needs a special care which only the mother can give.

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