Painkiller Addiction Increasingly Common In Newborns

When you picture a person going through painkiller withdrawals, a baby crying in his crib is usually not the first image that comes to mind. But the number of babies born with withdrawal symptoms has skyrocketed since 2000, according to a new study.

In 2000, approximately 4,300 babies were born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a condition that occurs in some babies that were exposed to opiates such as heroin, Vicodin and oxycodone in the womb, according to the study. In 2009, the number jumped 300 percent to 13,000.

"That's about one baby per hour," Dr. Stephen Patrick, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan, told CNN. "We were surprised by it. That's a startling increase."

Opiates used by an expectant mother during pregnancy pass through the placenta and into the baby. The babies' bodies become dependent on the drugs but no longer have access to them once they are born, triggering withdrawal. Between 55 percent and 94 percent of babies exposed to the drugs before birth show signs of withdrawal once they are born, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Signs of withdrawal unique to infants include a distinct, high-pitched cry and an aversion to light and sound. They may also show symptoms similar to adult withdrawal patients, such as insomnia, diarrhea and vomiting.

Doctors use methadone, a drug used by addicts looking to kick the habit, to wean the babies off of the drugs slowly. Making them go cold-turkey could lead to seizures and possibly death, according to the study.

Getting the babies over their addiction could take weeks or even months and often requires long-term hospitalization. The cost of treating drug-addicted babies increased from $190 million in 2000 to $720 million in 2009, according to the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Monday.

The increase in opiate-addicted babies is a product of growing numbers of adults who abuse painkillers.. More than two-thirds of patients prescribed painkillers abuse them by taking them too often or by taking them in conjunction with other painkillers not prescribed to them, according to research published by Quest Diagnostics.

In addition, two million people in 2010 admitted to abusing prescription painkillers for the first time -- almost 5,500 per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tennessee had the highest rate of painkiller abuse between 2007 and 2008, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. It also has one of the highest rates of opiate-addicted newborns. At East Tennessee Children's Hospital, almost 50 percent of the babies in the neonatal intensive care unit are experiencing withdrawals.

"In Knox County, we're drowning," Susan Kovac, attorney for the Department of Children's Services in Tennessee, told CNN. "We've seen the number of children in foster care increase by almost 50 percent over the last few years, and that's just the tip of the iceberg because we're trying to keep the children out of foster care. We've got lots and lots of relatives who are raising drug-exposed infants."

Florida also experienced a surge in the number of addicted babies, which increased from 354 in 2006 to 1,374 in 2010, according to the study.

The researchers call for individual states and the Federal government to take action to reduce the amount of painkillers prescribed and say educating the public about the dangers of using the drugs while pregnant may also help. Cutting the number of prescriptions of opiates could drastically reduce the number of babies born with NAS, according to the study.

"Newborns with NAS experience longer, often medically complex and costly initial hospitalizations," the researchers wrote in the study. "The increasing incidence of NAS and its related health care expenditures call for increased public health measures to reduce [in utero] exposure to opiates across the United States."

10 Things that New Mothers should know

Unfortunately, no matter how many books you read or how prepared you feel you may be, babies have their own special way of being and you have to adapt to it.

From your breastfeeding troubles and postpartum bleeding to baby’s colic and indecipherable crying. Here are some young mothers' most unexpected, unforgettable moments as a new parent.

Breastfeeding isn’t always easy.
If you’re not getting the hang of breastfeeding right away, don’t beat yourself up. Despite what you may have heard, it doesn’t always come so naturally.

Whether baby’s not latching right or you can’t seem to boost your milk supply, there are a number of potential frustrations and they’re all totally normal.

Don;t give up! Make sure you’ve read up on possible solutions to your breastfeeding problems; you may find that a small change to your routine is a real lifesaver.

It’s also important to realize that you’re not alone. First, talk to a health professional. Failing that chat with other new mamas or join a support group.

Most newborn clothes will go to waste.
Yep, despite all the sleep deprivation and constant exhaustion, those first couple months sure do fly by.

The likelihood that baby will get a decent run out of every newborn outfit in his closet is pretty slim.

So don’t go crazy registering for or buying up tons of adorable outfits in newborn sizes and whatever you do, don’t go nuts with newborn shoes either, cute as they are.

Baby will likely spend a lot of those first three months in and out of romper suits instead of fancy outfits, and you’ll be changing him so much, thanks to spit-up and diaper mishaps that most of them will hardly see the light of day.

Newborns poops are noisy and messy.
Noisy, smelly, and yes, sometimes explosive, newborn poops are certainly not for the weak-stomached.

Something else to keep in mind is that Baby’s poop will be pretty liquidy in that newborn stage, meaning it won’t take much to send it flying. Always carry wipes and a change of baby clothes.

Going back to work is hard.
Heading back to work is rough on every mother and missing your baby when you’re away can be overwhelming.

Before you head back to work, make sure you set up a childcare situation that makes you 100 percent comfortable, whether it’s a live-in nanny, a daycare system, or a friend or relative.

Then do what you can to stay in the loop during the day by asking your nanny to give you certain updates or calling the daycare periodically to check in.

Keeping the lines of communication open will make you feel less disconnected from baby.

"Getting to know and like" baby can take a while.
It’s totally normal to have a hard time adjusting to motherhood at first, not everything comes naturally and not everyone snaps into “mom mode” the second after they give birth.

Same goes for feeling that instant connection to baby. Give yourself a break, and remember your body is going through a lot of hormonal shifts after delivery that will eventually pass.

But do remember that if the feelings don’t go away, or if they’re too difficult to handle on your own, talk to a health professional who will help you get to the root of the problem.

You will bleed postpartum.
We know, donning those life-raft-sized pads in the weeks after delivery is no picnic for anyone, but at least you can take comfort in the fact that they’re only temporary.

Your bleeding should last only for a few days max and if it doesn’t, contact your doctor. After that, it may change to a discharge that will last up to several weeks.

You won’t have time for anything else.
While having a baby definitely uses most of your “me” time in the beginning, but you need to be able to set up a system with your partner or relatives, for doing things like basic chores and running errands.

Try devising a plan of attack well before baby arrives and vowing to stick to it as much as possible. Sure, it may be easier said than done before baby comes, but you need to make sure that some semblance of routine is kept up, if only to maintain your relationship with your partner and your own sanity.

You won’t always know what your baby's cry means.
It’s definitely frustrating and emotional when you feel like you’ve tried everything to calm baby and nothing works.

The good news is that you can be taught by a health professional and you’ll eventually come to learn exactly what baby wants the more time you spend with her.

Pay attention to the way the baby cries. A low-pitched cry often means she’s hungry, whereas a high-pitched one means she might be in pain, especially if she draws her knees up at the same time.

If her cries build in intensity, she may be tired and if she’s just plain bored, her cry may sound like a passing whimper.

Baby may have sleeping problems.
It can take a few weeks for baby to sort out the difference between night and day. If it continues too long then your health and your relationship with your partner will suffer. Seek advice as early as possible.

Take baby outside for at least an hour each day, the new experiences will stimulate her. Then, at nighttime, prior to going to bed, avoid any stimulation at all, no light, no singing, and no talking.

Sleep is a specialist subject and for more key information on sleep issues and their resolution contact Deirdre at Dream-Angus

Colic is a nightmare.
The dreaded colic (or reflux) affects up to 25 percent of infants. Several reasons can cause this and in most cases these have to be determined by a health professional.

Some colic /reflux goes un-diagnosed and is put down to a 'grumbling' baby or one that doesn't sleep but experienced health support professionals should be able to detect it.

Contact Deirdre at Dream-Angus for more information on Colic /Reflux, as well as breast-feeding, sleep and feeding.

Can Playing Maternal Voice and Heartbeat Sounds Benefit Premies?

Nearly five years ago, Amir Lahav became a parent of twins born prematurely at 25 weeks. They weighed just over 1 pound each.

Welcoming two newborns into the family certainly changed his life, but as a neuroscientist, it also ended up changing the course of his research.

Lahav studies how the brain processes sounds, and worked primarily with neurologically impaired adults, but with the birth of his twins, his paternal instinct kicked in.

He approached the chief of newborn medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where the babies lay in incubators.

“Could I put a recording of my wife's voice in there?” Lahav asked, convinced that hearing their mother’s soothing tones would improve the babies’ development. The answer: It's certainly worthwhile.

Using his computer, Lahav recorded his wife’s voice telling the babies they’re fighters and urging them to be strong.

He also included some soothing piano music, figuring it could prove relaxing for preemies. Then he tinkered with the sound to make it resemble what a baby would hear in utero.

While we hear through air, babies in the womb process sound through fluid so what passes as hearing consists of more low-frequency vibrations. (Think about slipping beneath the surface of the bath as someone talks to you, or try speaking while putting a finger in each ear.) “It’s as if babies are living in a micro-subwoofer,” explains Lahav.

The twins seemed to like the recordings, and doctors and nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were intrigued.

Moreover, it proved therapeutic for Lahav and his wife. “It was not a controlled trial,” says Lahav, “but just a crazy father trying to do something because especially in the case of premature babies, you feel very helpless.”

Once his twins left the hospital, Lahav returned to thank the chief for letting him experiment.

One thing led to another, and they found themselves in a serious conversation about prematurity and how the focus of neonatal medicine has changed from saving the lives of these babies, doctors have grown expert at keeping preemies alive, to helping them grow into healthy children.

Studies have shown that premature infants are at greater risk of having low IQ and developing metabolic or chronic conditions in young adulthood that can shorten their lives.

Could keeping them bathed in mom’s comforting sounds lower the incidence of some of these adverse effects on their health? Lahav wound up with a job offer to find out.

Read more: Can Playing Maternal Voice and Heartbeat Sounds Benefit Premies?

Children's Health Magazine and The New American Diet

Children's Health Magazine : Babies : The New American Diet

Exposure to pesticides and other toxins in pregnancy and early childhood can set your baby up for obesity later in life. Here's your stay-safe plan.

Of all the scary things to worry about when you're pregnant, there's one that's probably not on your radar, even though it affects almost every baby born: exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

When we began researching the forthcoming book The New American Diet (Rodale, 2009), we knew that traditional diet advice just wasn't working anymore. Simple principles--eat less fat, choose chicken or fish over beef, eat plenty of vegetables--were based on science from the middle of last century, and the world has changed since then.

From the hidden calories in many processed products to the way our meat and produce are being raised, today's food is very different from what we ate 50 years ago, and traditional diet advice simply doesn't take those factors into consideration.

But the deeper we dug, the more we realized that America's obesity epidemic had a sneaky underlying cause few of us consider in making our nutritional choices: Simply put, we're eating and drinking too many EDCs.

They enter our food chain through pesticides on produce, and through plastics that leach into our food and water. In a recent statement by the Endocrine Society, the largest organization of experts devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology, researchers noted that the rise in the incidence of obesity matches the rise in the use and distribution of EDCs, and concluded that they may be linked to the obesity epidemic.

Fathers suffering from postpartum depression.

Fathers suffering from postpartum depression. It’s a topic not usually discussed publicly, but doctors are saying the problem is more widespread than you would think.

The birth of a child is supposed to be a happy time for a new father but suddenly a screaming baby, sleepless nights and coming second in your wife's affections, makes him feel confused, helpless and out of control.

It changes their role in life and affects their sense of themselves.

“I think new fathers have indeed suffered depression for a long time, but that the equality of gender in our society now makes it a little easier to speak about,” said Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist.

There are even Web sites dedicated to the topic, which address the symptoms, treatments and support groups.

“In my own practice, I have treated many men with postpartum depression who see the birth of their children as heralding major changes in their lives, including higher levels of responsibility and commitment, which can provoke anxiety,” Ablow wrote. “Others fear that they will lose the affection of their wives as attention is (appropriately) diverted from them to their children.”

History of Depression
Men who have a history of depression are at an increased risk of developing postpartum depression, as are men whose partners are also depressed.

Like most cases of depression, symptoms include low mood, tearfulness, decreased energy, low self-esteem, impaired sleep and/or appetite and thoughts of suicide, Ablow said.

While postpartum depression in fathers usually occurs within four weeks of the baby’s delivery, Ablow said he has seen some cases develop after the three-month mark.

If you suspect your baby's father is suffering from postpartum depression, be supportive, Ablow advised. Remind him that his feelings are only temporary and they won’t last forever. Urge him to go to counseling, as psychotherapy is often an effective means of treatment.

Psychotherapy
“Psychotherapy is very effective in treating postpartum depression in men because the issues are so often tied to their own suboptimal experiences with their dads and their misgivings about marriage and commitment,” Ablow said. “Medications, including SSRIs, can also be very helpful.”

Women should try to include the new dads into the new ritual of mother-child bonding. He may feel withdrawn from the child, and encouraging him to spend time with the new baby may be helpful. Also, scheduling some time for romance — maybe a “date night” — can’t hurt either