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By Edkary Suarez
Imagine a cold, bright delivery room at 6 a.m., and the quiet is broken by the cries of a baby. Its small hands are shaking and every second the cries become louder, more piercing and more distraught.
The mother looks at the doctor and nurses with a worried face and asks what’s wrong.
The baby is experiencing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a condition that the March of Dimes reports happens when a baby becomes dependent on the drug the mother was consuming during pregnancy.
A newborn with NAS has become addicted to a drug while in the womb and is suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Each case of NAS is different, with some withdrawals happening 24 to 48 hours after birth, others showing symptoms five to 10 days after birth. According to Laguna Treatment Center, other symptoms of NAS can be vomiting, diarrhea and difficulty breathing.
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) is the subset of NAS and it occurs when the mother consumes opioids like fentanyl, codeine and oxycodone it’s known as the withdrawal. There are no different symptoms as NOWS is just the withdrawal of NAS.
Taking care of babies going through withdrawal is difficult. Some of the tips given to parents by Standford Children Medicine are doing skin-to-skin, rocking in a quiet space and snuggling.
Other hospitals use the method of what nonprofit Kids Health calls the “Eat, Sleep, Console” approach, where the baby can be monitored in case further intervention is needed.
John Hopkins Medicine recommends long-term follow-up, including developmental follow-up and education at 4, 8 and 18 months of age.
With proper care March of Dimes states most babies recover within days or even weeks.
When mothers and families are provided resources and help instead of judgment and shame, they heal faster from withdrawal.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
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