Babies Born Dependent on Drugs on the Rise
Throughout the country, there has been a recent increase of the number of babies being born addicted to drugs. This tragic, harsh reality is prompting some hospitals to hire volunteers to hold and attempt to comfort the babies during the time they are experiencing withdrawal. Because the baby’s central nervous systems are affected by the drug dependency, they are very irritable and unhappy after birth. Many hospitals have found that these babies are comforted by swaddling and being held as well as sucking on pacifiers. Babies born dependent on drugs also need to be fed more often because they cannot tolerate a lot of food at a time.
USAtoday.com reports that Tennessee has recently seen an increase in babies born dependent on drugs. They indicate, “When newborn babies begin to withdraw from powerful drugs, they shriek at a high, telltale pitch. Cut off from the substances they ingested through their mothers, they convulse, projectile vomit or writhe from skin-scorching diarrhea. Their tiny bodies shudder violently. They cannot be consoled. The urge to help is overwhelming. But the debate over how to help has consumed Tennessee doctors, researchers and politicians alike — and has led them to wildly different conclusions in their efforts to speak up for these infants. That’s because drug-dependent babies are both heart wrenching and expensive to care for. Meanwhile, state laws are divergent — and contradictory — in addressing the crisis.”
This tragic truth is playing out in many states and is a complicated matter: should mothers be treated and their parental rights protected? Or should these drug-addicted mothers be separated from their babies and serve time in prison?
USAtoday reports that in Tennessee, “The average cost to deliver a drug-dependent baby is $62,000, compared with $4,700 for a healthy child. Taxpayers bear the brunt of this cost — most of these babies and their mothers are on TennCare, the state’s health insurance program for the poor.” This financial burden is overwhelming and tragic and adds to the already desperate situation for the increase in babies being born dependent on drugs.
Source: usatoday.com