Neonatal abstinence syndrome: What you must know about this dangerous condition

As you transition from one trimester to the other, your appetite will go through many changes. Where once you craved a food item, you may not like it now. To top it off, you may also experience pain that can affect your food habits.
While you can choose natural methods to deal with these appetite fluctuations and curb pain, some new mothers often fall into the opioid trap and end up displaying neonatal abstinence syndrome symptoms (NAS).
Yes, you read that right.
As your body goes through these changes, you may seek relief from pain using opioids. While they may be an effective drug to alleviate headaches and body pain, their misuse can cause complications during pregnancy, such as NAS.
According to MedlinePlus, NAS is a series of conditions that are caused when a baby withdraws from certain drugs in the womb, before the birth. The primary cause of NAS are opioids that an expecting mother may take to curb pain during pregnancy.
Unfortunately, in many cases NAS is also a result of an expecting mother taking sleeping pills like barbiturates or benzodiazepines, or antidepressants.
Essentially, when you take these drugs during pregnancy, they pass through your placenta and cause serious, potentially fatal, problems for your baby. Remember, the placenta grows in the uterus (womb) and is responsible for supplying food and oxygen to your baby via the umbilical cord.
Due to this, your unborn baby becomes dependent on the drugs, which then leads to withdrawal symptoms once they are born. This is where NAS strikes.
It’s not always just pain killers that you take on your own. If you’ve had a surgery and the doctor has prescribed medication that can also lead to NAS. This condition is called neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS).
So if you’re pregnant, ensure that you speak to your doctor about medication. And if you have not spoken to anybody, you may want to be extra vigilant and look out for signs of NAS. This, especially if you are taking any medication during pregnancy.
To learn more about neonatal abstinence syndrome symptoms and how best to treat it, read on.
For some of these symptoms, your family members or partner can physically spot right away. These can include a rash or cough.
However, signs of NAS may be different for each baby. Some may show the sings within 72 hours of birth. While others may show signs right after birth. In some cases, the signs don’t appear up till weeks from birth and can last up to six months.
Babies who have NAS may also have an increased risk of experiencing various health problems including low birth weight, premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). They may also have problems with development and behaviour as they grow up.
In fact, studies have shown that babies with NAS were more likely to have developmental delays, speech and language impairments and motor issues.
They are also said to be at higher risk of long-term hearing and vision problems as well as disrupted attachment from their mothers. So how do you spot NAS in babies?
If you spot the following signs in your baby, it is advised to call your doctor immediately:
These symptoms can depend upon:
Treatment for NAS depends on your baby’s overall health and abstinence scores. This involves assigning points based on the newborn’s symptoms. It may also depend on the drug that was taken by the mother and if her baby was born full-term or premature.
This treatment may take longer, keeping your baby at the hospital for weeks or even months.
You may find your baby fussy and irritated during this time which is normal behaviour. To calm them, MedlinePlus suggests using any of these tips:
With that said, it’s crucial for you to be vigilant during pregnancy so as to avoid any future complications to your baby after birth.
This article was first published in theAsianparent.