Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

a methadone birth

Has anyone in this forum ever given birth to a baby while on methadone? I am 31 weeks pregnant and on methadone. I just wanted some feedback on some of your experience s. I'm pretty much scared to death!
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
7604172 tn?1445632194
oh you will have had your baby by now :) just noted the date.
Helpful - 0
7604172 tn?1445632194
I have. Don't be afraid. I've actually done it twice, and while it's certainly not ideal, you can't do anything at this point to undo it. Just know that your baby will be taken care of if he/she displays any symptoms. They do something called an APGAR test to see if the baby is agitated. If the baby reaches a certain score, they might choose to wean the baby with morphine. There really is no way to tell how lightly or severely YOUR baby will experience withdrawal until that moment gets here. For instance, with my first child, I took her home in a week. Her scores were never high enough to administer morphine although she even suffered a broken collar bone at birth. That is not to say the situation was ideal, because actually it was very tough as babies experience the same things we do during withdrawal, only they will not remember the pain thankfully. She didn't sleep for more than 20-40 minutes it seemed. Most newborns sleep constantly. It took a few good months for things to normalize. Now she sleeps like a rock and is 12 years old. I've noticed no long lasting symptoms in either of my children. On the other hand, however, with my second child, she came out immediately shaking. Her score was such that she had to stay in the hospital. She wouldn't feed and was highly agitated. She had to be weaned for 3 months with morphine. I was on the same exact dose during both pregnancies. There is a huge difference in how she acted with the weaning as opposed to how my first daughter acted. My first was just needy and irritable and I felt a lot of guilt over it at first. My second was much more smiley, sleepy, and comfortable once they began weaning. It was hard not bringing her home, but I was happy to see her comfortable and not suffering. I hope this helps.
Helpful - 0
You must join this user group in order to participate in this discussion.

You are reading content posted in the NEW METHADONE COMMUNITY; 2011 Group

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.