What is NAS?
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome is a condition in which a baby has withdrawl symptoms after being exposed prenatally when a mother uses substances such as medications or illicit drugs during pregnancy. The baby goes through withdrawl shortly after birth because it is no longer receiving the substances. The kinds of medications that may cause withdrawl include those known as opioids (painkillers) like oxycodone, hydrocodone, morphine, roxycodone, codeine, and the like.
When pregnancy occurs during addiction to narcotics, whether prescribed or illicit, most often the mother will be referred to a pain clinic to receive substitute narcotics. Fetal death could occur if a woman stops taking narcotics suddenly. Infants who are exposed to these substitute drugs while the mother is pregnant will be born dependent on them.
Once the baby is born, he or she may be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the hospital so a protocol of narcotic weaning may take place. Figures from the Tennessee Department of Health show that it costs on average $62,973 to treat a baby with NAS compared with $7,763 for the care of an infant who is not dependent.
When pregnancy occurs during addiction to narcotics, whether prescribed or illicit, most often the mother will be referred to a pain clinic to receive substitute narcotics. Fetal death could occur if a woman stops taking narcotics suddenly. Infants who are exposed to these substitute drugs while the mother is pregnant will be born dependent on them.
Once the baby is born, he or she may be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the hospital so a protocol of narcotic weaning may take place. Figures from the Tennessee Department of Health show that it costs on average $62,973 to treat a baby with NAS compared with $7,763 for the care of an infant who is not dependent.
