Mother pregnant with 2nd child on methadone
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hey everyone. This is an extremely tpuchy subject for me.... I had my first child (unplanned) on methadone. I did npt use any other drugs and took it like it was prescribed. She was born with no withdrawals at all. However at 3 months old she developed congenital nystagmus(a eye disorder that makes the eyes shake horizontally back and forth). She is now 3 years old still has it and i am pregnant with my second child this time i was taking birth control so I was not thinking or hoping to get pregnant on this ever again. I also have done so much better on methadone than I was when ive been off of it. Well ive been looking more and more into babies born on methadone to see if there has ever been a connection. Tonight I found a very disturbing article that said they did a study linking nystagmus to methadone maintainance. Least to say I have been bawling uncomtrollably. Has any other moms had their kids on methadone and besides NAS have the had any other developmental problems?? Please put my mind at ease because I feel like dying right now.
Thank you for all your responses. This was very hard for me to write. Please so not judge as I am already being extremely hard on myself and will never forgive myself as it is.
0 likes, 7 replies
lauren16716
Posted
Rener lauren16716
Posted
First Lauren please stop beating Yourself up. You need to be speaking to Your Doctor and addiction Counselor about what's going on. If not careful You maybe setting Yourself up for a bigger fall. Back to what put you on methadone to begin with. Neither child deserves this. The medical Community is becoming more and more of this type of pregnancy. They too are doing clinical studies on what to do when this type pregnancy happens. Try looking into that! What You can do, what They can do and be honest with Doctor. They need to know what Their dealing with. I'm praying for You! Keep posting wouldvlike to know how Your doing
lauren16716 Rener
Posted
Thank you for your reply. I talked to my counselor and nurses at the clinic this morning. All of them assured that out of all the pregnancies they have seen there (50+) that none of them had problems except my daughter. I showed them all of the findings that I had found and they said they were going to look more into itbut not to stress because all of the other mothers didnt seem to have problems. I am trying to stop crying and keep my head up and keep praying. And what got me on methadone in the first place was I ended up having 8 very painful surgies that were over a three year span. Most horrible time of my life. I tried getting off and couldn't. It ended up getting to the point where I was looking to alternatives for pain because I could no longer live or think right. So I tried suboxone first and it was horrible I ended up being allergic to the naloxone in it. Then I tried methadone and it seemed like it was a Godsend. But back to what I was saying I also scheduled a visit with my doctor at the clinic for this Thursday. So maybe I will get some clarity..... Thank you for your response and I appreciate you praying for me. We need all the prayers we can get!!!!
Rener lauren16716
Posted
You just don't need the stress. Also there are other things that could've caused her condition. It's not necessarily what you did wrong. Don't let guilt eat you up. Forgive yourself. Those babies need a sober Mom!! Let Me give You an example of things happen. Friend mowing lawn hit a rock it flew across the yard and hit her baby girl in eye. Permanent damage. She didn't know a rock would fly that far or that would happen! You didnt do it on purpose. Wow! I just read article about this subject a few days ago. It said something about babies being born addicted and their problems. The Doctors and Nurses would rather see a Mom on methadone for baby than thie other drugs! Watch out for gabapentin too. It's a horrible drug! Don't drive Yourself crazy reading these articles on internet. I had a healthy baby not using but I could make myself feel guilty all day long reading these type articles. Her weight did I eat wrong?! Ya know? Good luck to You and prayers for you both!
lauren16716 Rener
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amanda95636 lauren16716
Posted
Hi Lauren,
The first thing to acknowledge is the fact that you are not using,being on methadone is so stigmatized.You need to calm down and remember the effects that stress can have in your baby and family.I had one son on methadone and he was normal,no N.A.S or other adverse affects,I got off the methadone and had two kids before becoming addicted to codeine and ending up on subutex.I am like you and feel its best for me to continue the treatment but after starting it I too had an unplanned pregnancy.My son was also healthy and born weighing over ten pounds.Don't go into all the data because each pregnancy is different and is affected by many varying factors,many don't have anything to do with your methadone.He strong,eat well,think positive,talk to your belly and tell the baby how perfect he/she is no matter what and most of all be proud of what a great mum and strong woman you are.
lauren16716 amanda95636
Posted