ST. LOUIS — St. Louis’ growing opioid epidemic is now affecting babies.
More mothers are abusing drugs while they’re pregnant and that’s leading to more babies being born with Neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Symptoms include excessive crying, tremors, problems sleeping and in some cases seizures.
At SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, neonatologist Dr. Justin Josephsen said they treat about 200 babies every year suffering from NAS.
On Thursday, Dr. Josephsen will hold a system-wide Perinatal Opioid Summit to discuss their new tactics and success.
“Babies who have neonatal opioid exposure are at risk of some longer-term effects and we carefully monitor them and monitor them in our follow up clinic for several years after they leave here,” said Dr. Josephsen.
The unit has been in place for three years. Both mothers and babies are treated. When the clinic was first created, babies had to stay in the hospital for at least three weeks. Babies were given small doses of morphine to help treat the symptoms.
Now, Dr. Josphsen said they have switched to a different method.
“Our new approach is to really focus on our non-pharmacologic care. What I mean by that is, holding babies, swaddling babies, skin to skin care. And allowing them a safe period,” he said.
About 25 percent of the babies still have to be given morphine but it used to be as high as 90 percent.