help

[jenjen2709]

i am going to give birth in about 2 weeks and i am addicted to painkillers, if i stop now what are the chances of my baby being born addicted. I don't take very high doses at all and have been trying to taper off. Should I go ahead and quit cold turkey now?

[adgal]

Hi there.  I popped over from the pregnancy forum, and I am going to tell you, this happens often.  So the first thing to know is that you are not alone.  You've got all these great folks here, and there are many more women who have gone through what you are, and had successful healthy pregnancies.  

I can't stay on long, so didn't read the other posts, and apologize in advance if I am about to repeat what others have already said.

Do not quit cold turkey.  THat is dangerous for both you and the baby.  Secondly, reach out and be honest with your Dr.  I work closely with Child Protective Services and I can tell you that if your fear is that they will take the baby, that is rarely the case.  Rather, they will look at the fact that you are working hard to get off the pills and are acting in your childs best interest.  So don't worry about being judged as they are there to help, not punish you.  

You are doing the right thing in trying to get off of them, so huge congrats for already showing you are a great mom in that you are trying to put your childs interests above your own.  There are specialists in this field who can help you properly wean (it needs to be done under Dr.s care), and assist you in getting the proper after care you need to stay off of them.  By taking these actions now, it is more then likely your child will not be born addicted.  However, if you slip, again, communicate with your Dr. and your support system.  If the baby is born addicted, there are special procedures they can put in place to ensure the babies safety and well being.

Congrats again to you.  You have reached out and that is the first step. You can do this, but you should not try do it alone.  I know your scared and I can understand why.  But cold turkey is so dangerous, and truthfully, there is only one way to do this properly. With your Dr.s' help.  Be honest about amounts and dosages...don't hide anything.  They are there to help. and they have all seen it before. I'm happy to say that I see babies born all the time to women who are working on their sobriety that are both healthy, and happily are with mom where they belong.  I wish you well.

[Ashelen]

I agree with everyone above.

DO NOT QUIT COLD TURKEY!!!
It could put you into early labor and yes then your baby WOULD have dependence issues, and what's worse your OB wouldn't know about it in order to watch out for the baby and make sure he/she is safe.

Some facts that not many people are aware of....when a baby is born, they routinely test the meconium (baby's first poo) or amniotic fluid, and most of these routine tests include drug tests. It will show ANY and ALL drug use done during ANY POINT of the pregnancy.

So you can't hide it. And if the baby comes out and you haven't spoken with your OB about it, you could get into a WORLD of trouble.

BUT! if you speak to your OB and they are able to monitor baby and make sure baby is safe, you shouldn't get into any trouble at all. At most they might refer you to a social worker, but I have never known anyone who got into trouble being honest...and I have spoken to MANY pregnant women addicted to drugs....not a single one of them got in trouble for coming clean with their OB. however I have heard many sad stories of women getting into trouble when their babies (surprise!) test positive at birth despite quitting before delivery...and you Do not want that.

Again..I want to stress that for the baby's safety, you MUST tell your OB. He MUST know about the drug usage, in honest detail, so he can make sure baby comes into the world healthy and happy, OK?

You're going to be fine..baby should be fine...but you must be honest, and you can't wait. I would call tomorrow.

Please stick around and get some awesome support here..and you're welcome to come by the Pregnancy 18-34 medhelp forum and speak to the ladies there (some of whom have experienced what you're going through)....take a deep breath...and go be honest!

[dominosarah]

You have to talk with your OB.  They have to know about this, if the baby is born addicted this wont be a surprise.  Most hospitals are testing the baby for drugs when they are born.  You have to be honest here, do what is right for you and this baby~~sara

[littlebit667]

Yes to all of the above!  

[Innerstrength67]

Hi, my sister is a pediatric nurse and knows about this sort of thing. You must tell your dr everything because even though your on a low dose, the baby might have WD and there are meds they need to administer right away to your baby. This is not to scare you but you really need to be honest with your dr.
Good luck.

[gnarly_1]

FIRST OFF DONT QUIT C/T you might hurt your baby get a hold of your doctor and let them know whats going on they may switch your meds around to something a bit safer fro thre baby both the doctor and hospital needs to know about your addiction ....everything will work out fin if they know if not and its a suprize or youi try and hide it it will blow up in your face call your doctor now and ask them what they want you to do and follow doctors orders to a t good luck to you and your baby your not the first one this has happened to let us know how things turn out ......Gnarly