Will my baby suffer w/d if I am taking 5mg of methadone?

[HopefulMommy111]

Hi, I am 37 weeks pregnant have been tapering off methadone... I have gone from 20mg/day down to 5mg/day... I am planning to decrease to 2.5mg/day and hopefully be off before my csection. Can anyone tell me from experience, if my baby will be born addicted and have w/d symptoms?... I am deathly afraid of my baby being sick. My husband will probably divorce me and my family will disown me. I was abusing percocets before I found out I was pregnant (was not planned at all) and to prevent the w/d I decided to start taking methadone. I hate myself for doing this to myself, my baby and living a lie. I just pray to god every night that my baby will be healthy and that I will be able to get thru this. Please, any suggestion, advice, etc is much appreciated since I have no one to turn to.
Thank you.

[ConcernedMother2B]

I hope you see this, and respond.... I am 31 weeks pregnant and goin through the same exact thing as you described.... I've got myself down to 10mgs of Methadone now, but this seems like a long road ahead of me.... I want to beat this, but I'm also terrified of CPS stepping in after my baby is born.... So I'm reluctant to talk to my OB.... Can u tell me how everything has turned out for you and your Baby?? And, do you have any advice??

[missy14330]

I was on 60 mgs of methadone with my son my whole pregnancy. Well 25mgs 2x a day than went to 30 2x a day. The split dose helps during pregnancy. My son was 6lbs 14oz. He had mild symptoms for the 1st 4 days. Disturbed tremors and muscle tightness which they said are the most  commen symptoms even in methadone babies who don't score high enough to need medication. He went home with me after 4 days and the tremors stopped. He did not need any medication. So even though some babies have mild withdraw does not mean they will stay at the hospital. My sons only lasted 4 days. I did breastfeed and still am. I am still on methadone. He is a happy healthy 20 pound 7 month old. Good luck to anyone in this situation your doing the right thing.

[nursegirl6572]

I agree wholeheartedly that you should not make any changes, just wait until you see your doctor and talk to her.  A 50% drop is dosage is significant, and you cannot go by how YOU feel.  You don't necessarily have to be feeling withdrawals for your baby to be.

You're going to need to tell your husband.  If he is present for the labor, he is going to find out, and it would be better coming from you.  The hospital will have a protocol in place to keep your baby safe and comfortable.  It's hard to tell whether or not your baby will experience withdrawals, but there is a fairly decent chance he/she will, to some degree.  The hospital will handle it, and you are doing the right thing by telling your doctor, as scared as you are.

Very best of luck to you and your baby.  Praying for all to be well.

[HopefulMommy111]

Thank you, I will be telling my Ob everything tmrw... It's encouraging to hear that your daughter was born healthy! That gives me some hope:)

[Twigette]

My OB was very nice when I was pregnant with my daughter on methadone. He never judged me at all. He would not let me come down on my dose during pregnancy. He didn't want the baby to feel withdrawals in utero.  I was very scared how the nurses and hospital would treat me. But they were so very sweet. My daughter had no withdrawal symptoms. And now I a perfect 8 year old. Tell doctor now. Good luck.

[HopefulMommy111]

Yes, I will tell her tmrw at my visit. I know I just dropped 50% from 5mg to 2.5mg but if I feel any symptoms of w/d I will go back up to 5mg right away. Since I've only been taking methadone for 3 months, and was taking 20mg/day, I figured it wouldn't be so hard to get off of it. I went from 20mg to 10 mg to 5mg and now down to 2.5mg. I def will talk to my OB tmrw about this. I know that my shame and embarrassment is not the main concern here- my son is! Do you know if my Dr will inform my husband of this or will she keep it confidential? If it wasn't for him, I would have been honest w my Dr in the first place! Thanks for your advice:)

[diva1957]

Yes. True what Vicki says. Your OBGYN will not freak out on you but rather help you do the right thing with her experience. She had seen it all and then some. It's hard to freak us, medical people. She is not there to judge you but to care for you and your baby. Forget about your own discomfort/ embarrassment. Do everything to protect the most vulnerable person here. Your baby. Your own needs are secondary now. Good luck.

[vicki595]

Hi there-  I think you should let your OB know right away about this. Thats the person who knows how to help you and taper your dose. You're talking about dropping your dose by 50% and that may cause withdrawals in the baby in utero.

There's not a difference between withdrawal and major withdrawal for the infant. It's much better for you to let the doctor know right now so you can get the advice to protect your baby. Its the right thing to do...

Let us know.

[Nighthawk61]

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

[HopefulMommy111]

Thank you so much for your advice! This morning I started my decrease to 2.5 mg and will hopefully be completely off by next week. Also, ive never abused any other drug besides the percocet (just fyi)...I will tell my Ob during my next visit even though I'm terrified of how she's going to react. I've read a lot of posts from other mothers who were on much higher doses than I, even going up to 180 mg! So I'm really hoping that 2.5mg isn't going to cause major withdrawals. I am planning on breastfeeding and am glad to know that in addition to all the other great benefits, it will also help the baby if he's experiencing w/d. This is scary. Thanks again for your advice.

[diva1957]

Please let us know how your baby is. You are very brave and, obviously, you want to be a good mom. Just tell the truth. All the best to you.

[diva1957]

Your baby may or may not go through withdrawal. Since you've been tapering off, your baby also has been gradually weaning off in utero. Be truthful with your OBGYN and with your baby's pediatrician or neonatologist about all the drugs you've been taking during your pregnancy. I am a NICU nurse. If a mother admits to using any drugs at all we assume the worst. With the mother's consent we check the blood levels for opiates. Even without checking levels, there are clinical symptoms of a baby's addiction.

Your breast milk can help a lot. Your baby will gradually wean off along with you if you feed him YOUR breastmilk.  Your breastmilk contains whatever drugs you take and it will help the baby with the withdrawal symptoms.

Another thing, Be truthful with your husband. Ask for his help and your family's help. You are going to be a mom and it's time to be responsible and stop hiding the truth for your baby's sake.

[Sonrissa]

Hi there and welcome! I absolutely agree with Sarah! You must talk to you doctor and be completely honest with what you are taking, how much, for how long, etc... Your doctor will advise you about what to do going forward!

I know it's difficult, but try not to be scared! Doctors deal with this situation all the time! There have been lots of mothers who have come here in your same situation!

Take care, please let us know how it goes! Sending you big hugs for support! All the best!

[dominosarah]

You need to talk with your OB about this.  The hospital needs to know in case the baby is wd'g.  Most hospitals check for drugs in newborns now so it is best to be honest with your doctor,  That way there are no surprises and you and baby will be safe.