methadone, pregnancy and sids.

[sunny54]

hi all. i have a family member, or should i say members who are taking methadone daily. one of which is 19 years old and has been on it for almost a year or more (her sister n law signed for her to get into the clinic because she was under age, isnt that illegal? her parents are alive so her sister n law shouldnt have been able to do that) anyways, she gave birth to a little girl in june. the poor baby stayed in the hospital almost a month, i'm guessing addicted to methadone but she never told us (see, she thinks no one in the family knows she goes there and does it) so she told us the doctors wanted to check her breathing and what not some more and wanted her to gain more weight (she weighed 5lbs 8oz) anyways, the little girl passed away this last week, being 11 weeks old. the coroner said it was SIDS. i'm just wanting info on mothers on methadone and losing their babies. all you read is mothers taking it and how SAFE it is, i'm sorry but i believe its wrong and should be illegal. i'm with all mothers who say if your baby is born addicted, you should face felony charges. does anyone else have any stories like mine? when a bad situation turns even worse??? the bad thing is, the mother is still going to the clinic. how can  you do that and then an hour later go to your daughters funeral!?

[Bettyboop4papa]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, but considering I think you're being a bit judgemental... you have no proof that her addiction had anything to do with the baby's death... if you do have suspicions you could always request a death certificate and clearly see the baby's cause of death.. methadone addiction for infants is a treatable thing and as long as the hospital knew the mother was taking it during pregnancy the baby should have survived.. I lost a child a few years ago and sadly I didn't realize how common it was for an infant to die until it happened and I reached out for information... thousands of babies die yearly for different reasons and the top of those lists are SIDS, and that is an UNEXPLAINED death of a baby,,,  I know the grieving you and your family are going through, but sadly placing blame won't help lessen that pain... how would you feel if your child died and someone was pointing their finger at you when you had nothing to do with it?? I say she has enough pain to deal with... and could use some support and maybe even help from her family... good luck to you

[Bettyboop4papa]

Sorry didn't mention my daughter didn't die of any kind of addiction as I didn't use anything during pregnancy,, she died of an infection.....

[godezzofchaos]

I agree with you Betty, I too think the orginal poster is being a bit judgemental. Here's the thing...in the state of Tennessee if a woman becomes pregnant while on methadone it is ILLEGAL for her to stop treatment and illegal for the clinic to discharge her as it could kill the baby. So a person could go to the clinic for their ENTIRE pregnancy and not pay, and still not be discharged..it is that dangerous for the mother to stop treatment. Also, many mothers who are addicted to opiates are FORCED onto methadone to keep from losing their child to DHS.  Anyway, please back up and have some compassion for this woman who has lost her child, despite your suspicions...I can't think of anything more tragic than losing your child and I'm sure her guilt and own demons are punishment enough!

[avisg]

I HIGHLY DOUBT this baby died from methadone WD.Nor do I think the baby would spend a month in the hospital because of methadone WD.I am sure this mother is suffering enough she needs support . If it was ruled that the baby died from SIDS the baby probably died of SIDs.

[avisg]

I myself am not pro methadone at all but here is some info on it's use and safety  durning pregnancy

Effects on pregnancy

Methadone maintenance treatment has been demonstrated to significantly improve pregnancy outcomes for opiate dependent women. Methadone does not increase the risk of congenital abnormalities in infants.


Methadone maintenance is known to:

assist with stabilisation of drug use and lifestyle

help provide a stable environment in your body for your baby, which can improve the health of your baby

facilitate attendance for pregnancy care

reduce the risk of blood borne viral infections including Hepatitis C and HIV

reduce crime associated with drug use

is safe in breastfeeding



Methadone should be commenced as soon as possible after pregnancy has been confirmed, or continued if you are already on a methadone program. You should discuss the advantages and disadvantages of methadone treatment with your health professional in order to make an informed decision about management during your pregnancy. Inpatient Methadone Stabilisation Program (.pdf) is available for you to download and print to find out more about the program offered at The Royal Women's Hospital.


Withdrawal from methadone treatment during pregnancy is strongly discouraged due to the risk of miscarriage, premature labour, fetal death and possible return to dependent heroin/opiate use.

[kim715]

Avisg thanks for posting that.I am as anti-methadone as it gets,but I agree that there was unfortunately something else going on with this baby.I can't even imagine losing one of my children,let alone people looking at me like I was the cause of their death.Avisg is right if the death certificate says the baby died from SIDS,then thats most likely what the baby died from.Theres no evidence to confirm it was from the mother being on methadone.I can only imagine how devastated this mother is right now,she needs support not to be unjustly accused.My prayers are with her.

[1234betterlife]

EVERY  pregnancy is high risk. an addicted mother is no different than any other addict. addiction is a powerful disease. the danger lies in the mother being too frightened of being judged to TELL anyone what is happening or to SEEK out a physician for treatment. the NUMBER ONE reason for infant death is lack of prenatal care. THAT is the number one cause of death. if we give an addicted mother a reason to hide from the very thing that could save her infant it never has a chance at survival. human beings are incredibly resillient. unfortunately things happen. working in labor and delivery, newborn nursery and nicu will open your eyes in a hurry to how much can go wrong and does on a daily basis.