suboxone and newborn

the hospital that my newborn is at is treating my baby with morphine and quanadine for what they say are suboxone withdrawls.  he wa doing ok untl they put hin in the nicu.  Now he is having problems and they say getting worse.  they keep upping his dosage.  I dont want them to do this and they say then my insurance wont pay for the bill if i refuse treatment.  I hae asked them to start reducing his dosage so he can come home.  He is fine when i am there holding him. he eats well and he doesnt cry.  he only has these crying fits when i am gone. The hospital is saying he is not restin and that is the problem.  he has also lost 11 oz since he was put in nicu.  I need help. A specialist somebody that can help me get my baby back and in my arms.

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

You have a right to be with him in the NICU as much as you want. As far as I now you can nurse as well. Babies have been successfully nursed by mothers on Suboxone. I am not sure why they said that he was in withdrawals, since most babies born to moms on Suboxone do not show much withdrawals. I can only assume that they have his best interests in heart. Now that he is on morphine, he needs to be tapered down or he will truly be in withdrawals (from morphine). They certainly should not be upping his dose, but lowering it. Please question them on their reasoning. If you truly do not think that he is doing better, have him transferred to a children's hospital nearby.   You are the parent and you do have some rights in the matter.  As the last resort, take him out and owe the whole bill, it's the difference between your child's well-being and money. But you have to be absolutely sure that you are doing what is right by your baby.
Are you getting clean? What are your plans for getting off drugs? Let me me know what happens. Good luck.

[stay122]

A related discussion, baby and withdraws was started.