Pregnant and on methadone please help!!!

I am Pregnant and addicted to Methadone. If anyone has any information what so ever on being pregnant and on Methadone please let me know!!! I would like to know as much as i posibly can about this, I have read up on it alot but i want to know more from women who have ben through the same thing. Anyone who has given birth to a baby while on Methadone please let me know how things went or whatever you have to say bad or goog mean or nice i want to know!!!!!!!!!

[penswriter]

Tell your doctor asap.

[waitingwithhope]

When pregnant and addicted to methadone, the baby also is affected. You will have a higher risk of m/c and your baby may have a low birth weight, birth defects, mental retardation, health problems, slow development in the womb, premature delivery... You yourself can have bleeding and problems sleeping. If you continue throughout the pregnancy, your baby will also be born addicted and go through withdrawal symptoms (this is very hard to watch- your baby will struggle with it as you would when you go off of methadone. Babies can experience periods of shaking, sleeplessness, irritability and pain. Your baby will have a different cry (a high pitched wail) and sadly, be in pain. Your baby most likely will be in the neonatal unit for an extended period of time and you may find yourself having to relinquish your child to social services (they will come in and assess the situation) and to a foster home.
The best advice is to see your doc and be COMPLETELY honest.  There is no sense hiding it and if your doctor puts you on a plan to cut back, it will be very monitored for both you and the baby. This is not going to be easy, methadone is highly addictive and chances are you are on it because of some other pain in your life that this masks- I would suggest too you get some counseling if you can- emotionally you will need it. You also need to surround yourself with a good support system and a plan for after you deliver your baby- are you able to care for him/her or are you thinking about adoption? perhaps another family member can step in?
I wish you the best...you probably never planned to be in this situation, but now that you are, your choices must be for your unborn baby. Don't try and get off methadone yourself...it really needs to be monitored by a doctor.