Addicted and 35 weeks pregnant

[nevaeh_angels]

I feel absouletly terrible that I am in this situation and that Im even here typing this. I have always been against these types of things and here I am. Ive read quite a few posts and see theres a lot of judgeless people on here which makes me feel comfortable to vent my fears.

Ive been taking oxycontin through out my whole pregnancy I am now 35 weeks. 80mg 2 a day. I am not prescribed it...I started taking them due to a lot of pain, doctors couldnt find what the problem was so I did something stupid and got addicted.

When i cant get oxys I end up sniffing a bit of heroine just so I wont be sick. I feel terrible. This little girl doesnt deserve this. I have no idea what to do. I dont want her to get taken away from me if I tell the doctors. But I dont want her to suffer.

Im trying so hard to ween off the oxys but Im almost ready to give labour...

any advice?
anyone else in a predicament?
has anyones baby come out okay after doing something like this?

I hate myself. I love this little girl. I dont know what to do.

[tori71717]

Tell your doctor about the situation that way when you deliver they can help her baby girl right away. My aunt was a drug addict. When my cousin was born my mom had told the doctors in the delivery room for my aunt and they made sure to keep a careful eye on him now he is 17. I was still really little when it happened so i dont know what she was on at the time but after years and years of struggling my aunt is as far as i know clean. Good luck to you and your little girl ill keep you both in my prayers

[JoyRenee]

Spiket had great advice. I couldn't remember what the drug was called. You will want Methadone.

[JoyRenee]

Being upfront with your doctor BEFORE you deliver is going to give you better odds of keeping your child then hiding it from them and having them find out when she begins to show symptoms of withdrawal.

You can't withdrawal while pregnant; it causes more harm than good. Tell your doctor and let them help you.

[nevaeh_angels]

thank you all for taking time out of your day to read and write back to me. This has been the worst 9 months of my life all due to my own wrong doings.

You are all so wonderful for not being judgemental and actually giving some helpful advice. Thank you. Really.

I wish every single one of you the best

[Spiket77]

Hi There,

I'm not sure where you are located. My sister is a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse in NC. She sees oxy addicted babies a lot. I asked her about this and she said that getting on a methadone treatment before birth would help you AND the baby with withdrawal. Methadone is the safest opiate during pregnancy and will help you and the baby with withdrawal. Also, if you start the methadone treatment now then Social Services is less likely to get involved. In some states (like SC for instance) the baby will be taken away if your baby proves positive for illegal drugs (including legal drugs without a prescription). They will test the baby if it is showing sigs of withdrawal. I would recommend getting to the methadone clinic before it's too late. You are not alone! This is a lot more common than you think. I think it is brave for you to admit this and to look for help. You are on the right track! Thanks for sharing this. I bet you are helping another Mother.Best wishes to you and your baby.

[jade_and_janessas_mommy]

I sent you a message that goes into more personal detail.
I will just say this : Stopping everything right now will cause withdrawls and that can really hurt or possibly kill your baby.  Look in to going to an addiction doctor right away and getting on Suboxone or if nothing else methadone, it will be a legal way to control your addiction until the baby is born.  There will be nothing the doctors can say about that.  Just be careful because they can take your baby from you!  I wish you the best of luck in getting clean for the long term for yours and your baby's sakes.  

[JLeeR]

The truth is, you cannot change the past. All you can do at this point is look toward the future and do everything you can for your little girl. I would agree trying to get off the oxys would be best, but having several family members with addictions and working in the field, I know that is much easier said than done. I would encourage you to seek out a treatment center. Most treatment centers actually prioritize pregnancy women in the States (I don't know where you live!). My next suggestion would be to be an advocate for you little one when she arrives. There is a good chance she will have the drugs in her system when she is born, especially if you continue to use them. Given this information she is likely to have some development delays. Keep in mind any child, exposed or not could have developmental delays. Keep a close eye on her development and get her early intervention screening for things like motor and speech development as this is the best thing you can do to help her. Usually these screenings occur around age 1 1/2 - 2. In the States, at least, these services can be free through agencies designed to provide early intervention (where I live the agency is called First Steps). Also, it is going to be important that you share her history in utero in truth to whomever evaluates/works with her; let them know you used during pregnancy. As I said, you cannot change the past 35 weeks. You can however, change what happens from here on out! I now work in a preschool setting and part of my job requires me to evaluate children with developmental delays. If any delays are present, early intervention is the BEST way to help your child!!!

[nickieb85]

Hi honey. I am going to have to agree with the other ladies on here. It is not going to be an easy road (I have had a few problems but luckily I don't really have a true addictive personality so I got very lucky) and I know how hard it is to quit sometimes... Oxys are really hard to get away from because they do stop the pain... Heroine I have never done but from what I understand (I had a close friend that did it after she had her son and almost died from the withdraws) it is extremely dangerous to detox from when you are pregnant--the withdraws can cause neonatal death (death in the womb). You definitely need to talk to either your OBGYN or a detox center that can get you on methadone or that can tell you what you can do. There is a chance that your little girl is going to be tested after birth (different states have different regulations on drug testing infants) and you are more likely to have problems if you don't fess up and try to get help before she is born. I am sorry that you are going through this and I am so glad that you found the strength to talk about your plight. Hugs honey. It will get better =)

[nevaeh_angels]

Thank you all for your thoughts.

I hope to hear from some more people.

I did get addicted to the oxys because I was taking them for pain. I didnt realise how addictive they really are! I feel bad every moment of the day. But thank you all for being so kind.

[Linzola1]

I have never had to deal with addiction but I do pray that you find a way to overcome this addiction and that your little girl is okay!

[alaysha]

At this point when you deliver they will know since it will be in your system and the baby's. The only thing you can really do is try to get some professional help and hope that everything turns out ok. I know how scary it must be to have to ask some outside source for help especially since you are pregnant. But at this point its better to help the baby than be selfish and frightened and worried that they will take her away. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Also, benadryl although safe in pregnancy isn't supposed to be used to help you sleep. It can still be dangerous and I don't recommend taking it for those reasons.

[lilbit4444]

I got addicted after being perscribed for a broken nose. The only way I got off was benadryl and benadryl is safe during pregnancy. I used it to help me sleep at night. Good luck and it won't be easy... but it is worth it!

[HeatherLF16]

I have been lucky enough to never struggle with any type of addiction, so I really don't know what you are going through or how hard it must be.  I am certainly not replying to judge you at all.  I have my father who is a meth addict, and alcoholic not recovered, my father in law who is addicted to oxy perscribed to him for a disease, my mom who is a recovered meth addict, my aunt an ex herion addict and now addicted to alcohol.  Knowing so many addicts, I really do not see how you could ever quit on your own... even if you try your hardest.  You need help or you will not be able to quit successfully.

Maybe not your OBGYN, but maybe a detox center/rehab facility someone who can help and not judge you... someone who specializes in this.  My dad's girlfriend who had a child 6 years ago did drugs her whole pregnancy.  My little brother is so far so good, but that doesn't mean every baby will be.  They actually had to take him from her about a year later, and she had to get clean to get him back... but it saved her life and she is a better mother for it and now has him back... my dad on the otherhand is still struggling.  It's not too late, you can still do this for your daughter she deserves the best.  Growing up with parents addicted to substances I can tell you it wasn't fun.  Please find professional help, and don't get sober just so you can deliver and keep your baby (if you are on drugs they probably will take her).  Get sober for the sake of the babies future.  

[windy1983]

I am a former addict.  I was an opiate addict.  Prescribed opiates for cervical cancer and removal after child birth which I was also prescribed loritab for. I had my second child at age 29. He was a beautiful baby boy. I was prescribed methadone at 80mg per day by the clinic I was attending. Blood test were done to make sure the magazine was not crossing the barrier of the uterus to the baby.  I was devastated when my perfectly healthy newborn passed away at 7 days old.  I have had another son since then that is perfectly healthy. There are many things that could have resulted in this.  Also just written up as SIDS in the report,  I just think that thisshould be brought up.  My child was not treated any different than any other non methadone related childbirth. I still have no idea while my child passed but this story may help others that are facing this delima. But let me tell you do your research.  Most of the time you will be the one willing to research what you can figure out well be the best for your unborn child.