G
od blessed women with the mir-
acle of childbearing. Once con-
ception takes place, the woman
is entrusted with the nurturing
and care of the growing baby even before
it is born. This is an awesome privilege and
obligation to do what is in the best interest
of this new life, unable to care for itself.
As the baby develops in the womb,
the mother-to-be should exercise prudent
judgement about the foods and bever-
ages consumed during the nine months
preceding birth in order to give her child
the best chance of survival and a healthy
life. Prenatal vitamins are strongly recom-
mended by most physicians, but little more
is prescribed to ensure there is no drug
interaction that jeopardizes the baby’s
health before and after birth.
For decades, this was the norm for
soon-to-be mothers. Yet, as the world has
become more complicated and problematic,
the picture painted above is becoming less
a reality and more of a distant memory—
yielding to a nightmare that is problematic
with opioid use.
According to a study by the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC), “The number of
pregnant women with opioid use disorder
(OUD) at labor and delivery more than
quadrupled from 1999 to 2014.” The study,
published in the CDC’s Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report revealed a signif-
icant increase in the disorder which is
associated with “a range of negative health
outcomes for both mothers and their babies,
including maternal death, preterm birth,
stillbirth, and neonatal abstinence syndrome
(NAS).” CDC Director, Robert R. Redfield,
M.D., stated, “These findings illustrate the
devastating impact of the opioid epidemic
on families across the U.S., including on the
very youngest.”
As expected, the CDC has taken a lead
role in working to help reverse this trou-
bling trend and it is imperative that they
do. The reason, Director Redfield sums it
up this way, “Untreated opioid use disorder
during pregnancy can lead to heartbreaking
results. Each case represents a mother, a
child, and a family in need of continued
treatment and support.”
Opioid Use Disorder Documented at Delivery Hospitalization — United States, 1999–2014
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6731a1.htm?s_cid=mm6731a1_w
The Number of Women with Opioid Use Disorder at Labor and Delivery Quadrupled from 1999-2014
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0809-women-opiod-use.html
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