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reni322
Member
Posts: 7
Registered: Jan 2010 |
 Posted January 19th, 2010 05:43 PM IP   
ok i have been reading a lot of the older topics getting some information about this and that. and i just found something that scares the living crap out of me. MY BABY MAY HAVE TO STAY IN THE HOPSITAL UP TO 3 MTHS?!?! holy crap! i seen a conversation about that in passing and i thought 5 days tops 3MTHS? what am i going to do? now i feel like i fell right back onto the crazy train. wow. i seriously wont have the first night jitters where i sit up all night stareing into the crib bc i cant sleep. how can i have the bonding experience with my baby? Im gonna have to follow hospital visiting hours to visit MY child! why did i have to do this?WHY?!
HOW could i do this? he/she will be dpendent on something. they will have to withdraw from something! they wil have pain! how could i do this to my baby? what kinda mother am I going to be?! this is terrible!!!!!!! im seriously going out of my mind. i have waited my while life for this moment. i did everything i was suppose to or so i thought. how could i do this?
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fascination
Member
Posts: 65
Registered: Jan 2010 |
Posted January 20th, 2010 06:51 PM IP
Oh hon, it sounds like you're having a rough time. I have not heard of a baby having to stay in the hospital 3 months for just NAS. Are you sure that there wasn't something else wrong with the baby? My doctor said that most of the babies born to moms on MMT in my area (Reno, Nevada) are in the hospital for 5 days to two weeks at most. He said the longest that he saw was a baby that was in the hospital for 3 and a half weeks and that there were other health issues other than NAS that prolonged the baby's stay. It is true , of course, that different hospitals have different protocals and every baby's situation is unique. Even with that said, 3 months sounds REALLY extreme.You should email Sharon and ask her if she has ever heard of a stay that long for NAS. Or ask your clinic or doctor.
In the meantime, go easy on yourself sweetie. I know how you feel, but staying on methadone was the best thing that you could do for your baby. You put your child's wellbeing first when you decided to stay on MMT. When I unexpectedly got pregnant, I was tapering off of methadone. I REALLY wanted to get off of MMT. When I found out about the pregnancy I still wanted to continue to taper off of the methadone. After speaking with the doctors, however, I realized that the best thing I could do for my baby's health was to stay on the methadone until after I deliver. You are following your doctor's advice and the best scientific research by staying on your methadone. Remember that, hon. You will be a great mother! Also, keep in mind that your baby may not even need to be treated for NAS. You never know. If your baby does need to be treated for it, it is for a small amount of time usually and they won't even remember it. Please don't beat yourself up about it though. You are doing the best thing that you can in a difficult situation.
If you would like to chat my cell number is 775-453-8711 My email is fascination1980@yahoo.com
JENN
fascination1980@yahoo.com
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fascination
Member
Posts: 65
Registered: Jan 2010 |
Posted January 20th, 2010 06:54 PM IP
BTW, in case you would like to chat, my name is Jenn.
JENN
fascination1980@yahoo.com
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Texas
Member
Posts: 4
Registered: Jan 2010 |
Posted January 21st, 2010 09:44 AM IP
oh you sweet sweet mama..... it gonna be okay ( e-hug e-hug). I totally understand your guilt. I have experienced it too - i suppose this is what it feels like to be a mother.
You sound like you are going to make an excellent mom!!!! Chin up dearie - pull yourself up by the boot straps, slap a smile on that face and keep doing what your doing - Who told you that anyways? I dont know a whole lot about NAS - but that sounds excessive - maybe a scare tactic. I have stumbled upon an online chat forum of NICU nurses and they were not nice about any intra-uterine drug use - but you have to realize they have seen it all. I could see someone in the medical field saying something extremely hurtful because they have seen a lot of hurt.
There is a saying we like to use here in Texas - it might not be appropriate but what the heck it might make you smile - "if you dont want someone to get ur goat - dont let em know where its tied up"
Take it easy and this too shall pass. My hysteria did - esp with the help of the lovely ladies here.
Good Luck to you!!!!!
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fascination
Member
Posts: 65
Registered: Jan 2010 |
Posted January 22nd, 2010 12:17 AM IP
Reni, are you okay?
JENN
fascination1980@yahoo.com
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TayzMommy101904
Member
Posts: 309
Registered: May 2009 |
Posted January 24th, 2010 10:01 PM IP
reni, my daughter wa sin there for 5 weeks and I was only on 60mgs split... she is now 5 months old and pefect... it was the absolute hardest thing ever but once she is home it seems like nothing.. there is a chance that she could be there for 3 months but there is a chance that she could come right home to or somewhere in the middle... dont stress... i kno you are going to anyway but you really have no control over so you just have to wait and see... it will all be ok...<3
Colette Kolbmann, CMA
Peer Support Specialist-ACT1
Colette.Kolbmann@Jevs.org
215-422-2843
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grace131621
Member
Posts: 332
Registered: May 2008 |
Posted January 25th, 2010 11:20 PM IP
My son was in there for 14 days. From all of the stories that have heard about NAS, I would say the average time a baby stays in the hospital is about a month, 6 weeks tops. There was an up side to us having stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks. After a few days my lil boy was moved from the NICU to pediatrics and that time spent there was a special bonding time. Those nurses basically trained me how to care for him and that was such a plus for myself. By the time I took him home I was feeling so confident in my ability to care for him. I don't think I would have felt quite so confident without that special training.
Yes it is a inconvenience and can be an emotional roller coaster going through this experience, but it's temporary. I really don't think NAS is a reason to not have a baby. When it's over it's done and life goes on, no permanent damage is done and the baby is fine and remembers nothing about it. It will be ok.
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Pepi9109
Member
Posts: 92
Registered: Jul 2009 |
Posted February 1st, 2010 11:51 AM IP
Reni my son, Alex, was there for 6 weeks and I was taking 20 mgs of methadone a day. In fact I'm pretty sure some of the stories you read in the past history of these forums were me freaking out about my situation. It was really hard at first but if for any reason you are to be put in the same situation you get more comfortable with it. It doesn't get easier but you get more used to it and when I had to go see him in the hospital and be told many times that he had to stay longer I didn't believe when anyone said once he is out you will forget all about it but it is true. It seems so long ago and I barely think about it now. The hardest part for me was trying to feel comfortable with the surroundings. I felt like I couldn't do what I wanted with my baby because I always had someone watching but after a little while I got to know the nurses who cared for him, especially one, and I didn't feel that way anymore. And because of the relationship I had with that one nurse, Shirley, I felt when I wasn't there and she was that I didn't have to worry because she genuinely cared about Alex. And with nurses who I did not feel treated my son well I requested someone else to be his nurse. My son is almost 5 months old now and is the happiest, healthiest *trust me, from all the tests they did on him I know he is*, and most loved baby I know. The family members of mine who said he would be 'damaged' or have some sort of problems because of the methadone were wrong and he has actually been ahead of schedule for alot of milestones. In fact alot of stories I've read on here are similar.
Alexander Wolf Smith born 09/09/09!!!
Jon and Jenny's first baby 
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Jessica1381
*SUPER MODERATOR*
Posts: 1216
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted February 10th, 2010 06:03 PM IP
Hun. 3 months is something I highly doubt would happen. I have seen 6 weeks with my 1st born and 8 days with my 2nd. I have seen 7 weeks as the longest now when you go into months and months there are probably other issues going on. 3 months is pretty highly unlikely. Please take it easy. It is going to be okay. The average stay is 3 to 5 weeks. Give or take, ya know? Its a day to day process. You have to think about how things would be if you never got on methadone. This is not a bad thing and your baby will be fine. Methadone is very safe. Please post soon hun, okay?
Hang in there!
Hugs,
Jessica
Jessica Jensen,CSAC, CMA
Primary Pregnancy Support Specialist
Certified Substance Abuse Counselor
Certified Methadone Advocate
Certified Hepatitis C Basic Educator
Member of NAADAC, AATOD & MOAR
testing for CADAC1 in June 2010
Jessica@MethadoneSupport.org
1-860-798-5785
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Divinity-
Member
Posts: 533
Registered: Oct 2008 |
Posted February 24th, 2010 02:45 AM IP
Hey Honey,
Well Fist off you are going to be a great mother other wise you would not be worrying so much about this, However I do know that this is sooo much easier said than done as when I was pregnant with my son Colton I was scared out of my mind about me being on the methadone Infact i tried to prepare myself for the worst as the are i live Utah(haha go figure) sterotypes like no other and I did here of a women here whos baby had to stay in the hospital for i think almost 2 months but that was only because the doctors were sooo uneducated luckily through her i was able to educate myself better and not deliever at that hospital and in the end it was an amazing hospital with excellent knowledge i delivered at I was on 75 mg. split half in am and half in pm tottaly 75 mg per day and I was one of the lucky ones after months and months worrying and drying myself to sleep my little Colton was Born and He ended up needing any medical intervention what so ever for NAS he did have a high pitched scream the first day he was born wich can be a symtom of nas but it quickly went away and he was fine didnt need any treatment whatso ever for NAS and I thought that for sure he would. So it just goes to show dose does not matter as Colette stated she was on 60 15 mg less than me and for some reason Colton didnt need any treatment so it can happen and I have seen it. I was in the process of teppering my dose when i becasme pregnant i was told by many dr.s that i needed to get off immediately that 75 mg was waaaaay to high of a dose but after finding the right dr. who was actualy educated he new i needed to stay put but it was only after i helped educate him after coming here and learning. I dont know what i would have done had it not been for the women of this site.
So we are here for you take a deep breath and relax it will be ok I promise one way or another it will all work out. weather your little one needs treatment for nas or not.
 
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robbi
Member
Posts: 161
Registered: Aug 2008 |
Posted March 2nd, 2010 10:56 PM IP
Hang in there, you love your baby- what is best for him or her is a non-stressed and sober mama so you are doing the right thing. Coming off mmt can cause worse harm- premature babies stay in NICU on average longer than mmt babes, and some babes don't have NAS and go right home- as said, it's a bit of a gamble, but the safest gamble is to split dose if possible, increase if needed and make sure you do not feel sick/WDs for babe's sake (and yours), and do what needs to be done. You have time to come to terms with this, tour the NICU(s), meet the neonatologist. I agree it is NOT ideal and it was one of the hardest thing i ever did, but we did it and i now have a healthy happy one year old son who you'd never guess started life in the NICU. What made it easiest was to select a hospital with rooming in and well educated staff re: NAS (see my thread "questions to ask hospitals" or something, if you have the option of interviewing multiple ones) Otherwise, second best is to plan to breastfeed- health reasons and imprinting/bonding and to clear your schedule for maternity leave so you KNOW you will have that time with your babe regardless of whether you wind up needing an NAS/NICU stay.
As others have said- 3 months is pretty much unheard of. The "higher" range is around 6 weeks from estimates I have seen and heard, this three month figure is TWICE the typical high-end of the usual range- and again, some babies are a week, some are NO TIME at all..
Please hang in there, we here have been there and are glad to provide informational and emotional support, also a therapist or NICU social worker may be able to help you process this. You ARE doing what is best for your baby, studies show this is not harmful to the baby and the baby will be comfortably tapered, not in pain or have lasting effects at all. Look at all the pics and posts on here if you need a boost- these mamas (me included) journey from finding out they are pregnant, learning the ropes of mmt and pregnancy, birth, NAS (or not, in some cases) and now we have bustling busy chubby happy babies and toddlers who have no ill effects.
Finally. Your dose has NO bearing on NAS symptoms or severity, or whether you can breastfeed. Do not let anyone tell you other.
Please let us know how you are mama! *hugs*
~peace~
Robin
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robbi
Member
Posts: 161
Registered: Aug 2008 |
Posted March 2nd, 2010 10:59 PM IP
Quote:
reni322 wrote:
ok i have been reading a lot of the older topics getting some information about this and that. and i just found something that scares the living crap out of me. MY BABY MAY HAVE TO STAY IN THE HOPSITAL UP TO 3 MTHS?!?! holy crap! i seen a conversation about that in passing and i thought 5 days tops 3MTHS? what am i going to do? now i feel like i fell right back onto the crazy train. wow. i seriously wont have the first night jitters where i sit up all night stareing into the crib bc i cant sleep. how can i have the bonding experience with my baby? Im gonna have to follow hospital visiting hours to visit MY child! why did i have to do this?WHY?!
HOW could i do this? he/she will be dpendent on something. they will have to withdraw from something! they wil have pain! how could i do this to my baby? what kinda mother am I going to be?! this is terrible!!!!!!! im seriously going out of my mind. i have waited my while life for this moment. i did everything i was suppose to or so i thought. how could i do this?
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The "5 days tops" refers to the observation period some hospitals do to check for NAS. since the drug (methadone) is long acting and gets to babe in utero via placenta, the withdrawal and long half life can take awhile to set in 48-72 hours is most common in my understanding, though can take a week or so for the worst to become visible. Hopefully with competent staff they'll be starting the morphine regiment before it gets bad. They are usually pretty prompt with scoring and proactive w/ treatment if you have access to an informed hospital- and if not, inform them dammit! ; ) You as the mama have that right to dictate your child's well being, and if they are not doing it right then you need to give your input and know you have veto power over any medical decisions on baby's behalf.
Hang in there!! When are you due??? How long on MMT, and dose? Are you splitting? That may be the one best tangible way, that and prepping to breastfeed, that you can lower your odds of complications and/or severe NAS, but like I said, it is a bit of a gamble- but better a gamble with NAS than with potentially losing your baby or premature labor!!
~peace~
Robin
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Jessica1381
*SUPER MODERATOR*
Posts: 1216
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted March 9th, 2010 09:58 AM IP
reni322,
is everything okay??? Post soon please hun!!!
hugs, Jessica
p.s. if you need someone to talk to please call me okay?!!!
Jessica Jensen,CSAC, CMA
Primary Pregnancy Support Specialist
Certified Substance Abuse Counselor
Certified Methadone Advocate
Certified Hepatitis C Basic Educator
Member of NAADAC, AATOD & MOAR
testing for CADAC1 in June 2010
Jessica@MethadoneSupport.org
1-860-798-5785
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