Jessica Silansky is a Certified Methadone Advocate, a certified Hepatitis C Educator and a Substance Abuse Counselor. Jessica’s most recent position was in Springfield, Massachusetts as a Case Manager for clients with the Disease of Addiction. Jessica is a graduate of Westfield State College Addiction Counselor Education Program. Jessica resides in the Springfield, Massachusetts area where she is currently spending time with her family and is a full time college student working on her ultimate goal of a masters degree in Counseling Psychology
Jessica first came to MethadoneSupport.org/PregnancyInfo seeking advice about pregnancy and methadone for herself and she has been here ever since. Her special interest in methadone and pregnancy drove her to expand her knowledge and she attended the New England School of Addiction Studies where she took classes in methadone and pregnancy. Jessica has been studying under Sharon Dembinski (a well known expert in this field) and learning all she can while she filled the role of Pregnancy Support Specialist for the site.
After finding recovery back in January 2005 Jessica found her calling and discovered her passion- Substance Abuse Counseling. It was through the death of someone very close to her that she came to realize that she needed to seek recovery and change her life. Jessica has had two babies while in treatment on methadone and is grateful for her recovery and the lifesaving medication that assisted her in maintaining her recovery and assuring the healthy outcomes to both her pregnancies. Jessica felt so strongly about methadone maintenance treatment that she traveled to the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD) convention in New York City in April of 2009 where she attended the course to become a Certified Methadone Advocate (CMA).
Jessica quickly realized that her true calling within her passion of substance abuse counseling was methadone and pregnancy. She loves working with all the women that find our site in need of support, education and facts. Jessica plans to be here for a long time to come and working on our pregnancy support forum is a tremendous joy for her. Sharon Dembinski asked Jessica to serve as site Administrator a few months ago and Jessica accepted that role.
Sharon remains on as Expert Consultant and is available to Jessica 24/7!
We at MSO are proud and grateful to have Jessica here!....
Carol Sholiton
Founder/CEO - Methadone Support Org.
**ONE MUST BE REGISTERED ON FORUMS IN ORDER TO POST!**
Posted March 3rd, 2009 08:58 PM IPDrug-using women should breastfeed babies
Wednesday, 04 Mar 2009 00:01
New mothers receiving methadone to treat opiate addictions should breastfeed their babies to lessen the newborns' withdrawal symptoms, a report has shown.
Research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology showed children born to 205 out of 450 women receiving methadone required pharmacological treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), or baby withdrawals.
Study authors found that when women breastfed their babies for more than 72 hours there was a significantly reduced odds of the infants receiving treatment for NAS.
Apart from the benefits of breast milk and the way breastfeeding soothes agitated babies, researchers note that small traces of the drugs taken by the mother may find their way into the breast milk, thus lessening the baby's withdrawal symptoms.
Based on their findings, researchers recommend that drug-misusing mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies.
Dr Helen Mactier, a consultant neonatologist who headed the study, said: "Drug misuse in pregnancy is an emotive issue – prescription of substitute methadone stabilises lifestyle and reduces the incidence of preterm birth but it does not prevent ongoing drug misuse and is commonly associated with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
"Infants born to drug misusing mothers tend to be born a bit early, and to be small, with correspondingly low intrauterine head growth.
"Our research has shown that breastfeeding seems to protect against the risk of developing neonatal abstinence syndrome, with the likelihood of receiving treatment halved in those infants who breastfed for more than three days.
"Our advice is for pregnant drug misusing women to be maintained on the lowest dose of methadone compatible with stability and for them to be encouraged and supported to breastfeed."
The research also shows that women taking methadone are more likely to have children prone to NAS.
"This will help inform future policy on the treatment of pregnant women blighted by substance misuse," commented Professor Philip Steer, BJOG editor-in-chief.
Sharon *ADMINISTRATOR* Posts: 1312 Registered: Mar 2006
Posted March 4th, 2009 10:01 AM IPThat really does not tell us anything that we did not know. However it does note an assumption that I did not agree with. It is assumed that there is enough methadone in the breastmilk to treat the NAS which is ridiculous in my opinion. It is the ACT of breastfeeding- holding close, snuggling, suckling, skin to skin contact that soothes the baby and NOT the miniscule amount of methadone in the breastmilk.
I do not like how that articles reads......did it bother anyone else? Those Brits make it hard for us Americans to understand English! LOL
Hugs,
Sharon
I'll leave this up here for a bit and then move it to the article section.
Thanks Kerry- I saw this but had not posted it because I had not decided whether or not I thought it would be helpful.....still not sure it is : (Sharon Dembinski, PNP, CMA
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Certified Methadone Advocate
Board of Directors- Methadone Support Org
Divinity- Member Posts: 817 Registered: Oct 2008
Posted March 11th, 2009 07:00 PM IPWhat exactly does "Drug Misusing mothers mean" I find this really confusing and I especially don't like this part (I will Copy and Paste)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Infants born to drug misusing mothers tend to be born a bit early, and to be small, with correspondingly low intrauterine head growth.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So what does this mean Sorry I am not trying to sound illiterate but It was just real confusing to me to understand.
susie3827 Unregistered
Posts: Registered:
Posted March 20th, 2009 06:44 PM IPthose are women who aren't using drugs as prescribed..basically mom's who are in active addiction.
Susie
Sharon *ADMINISTRATOR* Posts: 1312 Registered: Mar 2006
Posted March 21st, 2009 11:07 PM IPI think that this article is confusing and that the use of drug misusing women for this article might be more accurately called women on methadone with HISTORIES of drug misusing. They can't possibly be advocatng for women active in their addiction (AKA as deug misuse in this country) to breastfeed their babies.
The other thing that leads me to believe the above is that babies born to women addict in their addictions are more than "a bit " early, and not just "tend" to be small but are small and slso , do have correspondingly low intrauterine head growth. Babies born to moms on methadone who are not active in their addictions are closer to average weight and their head growth is just a bit smaller, but many are not.
I am thinking about deleting this thread because it is soooo misleading!
What do ya think Susie? Jess?
Hugs,
SharonSharon Dembinski, PNP, CMA
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Certified Methadone Advocate
Board of Directors- Methadone Support Org
picklecline83 Member Posts: 290 Registered: Mar 2011
Posted April 9th, 2011 06:40 AM IPwow. obviously this is an older post and most likely no one will see what i am writing, but i am gonna write it anyway because this article irritated me. "drug misusing"!?!?! wow. obviously the person who wrote this article has a very ignorant view of methadone. it makes it sound like all women on methadone are still abusing drugs, or that being on methadone in and of itself is considered "drug misusing"! what a load of crap!
