The epidemic of fentanyl and other drugs is hurting babies, both after birth and in utero, leading to deadly consequences in some cases and a difficult path to recovery in others, according to multiple reports and experts who spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths, mainly driven by extremely potent and lethal fentanyl, in 2021. Babies exposed to narcotics endure neonatal abstinence syndrome and endure tough withdrawal symptoms, according to experts who spoke with the DCNF.
\nThe high potency of drugs like fentanyl makes it all the more of a threat to America\u2019s youngest victims, many of whom don\u2019t survive exposure, former head of the DEA\u2019s Special Operations Division Derek Maltz told the DCNF.
\n\u201cFentanyl has been the most devastating drug in America\u2019s history. Besides killing record levels of children below the age of 14, unfortunately babies are also getting exposed to this poisonous substance,\u201d Maltz said.
\nBabies are often exposed outside of the womb and there are many local news reports that point to fatal outcomes. Every 25 minutes a diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome in the U.S. is made, according to a study published by the National Institute of Health (NIH).
\nAn 18-month-old baby died due to a fentanyl overdose on Dec. 16 in Riverbank, California, according to KCRA3. Local authorities subsequently arrested the baby\u2019s mother and boyfriend.
\nA 4-year-old boy also died of a fentanyl overdose in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2022, according to WSAZ. Authorities arrested his mother, who believes her son got ahold of what she thought was a bottle of Percocet that turned out to be a counterfeit pill containing fentanyl.
\nA mother and her boyfriend in Syracuse, New York, gave their 11 month old son fentanyl to calm him, according to syracuse.com. The couple was later charged with murder in the second degree.
\nJill Kingston is the founder and president of Brigid\u2019s Path, Ohio\u2019s first newborn recovery center that supports newborn babies previously exposed to drugs in the womb. She has observed more babies coming into her facility\u2019s care as the drug crisis continues.
\nBrigid\u2019s Path cares for babies and works to help mothers find stability and rehabilitation.
\n\u201cEach year, we\u2019ve cared for more,\u201d Kingston told the DCNF of the surge in babies born exposed to drugs.
\n\u201cIt could be meth with heroin, fentanyl or it could be a mixture of stuff rather than just one. In the beginning, it was just heroin,\u201d Kingston added.
\nExposure before birth can lead to adverse effects, such as neonatal abstinence syndrome, according to the CDC. Many of the babies exposed to drugs like fentanyl experience grueling withdrawals.
\n\u201cWhen you see the baby go through withdrawal, you see shaking, sneezing, they get diaper rash. You see just sleep disturbances and then eating problems,\u201d Kingston said.
\nBrigid\u2019s Path nursing manager Victoria Halfcare compared the grueling process for babies as enduring \u201cthe worst flu ever,\u201d in an interview with the DCNF. Later in life, individuals exposed as babies may develop neurodevelopment, cognition, school performance, behavior, vision and mortality, some observational studies suggest.
\n\u201cThey\u2019ll have symptoms like high pitched screaming, maybe they\u2019ll start rubbing their little neck so hard they get redness there. One of the other really uncomfortable symptoms is frequent stooling so much that their bottoms become red and raw,\u201d Halfcare said of a baby\u2019s experience with neonatal abstinence syndrome, which also includes trouble eating.
\nThe babies that don\u2019t receive such care typically end up in the foster system, according to Kingston.
\n\u201cThe country has never experienced anything like this and we need a greater sense of urgency to cut off the supply from the Mexican Cartels,\u201d Maltz said.<\/p>\n
Wnd<\/p>\n
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