There has to be a better way to help babies born with addictions to opiods. My grandson was born 6 days ago and has been in the NICU since Tuesday night. His mother and my son are both being treated with methadone, good for them but not so good for this little guy. He was 4lbs 14oz when he was born, not too bad size wise. But to see this little baby suffer and be treated with morphine when he’s only a few days old just breaks my heart. A baby’s life shouldn’t begin with detox.

I have yet to find a study that definitively says what the long term effects are on a baby born with methadone dependency. I am worried about this little angel and what struggles he could have in the future. Will he lag behind developmentally? It’s a tough start for someone so tiny. It’s so hard to watch him cry out, to see him so agitated, to try to get him to eat more and he won’t and knowing there is nothing in my power to help him.

Another sad thing is that grandparents, even with permission from the parents, are not permitted in NICU without a parent with them. I would think that it’s better to have a family member there as much as possible to hold, love and comfort him. I would run there on my lunch break, even if I could only be there for 20 minutes. Yet the hospital has volunteers coming in to hold the babies. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. My son and his fiance have 2 other children to care for and cannot be there all the time but both grandmothers are willing and able to come in throughout the day the hold him. I think policies need to change. I don’t even know where to begin with this except by writing a letter to the hospital administrator. All these babies need as much love and bonding with their families as possible.

What do you think? Should Grandparents be allowed – with the parents permission – to go into the NICU to hold grandchildren? Is there a reason why they can’t? Because if there is a good reason why it’s not allowed then I completely understand since I only want what is best for my grandson. But with the information I have seen, gathered and read I believe that this policy needs to change. These babies need all the comfort and love they can get and it seems to me that hospitals are withholding an important resource for these babies.

I believe that this is a worthy cause to follow. It is just as important as the current opiod crisis, after all it is an effect of this. We need to find a better way to help, a more compassionate way and a way that allows the babies to form close bonds with the ones who love them.

Below are several articles that discuss this topic. The one common denominator is these babies need to be held and comforted more. Let’s all work on a solution that is both safe for the babies and allows for the most love.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/life-begins-with-agony-of-withdrawal-for-opiate-addicted-babies/

https://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2012/09/opioid-addicted_women_are_givi.html