The Effects of Opioid Addiction on Pregnant Mothers and Children

This report investigates the effects of opioid addiction on pregnant mothers and their children. It highlights the risks associated with opioid use, including neonatal abstinence syndrome, premature birth, and low birth weights. The report also discusses the potential for maternal opioid use disorder and the impact on the mother's health. The study references research that suggests potential developmental delays and speech impairments in children exposed to opioids during pregnancy, although the specific causes are not always clear. It emphasizes the importance of understanding these risks to improve maternal and child health outcomes and provides references to relevant research and resources.

EFFECTS OF OPIOID ADDICTION ON CHILD AND MOTHER
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Opioid addiction among pregnant mothers may have long-lasting health effects on them
and their unborn infants. This report analyzes the negative consequences associated with the use
Opioid among expectant mothers.
As a result of the continued use of Opioid, the child is likely to be born with a condition
known as neonatal abstinence syndrome caused by withdrawal from exposure to Opioid after
birth (Reddy, Davis, Ren & Greene, 2017). One of the peri-natal risks associated with Opioid
addiction is premature birth, poor fetal growth, and low birth weights. Additionally, it can also
lead to withdrawal symptoms, aspiration pneumonia, extended hospital stays, re-hospitalization
30 days after birth or Jaundice (Romanowicz et al., 2019).
The use of opioids during pregnancy can also have various effects on the mother after
birth. They stand a high risk of developing Opioid use disorder. Additionally, it may also lead to
the death of the mother (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,2019).
However, there is no evidence of the long-term risks of opioid addiction on a child. This
applies to children born with and those born without the Neonatal Abstinence syndrome.
Additionally, it also right that not all children exposed to opioids during pregnancy show signs of
the condition immediately after birth. In such cases, however, outcomes related to the use of
opioids might be witnessed in later years. A recent study concluded that children exposed to
Opioid use were more likely to develop language and speech impairment or developmental
delays as compared to children not exposed to the use of Opioid. However, it is not clear this is a
result of Opioid use or exposure to other factors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
2019).

References
Centers for Disease Control and prevention. (2019). Basics About Opioid Use During Pregnancy
| CDC. Retrieved 3 October 2019, from
https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/opioids/basics.html
Reddy, U. M., Davis, J. M., Ren, Z., & Greene, M. F. (2017). Opioid Use in Pregnancy,
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, and Childhood Outcomes: Executive Summary of a
Joint Workshop by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American
Academy of Pediatrics, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, and the March of Dimes Foundation. Obstetrics and gynecology, 130(1),
10.
Romanowicz, M., Voort, J. L. V., Shekunov, J., Oesterle, T. S., Thusius, N. J., Rummans, T.
A., ... & Schak, K. M. (2019). The effects of parental opioid use on the parent-child
relationship and children’s developmental and behavioral outcomes: a systematic review
of published reports: child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 13(1), 5.