For Babies Born Dependent on Opioids, Doctors Try New Caregiving Approach

May 1, 2023

(Wall Street Journal) – Thousands of babies are born each year to mothers who are using opioids. The newborns enter the world in withdrawal—some fussy and sweating, others struggling to feed. The treatment, until recently, was to separate the babies from their mothers, start them on morphine, and keep them isolated for days or weeks of intensive care. Now doctors have a new treatment: Mom. Doctors and researchers are encouraging parents to soothe their newborns as they shed their dependence on opioids, and using morphine as a last resort. (Read More)