92 babies with drug withdrawal symptoms discharged from hospitals in 2016 – HSE

Mother’s use of drugs during pregnancy causes symptoms in newborns

Almost half  of all reported discharges of babies with drug withdrawal symptoms were from Dublin maternity hospitals such as the Coombe, Holles Street and the Rotunda, the HSE  said. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
Almost half of all reported discharges of babies with drug withdrawal symptoms were from Dublin maternity hospitals such as the Coombe, Holles Street and the Rotunda, the HSE said. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Ninety-two newborn babies with drug withdrawal symptoms were discharged from Irish hospitals last year, the HSE has said.

Almost half (44) of all reported discharges of babies with withdrawal symptoms were from Dublin maternity hospitals such as the Coombe, Holles Street and the Rotunda, it said.

A total of 501 babies were discharged from Ireland’s maternity hospitals with drug addiction withdrawal due to the mother’s use of drugs during pregnancy between 2012 and 2016, it said.

The figures, initially released by the HSE to theJournal.ie under the Freedom of Information Act, show there were 105 such cases in 2012, 119 in 2013, 95 in 2014 and 90 in 2015.

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A breakdown of the drugs involved was not provided but heroin, methadone, cocaine and benzodiazepines are among the substances people regularly present with to addiction services .

Legal exposures such as tobacco, alcohol, caffeine and antidepressants can also result in withdrawal symptoms in exposed infants.

Support to mother

A spokesperson for Merchants Quay Ireland Homeless and Drugs Services said that while there is no specific programme in place for babies experiencing withdrawal, authorities are notified “once we’ve become aware that a mother has become pregnant”.

Following this, intensive support is given to the woman, it said.

While babies experiencing withdrawal symptoms and addicted pregnant mothers would be a minority of the cases Merchant Quay deals with, the orgaanisation said: “we certainly do see it.”

“We do give a lot of support, not only during the pregnancy, but afterwards for people who have children in care, or new babies, or children that they’re trying to get back in touch with.”