The Opioid Dependent Mother and Newborn Dyad: Nonpharmacologic Care

• DOI: 10.1097/adm.0b013e31817e6105
• Publication Date: 2008-08-21T07:12:42Z
• Authors: Martha Velez; Lauren M. Jansson
• Keywords: Dyad; Dysfunctional family

Opioid dependent pregnant and postpartum women their infants are a complex vulnerable population requiring individualized, comprehensive, multidisciplinary treatment. Though methadone maintenance in the setting of comprehensive service provision during pregnancy significantly improves outcomes for opioid women, its use has implications infant, most notably neonatal abstinence syndrome. Neonatal syndrome is comprised physiologic signs behaviors that indicate dysfunctional regulation central autonomic nervous systems, variable expression affected infants. The disorganized rather than adaptive displayed by each infant undergoing effects utero exposure may impair basic functions such as feeding, sleeping, ability to be alert communicate clear cues caregivers. Understanding responding neurobehavioral dysfunction newborn help promote infant's self-organization self-regulating abilities. However, substance abusing mother's physical psychologic wellbeing debilitated perinatal period, her recognize respond newborn's limited. A multitiered assessment intervention methadone-maintained mother, child, mother/infant dyad can improve early maternal nurturing interactions, crucial component development, particularly this population. purpose article review contribution dependency difficulties experienced mother-infant treatment providers postnatal nonpharmacologic with suggestions practical measures emphasis on mother baby an interactional dyad.