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The drug-exposed infant in the well-baby nursery
1Division of General Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA.
Maternal substance use can have medical and developmental consequences for the newborn. Many drug-exposed infants are admitted to term nurseries, and the newborn clinician who often has never previously met the mother must gather both objective and subjective information about problems in the pregnancy and delivery that may indicate maternal substance abuse. This article addresses the prevalence of maternal substance abuse in the United States, the long-term consequences of in utero drug exposure that makes early identification important, the identification of a drug-exposed neonate, and in-hospital care and discharge management of the drug-exposed newborn.
Maternal substance use can have medical and developmental consequences for the newborn. Many drug-exposed infants are admitted to term nurseries, and the newborn clinician who often has never previously met the mother must gather both objective and subjective information about problems in the pregnancy and delivery that may indicate maternal substance abuse. This article addresses the prevalence of maternal substance abuse in the United States, the long-term consequences of in utero drug exposure that makes early identification important, the identification of a drug-exposed neonate, and in-hospital care and discharge management of the drug-exposed newborn.