Pregnant, Addicted and Fighting the Pull of Drugs
By JENNIFER SCHNEIDER
The Associated Press
CINCINNATI – The baby’s father was a drug dealer. The mother was a drug addict.
Their daughter, born in a Cincinnati hospital, was addicted to cocaine.
“I was scared to death,” said the baby’s grandmother, who asked that her name not be used. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
The baby, now 10 months old, is one of about 1,000 babies born in Ohio each year with drug-related problems, according to the state health department.
The number of babies born addicted to drugs has been rising steadily in Ohio and across the country, and the problem is expected to get worse as more women use drugs during pregnancy.
“It’s a growing problem,” said Dr. David K. Johnson, a neonatologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “It’s a problem that’s not going away.”
The number of babies born addicted to drugs in Ohio has more than doubled in the past decade, according to the state health department.
The number of babies born addicted to cocaine has dropped in recent years, but the number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically.
“We’re seeing more and more babies born addicted to prescription drugs,” said Dr. David K. Johnson, a neonatologist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. “It’s a problem that’s not going away.”
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.
The number of babies born addicted to prescription drugs has risen dramatically in recent years.