Born addicted to opioids: Neonatal abstinence syndrome
Lisa Nye says it was hard to watch her newborn baby shake and tremor. Isabella Nye was born addicted to opioids. She spent weeks in the NICU with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) before she could leave the hospital with her mother.
Isabella is among the growing number of babies born with NAS today. In fact, it’s estimated that a baby is born every 25 minutes suffering from opioid withdrawal. Lisa used heroin until she found out she was pregnant with Isabella and then she began a methadone maintenance program which she continues today. Lisa chose to share her story because she knows there are other pregnant women out there afraid to come forward with their addiction.
Keira McGuire is a health reporter and multimedia producer for WITF. She hosts and produces Transforming Health television programs as well as other shows and documentaries for WITF’s Original Productions. McGuire produced the Emmy Award winning series HealthSmart for the last ten years. Keira previously worked at WBFF in Baltimore and WMDT in Salisbury as a reporter and anchor. She’s a graduate of Towson University.
