More info:

Heroin and other opiates, including methadone, can cause significant withdrawal in the baby, with some symptoms lasting as long as four to six months. Seizures may also occur and are more likely in babies born to methadone users.

Babies suffering from withdrawal are irritable and often have a difficult time being comforted. Swaddling, or snugly wrapping the baby in a blanket, may help comfort the baby. Babies also may need extra calories because of their increased activity and may need a higher calorie formula. Intravenous (IV) fluids are sometimes needed if the baby becomes dehydrated or has severe vomiting or diarrhea.

Some babies may need medications to treat severe withdrawal symptoms, especially for seizures and to help relieve the discomfort and problems of withdrawal. The treatment drug is usually in the same class as the substance the baby is withdrawing from. Once the signs of withdrawal are controlled, the dosage is gradually decreased to help wean the baby off the drug. Talk to your baby's ped to learn which treatments might be effective for your baby.

A good medical team is not going to let the baby suffer and possibly die (because yea babies can die from withdrawal) simply because of a bias against "drug" users. If you truly think tht is the case, you may want to deliver elsewhere. I will be honest that a stigma comes along with methadone users. That's the blunt truth. It indicates an addiction no matter if you're recovering, sober or whatever. You probably will not get away from that. The stigma is attached, BUT personal feelings or judgements are put aside and the needs of the patient (ie you and baby) are to be put first.

@squeakytweaky ... I have no idea what to say to this because it's nothing I've seen in my life. so... do what the drs say. They won't (I pray to god) let your baby suffer. They may be rude to you. It's a crap shoot. Addiction to anything sucks. I'm sorry you're going through this.

@pdxmama I love you :)

but yes, there is still a huge stigma attached to it. I've known more than a couple people who would've been dead along time ago without it.

@luvlyssa don't go, I wasn't mad at you, or offended. I heart you!

Theres no need for mod intervention. @icansellout too stated her opinion and has not come back to further say anything else. We are all entitled to our opinion judgmental or not.

Also, I agree. Methadone is a "bad" drug. For babies. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be so closely monitored and babies wouldn't scream bloody murder when being weaned from it. Withdrawal symptoms are no joke and not to be taken lightly which is why I stated that here at least, babies are placed in the micu and closely monitored an cares for by our specialty nurses while being weaned/supplemented with pain medication. And yes, it's the lesser of two evils but still a bitch to be weaned from especially from a new baby who has no idea why it feels the way it does.

I'm sorry that she's going through this, but I agree with mellowyellow, it's not like they're not going to fight for you and your baby, they aren't allowed to be that judgemental in their practice. It is what it is, and you have to deal with the static that you get from it.

I'm not saying that babies being born addicted to methadone is good ffs! It sucks for sure, and my heart hurts for them. I'm just saying that the attitude of "methadone is bad" is what makes so many opiate addicts keep using heroin or oxycontin or w/e. At least if a pregnant addict is on methadone its regulated, monitored and she's being followed by a trained addiction medicine staff. If a woman is physically dependent on opiates when she gets pregnant, there really isn't a medically accepted protocol for stopping cold turkey. That will generally lead to miscarriage, especially in the first trimester. That's why methadone is the standard of care.

@SqueakyTweaky what is ur dose level? That has everything to do with whether or not ur baby will go thru withdrawal. If its not a high dose there is a good chance she will have no symptoms at all. Only a percentage of the dose u take is actually passed to the baby, not all of it. And some babies on relatively high dose still have no symptoms, it can't really be predicted b/c it has to do with ur personal body chemistry. Message me if u want, like I said I have btdt so I know all about being treated like crap b/c of being on a medication that saved my life. If someone does treat u badly, file a complaint on them. Don't just take it. And even say something to the person doing it, like if u don't feel u can give me or my baby the proper level of care b/c of ur personal convictions, please tell ur supervisor and get someone who can.

@Icansellouttoo I dont think she asked for your input regarding the type of mother she is or whether or not she should have more children. Your input just shows what a judgemental asshole you are.

_{@squeakytweaky you are an awesome mom! Props to you for staying sober and not getting your child hooked on something much worse. I am sorry you are going through this and I have no medical advice but I wanted to show my support for you as a mom. Stay strong and yes your ob can get a talk with the neonatologist. Mine got me an appt with the anesthesiologist the second time around because the first time they totally screwed up my back with the epidural. Anything is possible if you just ask.} 

i must say though i don't understand why that comment is still there, i have seen lots of comments deleted that were not near as bad. she didn't just state her opinion, it was a personal attack, and she obviously is not educated on the topic at hand. u shouldn't pass judgment on something u know nothing about imo.

How long she'll be in the NICU is impossible to know right now...it varies greatly, & is specific to each case. She could be ready to go home with you, or there for weeks. Keep taking good care of yourself & we are all hoping for the best case scenario. You have no way of knowing until she's tested & they establish a plan for her.
I understand that you're getting nervous about how the staff might feel about the methadone. Try not to be. You're on it, it's working for you, end of story. You can't change that or the past.

Please don't think she'll be in anyway neglected! The opposite will be true. She's going to watched very carefully & most likely get the most attention.
Take whatever time she's in the hospital and really use it. You'll have nurses with years of experience helping babies around. Ask questions, find out the tricks they've learned. Keep notes on what they suggest.
If you go home before your baby, be sure you go see her at least once a day for a few hours.
Feed her & comfort her. Practice how to care for her while you have all these people available to guide you how to do it the best way possible. Def take advantage of their knowledge.

Nurses aren't saints. Just like every other job in the world, some will be jerks.
They're also in the crappy position of seeing & experiencing some awful things. They can get jaded just like everyone else.
But please, please, don't assume they would ever let an infant suffer.
And don't plan on demanding tests, when you don't even know what tests are standard.
Or judging their level of care in keeping her under observation.
No need to look for or expect trouble here.
You judging them as a response to thinking they're judging you is the worst way to approach this.
All focus on the babe. Partner with them in helping her through any withdrawal.
This is a team approach, be a part of the team.

Do your homework now. Learn about methadone in infants, what to expect, how to handle her, what she might have trouble with, what you can do to help.
Make notes, after you have her ask different nurses for their opinions.

@peace spot freaking on! We get judged all the time before anyone even sees us thinking all nurses are awful and bitchy and can't put aside personal feelings after dealing with one nasty nurse. We all get bad names when in reality, there are some spectacular men and women out there who could treat someone awful with the utmost compassion and respect. Thank you!!

@MellowYellow covered most of the stuff that I would have said. You have a long tough road ahead of you, and your baby does too. Congratulations on your work on sobriety. I know how tough that is, my DH is an addict and I've seen how he struggles everyday because of it. He just recently went back to the methadone clinic too. He got scared that with him making lots of money this summer (he's a lobster fisherman) that he'll fuck up again. I am so proud that he admits that, and got himself help before anything happened.
But back to your baby: the withdrawal your baby is going to go through is excruciating and almost unbearable for even hospital staff to watch. And even though you're in a recovery program and doing the right thing, your baby is going through withdrawal because of YOU. And yes, the hospital staff will find that hard to swallow. BUT if they treat you or your baby with anything but respect then call them out for it. If they apologize and stay professional, fine, if not file a complaint. Doctors and nurses are Hand picked to work in the NICU to be professional and sympathetic to situations such as yours.
One last thing, is there a specific reason why the clinic you are going to didn't switch you to suboxone rather than methadone when you found out you were pregnant? Hate to sound snarky here, but that's what suboxone is for...so babies don't go into withdrawal! That shit makes me angry.

Lol @pdxmama I wouldn't want to wait either! Here in Maine, yes it's common practice to switch a pregnant woman to suboxone because of the baby not having any withdrawal from it at all. It's amazing stuff in my book. Although the clinics here have to warn the mother obviously of the risk they take with not being able to have any pain meds for themselves for 24 hours. Generally by then, the mother is weaned to a low enough dose that she won't even need to take it during her due date week. And most mothers choose 24 hours of pain temselves rather than the risk of methadone withdrawal for the baby.
That's the other beautiful thing about suboxone, it helps your brain reprogram itself and those natural endorphins start working again so you only have to be on suboxone for months vs. YEARS of methadone.

@pdxmama:  it's not the money that prevents the research here in the states.  It's the fact that pregnant women are a "protected class" in the research world, or rather their unborn children.  It's practically an Act of Congress to get the FDA to approve studies involving unborn babies.

Ok, at the risk of having stones thrown at me as well, I'm agreeing with @icansellouttoo oh well.

@icansellouttoo, the OP was actually asking for ways to ensure her baby received proper medical treatment once born, not being concerned over the drs being judgmental towards her. Please go back & re-read her post. I'm sure the OP has also said worse things to herself than you could possibly think of. She knows her mistakes & she is working on correcting them. Unless you have been an addict, you have no idea how difficult it is to get & stay clean. People make mistakes but we can also learn from those & better ourselves.

The fact is there really isn't any thing she can do, it's illegal for her doctor's to show bias and as such are obligated to do what they can to save her life. I don't think anyone would risk having their license taken away by letting a baby suffer.

I think it's always best to be prepared, informed, and aware in ANY health care situation.  True story;  when our DD9 was six, she was hospitalized for six weeks with double pneumonia.  She was intubated 3 times,  She had chest tubes to drain fluid.  She was on several meds, antibiotics and pain meds and sedatives.

 At some point during her hospitalization, after removing her breathing tube, some doctor ordered cessation of ALL her pain meds.  Just like that.  And what we saw in her was clearly withdrawal.  She was miserable!  And psychotic!  We had no idea what had happened until the next morning and we kind of went off on the doctor on duty and he was out of the loop as well and pissed and shocked!  They put her back on the meds then proceeded to slowly wean her off but let me tell you, it was traumatic and awful.   Stuff happens.   I don't go into a medical situation with my kids looking to be antagonizing or second guessing everyone but I am very careful and watchful due to past experiences.   I think that's always a good idea.

I happen to be very well versed on this topic and I would like to share my knowledge. First of all methadone is stronger than almost all narcotics including heroin. It binds to the receptors in the brain differently as well. Because of how "well" it binds it last much longer in the system and withdrawals are much more severe. Saying this when giving it to a preggo a doctor has to outweigh the risky behavior of using drugs vs. A maintenance dose of one drug a day with less crazy addict behavior. Withdrawals will start 24-48 hrs after birth and will last up to several weeks to months. Most babies will be tube fed and be on heart monitors and have respiration very closely monitored. Morphine is the choice drug for doctors to wean the baby off of narcotics. Other is natural and 1/20th the strength if methadone. Cps will be involved and most likely monitor the mother and her sobriety. This is a painstaking tedious life threatening process that should be taken very seriously. The main goal of the mother should be to maintain her sobriety while under this stress and allow the doctors to do what they do. I personally Hate methadone it is harder to kick than most other narcs due to its long half life and its metabolic behaviors. Suboxone is worse and has withdrawals that can last months. Suboxone is good for acute cases of withdrawal and should be used only during the duration of severe symptoms. Anyways stay clean. Go to meetings and ask for help when you need it. You have a long road ahead of you but if you want this child and a good life you can never use drugs again. Part of your journey will be accepting that. No beer not one joint they are just as bad as a needle in your arm because they will take you right back there. The doctors are very well versed on how to manage this your not the first women to birth an addicted baby and sure not the last. I'm not a doctor only a college student that's getting my rn and specializing in addiction care. Please stay clean for your lil peanut. My parents were addicts and it is not an easy road but it is possible to win. Good luck