• Baby Born Addicted To Heroin

Over the past five years in Britain, more than 5,500 babies have been born hooked on the drugs because of their mother's own addictions Three babies are born every day addicted to heroin, crack cocaine and other drugs, it has today been revealed. Over the past five years in Britain, more than 5,500 babies have been born hooked on the drugs because of their mother's own addictions. Statistics from the Department of Health show that all of the newborn babies were showing 'neonatal withdrawal symptoms' within the first few hours of drawing breath. This can see the babies - who need specialist care to cope with fever, severe vomiting and diarrhea and are so addicted they fit within the first few hours of life - given opiates to 'ween them off' heroin. The figures, revealed by Conservative MP for Enfield North Nick de Bois, show the area with the highest number of deliveries where the mother has a diagnosis of ‘Mental and behavioural disorders due to misuse of alcohol, tobacco or other substances' is the North West Strategic Health Authority, which covers Liverpool and Manchester. He said: 'We have got to be handing out proper sentences to drug dealers and put the fear of god into them. 'Otherwise we will forever have this cycle of addicts.

And shake your body like a baby born addicted. Leaving The Past. Got the heat to your back And shake your body like a baby born addicted to crack And since.

'The scale of the problem has been a constant figure for five years so this 'war on drugs' is a nonsense. 'And either way we are not going to declare war on young mothers with babies. Not all drug addicts are criminals.

'What we need to do is work with more of the whole family unit, however dysfunctional that unit is. 'There are an estimated 350,000 children living with hooked parents, and their chances of become drug addicts are seven times more likely.

'We need a fresh approach, a more holistic approach' It comes after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was slapped down by David Cameron after saying Britain was ‘losing the war on drugs on an industrial scale’. The Liberal Democrat leader threw his weight behind a controversial report by MPs which suggested decriminalising the possession of small quantities of drugs.

Statistics from the Department of Health show that all of the newborn babies were showing 'neonatal withdrawal symptoms' within the first few hours of drawing breath (stock picture) Alan Hopley from Addaction, which works with addicted mothers in a specialist centre in Scotland, said the figures were part of a wider problem with parenting. He said: 'These figures are shocking in themselves,yet they illustrate a wider problem: There are thousands of children in the UK growing up with parents who have a drug problem. 'It's why services like Addaction's have to do more than help someone recover. 'We work with the entire family, too, to restore structure and stability. Without that help, children are up to seven times more likely to develop their own problems, later in life'. Former police officer Norman Brennan campaigns for victims of crime. He told The Sun he hoped the figures would make Mr Clegg re-think his comments adding that the 'liberal elite had no idea about the true scale of the problem'.

Who couldn't swallow when he was born. Two years later, he still has to be fed through a tube. His is an extreme case. The vast majority of meth babies look normal, but they may only sleep an hour a night. They can have tremors, muscle stiffness, and trouble gripping. 'Babies who are exposed to Methamphetamine are at risk for having a stroke before they are born, in the mom's uterus,' said Shaw. 'And that cannot be fixed.'

No one knows how much to blame meth alone, since most users also abuse alcohol, marijuana and tobacco. 'I prayed every day that she would be all right,' said mother Jamie Leach. Leach was busted while six-months pregnant. She'd been using heavily — passing the drug on to her baby Justice. At five months old, the child appears healthy. 'It breaks my heart that I could have caused her some kind of damage that might not be detected,' Leach said.

'I worry about it every day.' But this is not a lost generation. Many of these meth-exposed babies can grow into healthy children — with the right treatment and therapy.

Bridge of Hope is a new treatment center where recovering moms stay for months at a time with their babies, learning techniques like infant massage to soothe stiffened muscles. Paired with a support group, Moms Off Meth, the program seems to be working.

Baby Born Addicted To Heroin

All 12 Bridge of Hope graduates are sober, which is stunning, considering the relapse rate for meth is between 50 and 90 percent. Shah sees new patients every day. Heartbreaking, yes, she says, but not hopeless. 'I can't change what happened to this child before birth,' Shah said. 'But I have the ability and the opportunity to change everything that happens to this child from now on.' This is a chance for the tiniest victims of this hidden epidemic.