Nothing can prepare a mother for seeing her newborn seize multiple times an hour, refuse to eat or sleep, and shake uncontrollably. That’s what Julia found herself facing after severe chronic back pain from a car accident left her dependent on opioids. Julia had been a college student from a middle class family with a bright future, and never imagined she would end up an addict with a newborn diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).
Julia’s story mirrors that of hundreds of thousands of Americans who are prescribed pain killers like Vicodin or OxyContin to heal from an accident, surgery, or cancer, and find themselves addicted and unable to stop – even when pregnant.
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