Growing number of babies exposed to drugs during pregnancy

The number of babies exposed to illicit drugs during pregnancy in Newfoundland and Labrador who required admission to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for withdrawltreatmentnearly tripledover the past five years, increasingfrom11 infants in 2012 to 29 newborns in 2017.

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Provincial statistics showthe number of newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome, who need to be weened off drug dependencies with morphine, has also grown.

Two babies needed that treatment in 2012. Health officials say eight infants withneonatal abstinence syndrome required morphine in 2017.

Drugs during pregnancy

The number of mothers in this province who've used drugs while pregnant has hovered around 2 percentfor each of the past three years, based on self-reported data collected through the provincial health-care system.

About4,500 babies are born in Newfoundland and Labrador annually, which means last year about 90 mothers self-reported using drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, heroin, solvents and methadone while they were pregnant.

The number of babies who test positive for illicit drugs at birth is lower than the number of mothers who self reported drug use because in some cases the use may have been earlier in the pregnancy, sothe drugs would no longer show up in the newborn's system.

These numbers comefrom the Newfoundland and Labrador Prenatal Record, Live Birth Notification form, and health care record of every mother and baby born in the province that received care from a facility within a regional health authority.

Eastern Health told CBCNews that maternal alcohol use, tobacco smoking and illicit substance use information is captured during the first, second or third trimester through self-reported information.

Growingproblem across Canada

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says1,846 babies were admitted to Canadian hospitals between April2016 and March 31, 2017 aftertheir mothers used opioids during pregnancy.

This totaldoesn't include Quebec, which keeps its own numbers.

The Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction says drug exposure can affect the earliest stages of development. It also can have longer-termharmful effects that carry into early childhood and beyond.