BORN ADDICTED: METH BABIES FACE CHALLENTES

Meth babies don't like being touched on the head or feet.

They seem to suffer from sensory overload. Sounds seem louder, lights brither, textures more extreme.

Each child responds differently, dependihg on the amount of meth consumned, point in the pregnancy at which the baby was exposed, other drugs taken by the mother, baby's genetic makeup and home environment.

The paranoia, hallucinations and other symptoms of methamphetamine use are amplified a hundredfold in meth-addicted babies.

Babies usually arrive in the world kicking and screaming, relying on their parents to comfort and help them attune themselves to their harsh, unfamiliar surroundings.

Some babies are harder to comfort than others, however. These are the infants who must adjust to the loss of a powerful, debilitating stimulant at the same time as they are being expelled from the warm, dark comfort of their mother's womb.

These are the methamphetamine-affected babies.

Dr. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital, said possibly 2 to 5 percent of the babies treated each year at the hospital suffer from the effects of meth use by their mothers. That translates to some 80 to 100 babies, a number that is quickly becoming proportional to the crack-cocaine-affected babies treated at the hospital.

"A majority of babies whose moms have taken only methamphetamine may look completely normal at birth," said Cole. "We don't do drug screens on every baby, and unfortunately drug screens are done by means of stereotypes rather than because of any potential for usage. That means socioeconomically disadvantaged women more often have drug screens than advantaged women, even though some advantaged women may be using methamphetamine."

Dr. Greg Mantych, clinical director of prenatal intensive care at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospitals in St. Louis, said his hospital has seen no cases of methamphetamine abuse in newborns, and only one to five infants addicted to an illicit drug in recent years. He agreed the figures may be deceptive, however, because of few actual drug screens.

"We're not seeing anything at all right now, but the problem is that oftentimes cocaine and meth can be taken together by the mother, but the cocaine may be detected first, and so it is the substance that gets coded," said Mantych.

Methamphetamine usage during pregnancy is harmful to an unborn child because the drug affects brain development. Depending on the amount and timing of the usage, a child might be born with a number of health problems, including poor control of arms and legs and problems with hearing and sight.

"What methamphetamine does is to reduce the amount of oxygen and blood flowing to different parts of the brain," Cole said. "During pregnancy, the brain grows more than at any other time during human life. Consequently, if a fetus is exposed to significant amounts of methamphetamine, certain centers or multiple centers might be affected."

Meth also causes blood vessels to constrict, which may increase chances of perinatal death, prematurity and growth problems during pregnancy. After birth, this can result in asocial behavior, hypersensitivity to light and touch, tremors, an inability to bond, and a host of birth defects.

Poor nutrition, abuse of other drugs and lack of prenatal care might also amplify health problems in a meth-affected baby. In addition, intravenous meth use increases a baby's chances of having HIV, the virus which causes AIDS.

Medicines can be given during pregnancy and after birth to reduce chances of HIV infection, but meth abusers frequently don't get prenatal care, so they don't get those services.

"It's another important issue facing these babies," said Cole.

Because there is no treatment, meth-affected babies have to suffer through their addiction until after withdrawal. The effects of meth on newborns can persist for days and weeks after the baby is born, and physical problems may never dissipate.

"There's not any magic medicine we can do to get them over this," said Mantych. "All we can do is minimize stimulation and try to help them through this."

Despite the suspected long-term effects of meth use, infants and children are surprisingly resilient, said the doctors. Many babies born with drug addictions can lead healthy, productive lives.

Early detection, regular evaluation and continuous intervention are keys to helping children overcome some of the problems of their meth addiction, they said.

"I think they will need regular evaluation of how they're developing through at least age 5," said Cole. "If they can be identified early, their long-term impacts may be significantly reduced. The best way to optimize outcome for babies is not to take methamphetamine during pregnancy."