Derriford Hospital in Plymouth has recognized relatively 63 newborns who were born with addiction picked up from their mothers and needed special drug treatment at other facility in the previous two years. In between January 2005 and November of 2009, 127 babies were born to substance-using mothers at Derriford Hospital, of which 32 children were delivered by staff between January and November 2009, 36 in 2008 (63 of them required special drug therapy treatment), 28 in 2007, 22 in 2006 and 9 in 2005.
Drug addiction is a major problem and more for pregnant mothers who sometimes feel that pursuing help cause problem to themselves. Every year nearly 4,500 babies are born at Derriford Hospital. Although the degree of substance abuse cases may appear less but the number is more. Infants that are uncertain of having substance abuse problems are initiated to a special care ward for supervision, children with adequately severe drug withdrawal symptoms are admitted in a treatment program. Usually these programs are conducted for minimum of 10 days and some require care for two to three weeks or more.
There are programs for pregnant women who are experiencing substance abuse problems that concentrate on favoring the child to be born drug free or less affected due to drugs. Sadly, these programs are underutilized and most of these women preferred to go through the suffering of giving birth to a drug addicted child under the belief that they have no choice. If women are made aware about such programs, then high rates of drug addiction in newborns would be reduced.