Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome What is neonatal abstinence
syndrome? Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a term for a
group of problems a baby experiences when withdrawing from
exposure to narcotics. It is estimated that 3 to 50 percent of
newborn babies have been exposed to maternal drug use, depending
on the population and area of the country. What causes neonatal
abstinence syndrome? Almost every drug passes from the mother's
blood stream through the placenta to the fetus. Illicit
substances that cause drug dependence and addiction in the
mother also cause the fetus to become addicted. At birth, the
baby's dependence on the substance continues. However, since the
drug is no longer available, the baby's central nervous system
becomes overstimulated causing the symptoms of withdrawal. Some
drugs are more likely to cause NAS than others, but nearly all
have some effect on the baby. Opiates, such as heroin and
methadone, cause withdrawal in over half of babies exposed
prenatally. Cocaine may cause some withdra