COCAINE
The typical
cocaine-exposed infant is prematurely born under 37
weeks gestation. There will be no outward signs of
withdrawal symptoms. She will have good color and be
soft and cuddly. The only way to verify the presence
of cocaine in a baby’s system is by a toxicology
screening. For the first two weeks of life, the
cocaine-exposed baby will snuggle up without being
fussy. She/he will not have tremors and will want to
sleep most of the time. One observable sign will be
that the baby does not wake to feed and will take
less than two ounces of formula every three to four
hours. The main concern will be their inability to
take as much formula as they should for proper
nutrition/poor weight gain. Monoclonic jerks may
occur, not to be confused with tremors, which, if
noted, might indicate the exposure to other drugs
besides cocaine. Feeding problems will also
continue.
Support
Feeding is
going to be the utmost concern with a newborn pre-nataly
exposed to cocaine. The baby must be fed regularly.
This means every three to four hours. During the
first few days, one or two ounces per feed may be
the correct amount but this must quickly increase.
Within three weeks the baby needs to be taking at
least three ounces every three to four hours. More
frequent feedings are not advisable because they
require too much of the baby’s energy and will burn
precious calories. Four ounces should be the norm
shortly after that. The baby will need to be
encouraged to feed. Many times he will become
lethargic and will be difficult to be wakened to
feed. He will have no sucking power and may even
fight the bottle. The manner of feeding is
important. (Please see the feeding section.) During
times other than feeding times, therapeutic care
techniques need to be applied. (See handling
section) These little ones will need to be closely
monitored and carefully managed by their caregivers.
Risk
Factors
-
-Failure
to thrive
-
-Therapeutic needs
-
-Breast
feeding
-
-Dehydration
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