Patricia:  I have had some (not a lot) experience with addicted mothers.
In my limited, (but nonetheless profound to me), experience the babies do
better when they are breastfed.  It's hard to separate out why this is so
because mother's milk has so many benefits.  My theory on this is that
there is not the abrupt withdrawal, but rather a gradual decline of
methadone (if you can get the mom's methadone levels decreased too).
Watching a baby go through withdrawal is horrible for all involved.  Lots
of counselling and support are needed for mom, staff, family, etc.  The
knee-jerk reactions of many hospital staff are usually "get that baby away
from the mom"; however, I really think that bf can help with the bonding,
drug-recovery, and baby's withdrawal.  The prolactin in the mom has to be a
positive as well.  My most telling experience with this came just a few
months ago when one of my women's health students wrote about her
experience as an addicted mother.  In her term paper, she described how bf
helped her lower her methadone dose, bond with her baby, and ultimately
stay drug free.  It was an incredibly touching and informative paper.

: )Chris Hafner-Eaton, PhD, MPH, CHES, IBCLC  email: [log in to unmask]   : )
: )HSR & Health Educational Consultant        voice/fax: 541 753 7340    : )
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