Vermont has the highest rate of opioid use among pregnant women, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that studied delivery hospitalizations in 28 states.Opioid use during pregnancy can cause serious and sometimes fatal health problems for mothers and babies, and is a growing concern nationwide.
Dr. Alison Holmes, a pediatrician who focuses on newborn health at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, said the new report confirms what she and others have been seeing for years: a growing number of newborns experiencing opioid withdrawal.
"For those of us that work in the field, this report is not a surprise," Holmes said.
Holmes said it's important for expectant mothers to receive treatment during their pregnancy if they are addicted to opioids.
"What we want is for pregnant women to get into programs where they are prescribed a maintenance medication," Holmes said. "That helps them have a safe pregnancy."
The CDC found the rate of opioid use among pregnant women quadrupled in the United States between 1999 and 2014. As of 2014, the rate in Vermont was 48.6 for every 1,000 delivery hospitalizations.
Disclosure: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center is a VPR underwriter.
