Quills 2012 Best Feature in Print

7/29/2019 Quills 2012 Best Feature in Print

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Faith is only six days old but

has a drug habit to kick. Read

Ruth Lamperds extraordinary

story of the battle to save a tiny

girl born addicted to drugs

ith is only six days old but

SAVINGBABY

FAITH

$2 Inc. GSTOCTOBER 21, 2012heraldsun.com.au

SPECIAL REPORT

FAITHS STORY: PAGES 20-23PICTURE: TONY GOUGH

HOW MICKSTOPPED

PLAYER REVOLT

EXCLUSIVEBOOK

EXTRACTPAGE 3, SPORT

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sto

F

.e ra s un . co . au

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FRENCHRUN AWAY

WITH CUP

CRICKET GREATSFIGHT FOR LIFE

PAGES 4-5,& SPORT

TONY GREIG BATTLES CANCER PAGES 10-11


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20 NEWSSunday Herald Sun, October 21, 2012

Baby Faith istwitchingand jerking.Something

is terriblywrongthis beautifullittle girl has adrug habit to kickFaith has been quiet as a lamb, but not any more. Her

inconsolable bleats ring out in the hushed nursery. The truth is

awul this tiny baby is hanging out or a fx. RUTH LAMPERD

ollows the conronting battle o one baby born addicted to

drugs and all those working to give her the best start in lie

h is

D

SAVING

BABY

FAITH

DAY 1

Faith is born at 9amweighing 1600g. She is fed7ml of expressed breastmilk every three hours via atube that goes through hernose to her stomach

DAY 2

She receives bluelight treatment calledphototherapy, which isused for jaundice

DAY 3

Initial mild symptomsof withdrawal from hermothers benzodiazepineuse become obvious,causing jerky, randommovements in Faiths body

DAY 6

Regular clinicalobservations show Faith isin severe withdrawal frommethadone

DAY 7

Morphine is given everyfour hours in doses of0.1mg, equivalent to 0.4mga kg a day, to reduce thesymptoms and to preventconvulsions

F

AITHjitteredandcried.Dark smudgescircledher eyes.Herscrawnyarmsandlegspumpedthe air.

Shesquirmedagainstthesheetsof herhumidicrib.Sneezedsix, seven,eight ina row.Ashaky sigh. Another

yawn.Andthen thecrybegan againtheendlesskitten-call of a baby hangingoutfora fix.Faithwashookedon

methadone andvalium. Justlikehermum.Shes inheritedmorethan

herfatherslongfingers andhermothersauburn-tingedhair.Shehadno choicebuttogothroughwithdrawal.People canonly imagine

whatshehassuffered.Atleast shewontremember it.TodayFaith turns zero.

Sheishomewithher

parents,sleepingin herrocker.Takinghermarkat

thestartlinewithothernewborns.ForFaith,timestartsnow.Faithsfather swaddled

herin hiswhitehoodiethemomentshewasborn,sevenweeks andonedaybeforeshe wasdue.Shearrived ina rush on

her fathersbirthday.Deliveredonthe living roomcarpetof theirhousingcommissionhome.Shewasntbreathingat

first.She hadnt given awhimper.Mumwas crying.Dadwas

frantic.She turnedpink.Shewas alive, butso frailandso tiny.Faithwasntsupposed to

behere yet.Particularly nothere ina livingroom.Sheneededdoctors andmachinesthat beeped.Everybody knewthat

withouta boostFaithwould

start lifebehindherpeers.Orshemight notmake it.

Paramedicsknockedatthedoorminutesaftershewasborn.Ambulancepatientsdontcomemuchsmaller.Onlytwodaysafterthey

deliveredherto theSunshineHospitalsemergency department,Faithstwitches ofdrugwithdrawalstarted.Shelay in thespecial care

nurseryunderblue lightsandsunshadesto treatjaundicecommon innewborns.Herlegsjerkedand

quivered. Theypulledupagainsther tummyandkickedrandomly.Her armswould flingoutasthoughshewasswattinga fly. Itwasntnoise thatsetheroff.Theplacewas hushedanddim.Somethingwasgoingoninsideher.Butshe didntcry.

Thesymptomsof drugwithdrawal canlook less

severe inbabiesbornsopremature. Their brainsarestillmakingconnections,still workingout thereflexesandbehavioursneeded togetattention.To survive.Margaret,hermother,had

taken valiumfor years.Ithelpedcalmheranxiety.Shewasusedto thechemical,butshe gaveit upforthefinal fourmonthsofherpregnancy.It candomorelong-termharmtoababythan methadone.Valiumwasstill inFaiths

body. Sowhen shewas bornherbodyreacted.Therewasso littleofher.

Anurseputa pinkdollspinaforeon her,halfwaythroughthe firstweekof herlife.It wasa sweet attempttomakeherlooklike thelittle girlshewas.Shedidntappearwell.

Butpremmies,skinnyand

blotchy,rarelydo.Everybodywascomfortable

withher progress.Theotherbabiesin the

nursery therewere18inthere atonetimeduringthefirstweekofher lifewouldcryfor foodthensleep.Theywouldntkickand twitch atnothingas Faithdid.Thingswere toworsen.

ThehighmethadonedoseMargarethad taken forherentirepregnancy, hadcrossedthe placenta,throughto Faithsbodybefore shewasborn.Itwasstoredin herfat

cells,it still fedheraddiction tillit lefther body.Butwhen shewassixdays

old,shehitthe wall.Reallyhard.

MARGARETknowshowitfeelstobehanging. Every

partof youaches,you feelnauseous,dizzy, weak,

stressed, frantic.Liketheflu,but 20timesworse.

Soonday six,nobodycould guessbetterthan herhowher babywasfeeling.Everydayshewalkedthe

45minutesfromhome tohospital,or spentanhour ormore ridingpublic transporttogothe samedistance.Shelived10minutesdriveaway,butshe couldntaffordtoregisterthe sedan in thecarport.Nursesin thespecial care

nurserywere impressedbyherdedication.Somebabiesgofor dayswithout seeingtheirmother.Nobodyknows whats

goingon athometo keepthemaway maybe theyvefallen intomentalillness,orbeenphysicallyabusedorscoreda badbatchofheroin.Margaretwasntoneof

those.Butshehadbeensosure, sohopeful,thatFaith

might escapethewithdrawal pain.Herbabys


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NEWS 21Sunday HeraldSun, October 21, 2012

Pictures: TONY GOUGH

DAY 8

Baby Faith has her frstbath. By now she is beinggiven 20ml o breastmilk ateach eed. Her weight hitsits lowest point o 1470g

DAY 14

Faith reaches an importantmilestone when sheweighs in at 1706g or thefrst time she weighs morethan she did at birth

DAY 16

The naso-gastric tube isremoved and Faith startseeding rom a bottle

DAY 13

A high-calorie supplementis added to the breast milk

DAYS 30-32

Mum shares a room withFaith to show she will beable to cope with lookingater her baby at home

DAY 32Faith goes home

She was hooked on methadone and

valium. Just like her mum. She hadno choice but to withdraw.

muscleswere sotaut thatMargaretcouldntstraightenouther skinnyarms.Theypulled toherchest,

which roseandfell inshallowunevenbreaths,herhands clenchedtightlyandunderherchin.Orup besideher head,

jammedagainst herearsasthoughtrying toshutsomethingoutor tokeepsomethingin.Andshecried.Neither

parentcould consoleher.Shehadbeena quietlambuntilthen.Butnowherbleatshungin thecalmof

thenursery. Therewereoftenwithdrawing babiesin

here. Sometimes three orfour atonce. But onthisawful night,Faith criedalonewithhermother.Nurseshad watchedher

carefully. Every fewhourstheydcompletedachecklist,takingnote ofhervitalsigns. TheFinneganneonatalscoresystemis aclinicalwayof showingababy issuffering fromwithdrawal.Faithwasbottomingout.

Itasksforscoresoutof fiveandlooksat excessiveyawning,sneezing, crying,sleeplessness,fever, poorfeeding,vomitingand loose

stools.Faithhad scoredbadly enoughthree

successive times toshowshewas in seriouswithdrawal.Someonetook Margaret

aside.They toldherFaithneededtreatment.Otherwiseshewoulduseuptoomuchenergy fightingthewithdrawal, shed losemoreweight, shedbemoresusceptibleto illness,herbodywouldntsoakupnutrientsfromherfeeds.Andshecouldconvulse causingirreversiblebrain injury.Faithneededmorphine.

Margarethesitated.Addictivedrugs totreataddictivedrugs?Shehopedthedoctorsknewwhattheyweredoing.Theydid.Thescience iswell-tested.Ijustdidntwant herto

havemoredrugs.I tooksomeconvincing,Margaretsays.I askedthem,Areyousureshes reallyhanging?

Theyweresure.I wascryingand scared.She

neededhelpandI didntwant herto suffer.

THAOLu isSunshineHospitalsonlyneonatologist.When

Faithwasborn,the hospitalwasadvertising forasecond.Herworkloadisclimbing.Sheisusedtospeakingin

hushedtones aroundbabiesthatneeda lowstimulationenvironmentto givetheirbrainstime andspacetogrow.DrLu knowsallthesigns ofneonataldrugwithdrawal,the waysto helpbabiesout theotherside.Sheexplains itclinically.

Butnot evena dedicatedprofessionalcanbeunaffectedbytheinconsolable squealsofnewbornsdryingout.Itis challenging. It

couldnt notaffectme. Its

hardforeveryone,shesays,after a pause.Of

courseits hard.Thehospital in

Melbournesouter westernsuburbshas abusy specialcarenurseryand itsfairshareof complicatedstories.Five to10 percent of

babiesin thenursery arewithdrawingfromdrugs.Notall fromopiates.Somefromalcohol,prescriptiondrugs andevencaffeine.Anursetoldof one

pregnantwomanwhowasdrinkingfivecupsof strongcoffee adayand twobottlesof coke.Herbabyneededtreatmentfor thejittersforsomedaysafterhe wasdelivered.Inthepastyear,about 30

babiesneededtreatmentforwithdrawalat SunshineHospital.The HealthDepartmentrevealed 280babieslast financialyear

werebornin Victorianpublichospitals needing

treatmentfor withdrawalfromillicit orprescriptiondrugs.Whathappensto themis

unknown.Statistically,childrenwith drug-takingparentsaremorelikelyto bevictimsof child abuse, tobebroughtup byfostercarersorother familymembersandtheyare morelikelytosuffermental illnessandhomelessness.Thefiguresdontreflect

allthosewhowereborn inprivatehospitals.Or thosewhowentundiagnosedbecausetheirmothersdidnttell their doctors.SunshineHospitalhas a

goodreputationwithneonataldrug withdrawal.Womenknow theirbabieswill bein goodhands. TheRoyalWomens Hospitaltreatsan equivalentnumberofwithdrawingbabies.

Continuednextpage


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22 NEWSSunday Herald Sun, October 21, 2012

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I dont wantpeople to

say Oh,shes just ajunkie baby.Its not her

fault she

was bornaddicted

Karyn Smith

She wont

humour a

woman who needs

to hear the truth

laid bare

From previous page

Butthe problemdoesntpresentonly inthe cityswesternand inner suburbs.

Nohospital isimmune.Whereverthereare drugsandnewborns,it happens.

Mostlysubstance abuserswhoare poorgo throughthepublic systemand areeasierto note.

But expertsbelievetheresa hiddenmiddle-incomedemographic thatgoes unrecorded. They

chooseprivatecareto avoidtheshame.Andthereis great shame.

Anexperiencedworker withdrug-addicted mothersinthe outer southeasternsuburbsof Melbourne sayssocietyhas a lowest-of-the-lowlist.

Thirdlowestis a druguser, secondlowestis awoman whousesdrugs.Andthelowestisa motherwithdrugaddiction.Yousee thishurting,shamed personunderneath,but Stuff theworld isoften theirdefaultposition,the midwifewhodidnt wantto benamedsays.

LITTLE local researchisavailable. Butit isacceptedthat

substanceabuse rarely

takes place inisolation.Most oftenthereis acocktailof chemicals in themix alcohol,prescriptiondrugs,cannabis, nicotine,aswellas opiates whichskews anyattempt to showclearlythe effect ofmethadoneon babies.

Universityof MelbournesDrMenka Tsantefskihasresearchedsubstance-usingparentsand saysgoodnutritionand antenatalcarewillensurebabies bornwithopiate addictionshave solidprospects. Studiesshowtheyare otherwiseat nodisadvantage to childrenwhoare bornwithout anaddiction.

Itsone ofthemanysurprisingmisconceptionsabout drug-addictedbabies.

Anotheris thata doctorormidwifewouldencourageanexpectant mother togo coldturkey.That isdangerous.Babyis likely todie beforeshes born. Specialistswantmothersto findamanageablelevel of theirdrug andstickto it.

Anotheris thatopiatescause themost damagetobabies.

Infact, themostdamagingis alcohol.Foetalalcohol syndromecausesirreversibleharmto thechild,no matterhow much

medicine youthrowat themas newborns.

The mostcontentiousmisconception is thatmotherson drugs dont careabout theirbaby. No workerinthefieldsaidtheyd met amotherwho didntwant thebest forher baby. Thechaosthatusually surrounds them heighteneddomesticviolence, lackof familysupportand mental illness

meantheircapacitytoshowthatcare ishamstrung.

EvenMargaret,from adifficult past, buta stablepresent, washavinga toughtime. Margaretpointed tohercalendar.A family courthearing.Department ofHumanServicesappointment. Meetingwithpublichousing worker.Social worker . . .

Right in themiddle, ononesquare, werescribbledthewordsFaithdue.Therewouldbeno time to

sitbackand enjoytheglowof newmotherhood.

FAITHdidnt needmuchmorphineto taketheedge offher methadone

withdrawal. Shehaddroppedfrom1600gon herfirst weigh-inafterbirthto1470g eight dayslater.Premmiebabyclotheswithfive-zerosizingwerefar toobigfor her.

Shewas struggling.Babiesare resilientcreatures.But nurseswhosawher worriedabouthercolour.The darknessaroundher eyes. Thewayherskinnow hungfromherlimbs, nofatto padherout.

Theywereall waitingforthepointwhen shestartedto lookwellagain.

It didnt takelong.Faithstinydosesof morphinegaveherpeace.She settledintothepatternof slumberandsleepywakefulness.Everybody knowsbabies

growwhenthey sleep.Sheneededall thehelp

shecouldget. Shewouldntbeleavinghospital beforeshehad hit2300g.Normally,special-care nursesdontlikeprembabiesto gohomebefore reaching2000g, buttheyneedan extra300gofconfidencebefore theyrehappy tosee babieswithneonatal withdrawalleave.

MidwifeKarynSmith tells

itlikeit is.Nofrills.Shewont humour a woman whoneeds to hearthe truthlaidbare. Butshe doesntjudge.Thats whatlosesthe trustof theexpectantmothers,alreadywary of aprofessionalworking foraninstitution.

Ifthisis theworstthingthathappens toyour baby,

youll be lucky,she told amother distraughtat seeingherbabywithdraw. Ifyougobackonthegearyoucould killyourbabyand toanother Ifyouretaking

drugs,I needto know.Karyn heads theSunshine

HospitalsMaternityOutreachSupport Serviceclinic.Shes beendoingit for

years and seeswomen withaddictionsreturning twoorthreetimeswithchildrenconceivedon drugs.

Theyoftencancelappointments. Sheneedstobeflexibleenough to seeherexpectantmothers when

theyreavailable.She likes itwhen they call hertolet herknowtheycant come in.Butif theydont, shedoesntchastise themnexttimetheyshow.

Shes seen65 women sinceApril. She remembersseeingone mum,toughasnails, lookingdown atherbaby, crying,Imreallysorry I killedyou.Ittouchedher. Shesconstantlytellingprofessionalsto holdtheir

judgment.Why isa pregnant


5/5

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w

Multimediapresentation:

Baby Faithsroad to recovery

heraldsun.com.au

Pictures: TONY GOUGH

We should

treat these

women like

theyre our own

daughters

woman withan addiction todrugsworsethan onewithdiabeteswho wont watchherdietor takeinsulin?Shesnot.

Weshould treatthesewomen liketheyre ourowndaughters.Theresa babyanda personat theendofthis.

F

OURdrugdealerslivein Margaretand Faiths

westernsuburbs street.One ofthemisthreedoorsdown.

A yearagoMargaretaskedstate housingofficialstomove her.Theyre stilltryingto grant herwish.

Shes been stabbedandshotat inthishouse.Shewantedout beforeFaith wasconceived.Now thatshesgota little one,shesgettingdesperate.

Faith wont beable to ridehertrikeup anddown thisstreet.

People fromher pastlifeof

crime (shecallsthemformerassociates)knowwhere shelives.Shesstillwaitingfor newsof a shifttodifferent publichousingin asafer area. Anywhere, justnothere.

Theresnothing fancyinsidetheir house exceptasmall cabinetof prettyornaments.Figurinesof old-fashionedwomen, remnantpiecesof a delicatetea set

andporcelainbiscuit bowlsareset carefullyon theshelves.Someof themcomefromher grandmother.Margaretwas named afterher.She washer favouritepersonin theworld.As closetoa motherasshehad.Sheusedto tell hergranddaughter thatone dayshewouldchangethe world.

Margaretwas in a high-securityprison servingoneof hermanysentencesthelast time she sawhergrandma.A month beforeshedied.

Shesatwiththeoldwoman inher nursinghomebedroom, twoBarwonsecurityofficers watchingon.Itwasawkwardto pourtheteapotwith herwristscuffedtogether.

Hergrandmahada dyingwish. ShewantedMargarettostayoutof trouble.Sheknewher granddaughter wassmart, savvyandcouldmakesomethingof herself.She was

abandonedat 18months,pickedup ona footpath,flippedthroughthe fostercaresystem,physicallyabusedby former partners.

Tenyearsand severalstintsin jaillater,GrandmaMargaretgot herwish.Margarethas beenout of jailforalmostthreeyears.Herpartner,Faiths father,hassupportedher throughthetransition.Hes confidentshes notgoingbackto theoldways.

TheywantFaith tobehappy.They dont wantkids

topickonherat school forherfalsestart in life.

Idontwant people tosayOh,shesjust a junkiebaby. Shell never cometoanything. Itsnot herfaultshewas bornaddicted.Shesgorgeous.Shesbeautiful,Margaret says.

Its nother fault shewasbornlikethat.

Thenamesofthemotherandbabyhavebeenchanged.The SundayHeraldSunthanksSunshineHospitalstaffand Faithsfamily fortheirco-operation.

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Quills 2012 Best Feature in Print