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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
ha
Ru
sto
F
.e ra s un . co . au
F
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
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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.