Drug use during pregnancy on the rise, say doctors
Women taking drugs are becoming more irresponsible when they get pregnant, putting the lives of a growing number of newborns at risk, doctors and social workers say.
More than 100 pregnant women a year are found to be hooked on drugs, according to a welfare agency that works with pregnant drug addicts.
Doctors accuse these mothers of forcing their unborn children to become drug addicts.
In one case, a baby born under the influence of drugs weighed 1kg and had to spend nearly four months on a respirator, according to social worker Hon Siu-wan.
Ms Hon leads the only social service catering exclusively to drug addict mothers.
'In another case, a baby was prematurely born in the 27th week of pregnancy due to his mother's drug problem. He survived but was in very poor health.'
Doctors said such babies usually developed withdrawal symptoms after birth or were sometimes born with brain damage.
Many were in poor health due to premature birth or low birth weight, which were also linked to the drug habits of their mothers.
Ms Hon estimated that more than 100 pregnant mothers had drug problems each year.
Most cases were in the New Territories West and Kowloon, with hospitals there admitting more than 20 pregnant women with drug problems every year.
Chinese University psychiatry professor Dominic Lee Tak-shing said there had been a threefold increase in pregnant women with drug problems at Prince of Wales Hospital over the past three years.
These patients were referred by obstetricians who spotted the problem during prenatal health checks.
But some women refused to show up again for fear that they would be forced to receive treatment, Professor Lee said.
'In the past, women would immediately stop using drugs once they found themselves pregnant. But people nowadays have changed their mindset and do not seem to care about the welfare of their own babies. They continue to take drugs during pregnancy. The trend is really worrying,' he said.
Fok Tai-fai, a professor of paediatrics at Chinese University, said it was common for such newborns to develop drug withdrawal symptoms including irritation, diarrhoea or convulsions.
Doctors usually prescribe tranquillisers or sedatives for about two weeks to relieve the symptoms. In some extreme cases, doctors may have to prescribe morphine to save a baby's life, Professor Fok said.
'There is a high risk of fetal retardation if their mothers are on cocaine, which can cause severe brain damage to the fetus,' he said. 'Even though we can save their lives, the long-term health impact of the drugs on these children remains unclear.
'It is very sad to see these babies suffer immediately after they come into the world, through no fault of their own.
'It is their mothers who force them to become drug addicts even before their birth.'
