Prenatal Substance Exposure/Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Program
The Prenatal Substance Exposure (PSE)/Neonatal Withdrawal (NOWS) Program treats newborns affected by exposure to medications, prescription, or illicit drugs in utero. These health effects can include:
- Withdrawal effects
- Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Disruptive sleep cycles
- Difficulty achieving and maintaining calm state
- Increased muscle tone
- Increased irritability
- Feeding challenges and complications
Our Specialized Care
Our PSE/NOWS program is specially designed to help infants with prenatal exposure to medications or drugs and CSH uses a Modified Eat Sleep Console © Program. Our goal is to wean your infant off medications as quickly and safely as possible. Our team will monitor how your infant is eating, sleeping, and consoling in order to be comfortable throughout this process.
Our Individualized Approach
Our team uses a combination of pharmacologic and therapeutic interventions to support infant development and caregiver education. The medical, nursing and therapy team will care for your infant’s needs daily. They will monitor how your infant is eating, sleeping, and consoling in order to determine if they are ready for medication to be weaned. When your infant is ready for discharge, coordination for early intervention services and neurodevelopmental follow-up will be initiated.
Our holistic approach includes:
- Medical management and weaning
- Care coordination between medical, nursing, therapies and social work
- Monitoring weight gain, growth, and nutrition
- Feeding therapy
- Physical, occupational, and recreation therapies in addition to child life and psychology services to guide environmental modifications and participation in daily care to promote parent and child bonding
In preparation for a safe discharge, your baby must:
- Be feeding, sleeping, and consoling well
- Be growing and gaining weight
- No longer need medications