WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
A woman who used drugs during her eight pregnancies has spoken about what it’s like to struggle with methamphetamine addiction and the horrific consequences for infants.
Although now clean after 19 years of battling drug addiction, Terrianne, 32, was still using ice in the first three months of her last pregnancy before getting help.
“It was hard, like I felt happy now that it wasn’t (drugged) all the way through like other (pregnancies) in the past,” she said. The four corners of ABC.
“With one of my children, they were withdrawing (ice cream) and it was because I used throughout the pregnancy.”
Terrianne said she “couldn’t stop (using meth). I was still in this bad addiction,” and with this baby “There was nervousness, the body would still like to shake, very hard to adjust.
A woman who used drugs in all eight of her pregnancies has spoken about what it’s like to struggle with methamphetamine addiction and the consequences for a baby. Smoking Methamphetamine Stock Image
This is common for the thousands of babies born in Australia to mothers who used ice cream late in pregnancy, with distressing withdrawal symptoms resulting in feeding difficulties.
“They can have real problems with their jaw coordination, which means they can’t suck from a bottle or breastfeed,” said midwife Elvira Earthstar, from the Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.
“These babies may also exhibit tremors or nervousness. So just a real pronounced shake in their hands.
Difficulty feeding can then lead to further developmental problems.
“If we don’t act to really get them the right amount of milk, then they can start missing some… milestones,” Ms Earthstar said.
Terrianne said that while she previously blamed herself for using drugs during her pregnancy, she now understands that she is also a victim.
‘It’s not really my fault. Something happened to me when I was a 13 year old kid that started my addiction at 13. That’s all I really knew. It was just a repeating cycle.
She explained why drug use often trumps the safety of the baby growing inside her.
‘It was hard. I tried many times to quit but I guess the more you take it the longer you take it the addiction stays there. Addiction is a very vicious circle,” she said.
Alysha, 24, is another woman struggling to understand why she used drugs during her pregnancy.
“I never wanted to be a pregnant drug addict,” she said. “I hadn’t planned on getting pregnant, so I was already using when I got pregnant.”
Like Terrianne, there are deep-rooted reasons why Alysha started using drugs in the first place.
“There’s a lot of things that happened in the last three years that I tried to forget, so I was just using (drugs). I was just surviving,” she said.
“But I thought, how am I going to live with myself when I have this baby and know that I used when I’m pregnant…
“I feel like I’m using drugs when I’m pregnant, that’s the lowest I could have gotten. It’s the one thing I said I would never, ever, ever, ever do and I did.
For years, Alysha found it very difficult to get the help she needed.
“There’s been times in my life where I’ve been to hospitals and I’ve, like, begged, cried for help and they just looked at me like you were some worthless junkie,” she said.
Although now clean after 19 years of drug addiction, Terrianne (pictured with baby Lockie) was still using ice cream in the first three months of her last pregnancy before getting help
“There’s so much shame and guilt around it that it stops people from reaching out and saying, ‘Hey, I’m pregnant and I need help’.”
She eventually got help during her pregnancy at Bridgehaven, a female-only residential rehabilitation program run by the Salvation Army in Melbourne, where Terrianne also stayed.
Alysha said she did not use ice cream during her pregnancy, but did use cannabis.
“When you’re going through trauma and addiction at the same time, it’s shameful to seek help as a pregnant drug user,” she said.
“But, like, if I can do it and I can get better and I can be a good person for me and my kid, maybe I can help somebody else.”
But she is aware that her drug use early in her pregnancy could affect her daughter’s development. “I’m going to have to live with that,” she said.
The Women’s Alcohol and Drug Service at the Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne (pictured) helps women through pregnancy while dependent on drugs or alcohol
“But this little girl seems to be very strong and she has come this far and I feel like she will go all the way and everything will be fine. We are in the right place.
Terrianne also feels she’s in the right place – after leaving Bridgehaven with a healthy baby Lockie, she now has her own place.
‘I never thought I would make it. Never thought I would get out of addiction. I never thought I would have this beautiful child in my arms,” she said.
“I don’t like to use the word perfect, but it’s pretty much perfect.”
National Alcohol and Other Drugs Helpline 1800 250 015
Family support for drug addicts Australia 1300 368 186
Medication support and recovery service 1800 931 101
safety rope 13 11 14