Over the past two decades, increasing use of opioid pain relievers has led to myriad complications in communities throughout the US. In 2015, every 15 minutes one American died from an opioid related overdose—which is more frequent than deaths from vehicle crashes.1 Given the rapid rise and scope of the US opioid epidemic, it should not be a surprise that nearly every segment of society has been affected, including pregnant women and their infants. Infants exposed to opioids are at risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which is commonly characterized by difficulty feeding, respiratory problems, irritability, hypertonia, insomnia, and seizures, leading to more complicated and costly admissions to hospital.2 In the US, rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome grew fivefold over the past decade, reaching a rate of one affected infant born every 25 minutes.
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