Exclusive by Thom Morris

tmorris@thekmgroup.co.uk

More than 60 babies have been born at hospitals in east Kent addicted to drugs in the past year - over half of them in Ashford.

After delivery the 64 newborns had to be treated by doctors to wean them off their addiction caused by their mother's dependency on drugs.

Consultant neonatologist Dr David Long, who is based at the William Harvey Hospital, said: "It's usually mothers addicted to heroin but will be taking methadone during the pregnancy.

"It's a controlled substance so we know what to expect when the babies are born.

"But there are also mothers who take illicit drugs like heroine and cocaine and that's difficult because it's not controlled."

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that in 2009/10 64 babies have had drug-dependant mothers down from 92 in 2008/09 and 59 in 2007/08.

In 2007 seven babies were born drug dependant at the William Harvey Hospital and had to be sent into neonatal intensive care - nine in 2008, eight in 2009 and 10 in 2010.

Dr Long continued: "In the short term the babies have been receiving the drug from the mother and suddenly that's taken away when they're born so they can get jittery, they don't feed well and have a high-pitched scream.

"They normally have diarrhoea and in the worst case scenarios can even have fits.

"If the baby is showing symptoms of withdrawal the idea is that we would give them a dose of the narcotic, morphine, and we gradually reduce that dose while keeping the baby comfortable. That can take up to three months."

Confidentiality clauses mean that the information given to the Kentish Express cannot reveal what drugs the mother was addicted to.

Over 7,000 babies have been born at East Kent Hospitals, which includes the William Harvey Hospital, the Kent and Canterbury Hospital and the QEQM in Margate, over the last year.

Dr Long added: "The long term is an issue. We have to treat each of the babies as an individual so with good parenting skills the babies do very well but when there are major lifestyle issues and multiple drug usage, it very much depends on their circumstances on how well they do. We do follow the babies up after they have left the hospital."

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