© Motortion, Getty Images/iStockphoto Illustration image: Drug abuse during pregnancy

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Doctors and safety officials in Evansville are noticing a worrying trend in the number of newborns being affected by drug abuse.

According to the Vanderburgh County Court Appointed Special Advocates, in a 30-day period through February 7, 13 babies were born here dependent on an illicit substance.

“It’s to an epidemic status at this point," said Dr. Ron Pyle, the Director of Neonatal Transport and Outreach at Deaconess Women’s Hospital. "Our state levels have gone up exponentially. I didn’t see this much earlier in my career, and I’ve been doing this now for 20 years."

Pyle says the focus needs to be on taking proactive measures to help both the mother and the baby.

He says in most cases, when mothers feel like they have a support system around them, they are more willing to disclose what drugs they are on and seek treatment — which is the most important step to increase the chances of a safe pregnancy.

There are several centers within the Evansville area that have medication-assisted treatment programs where mothers can go for help through their pregnancy, Pyle said.

Those resources include Brightside recovery, Boyett treatment center, Stepping Stone and Deaconess Cross Pointe.

The goal of the centers is to manage the addiction medically and keep addicts from abusing other substances.

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"No mom says, 'I think I want to do harm to my kid,' but unfortunately, they get pregnant while they're addicted," Pyle said. "It’s troublesome. Addiction is multi-factorial. It’s not only physical but also physiological. There's the psychological need for it that makes you feel good, and there are the physical effects when you try to ween off."

What doctors are seeing more of is not an addiction to a single substance, but situations where people are using a combination of different drugs.

In cases where the mom gets clean and the baby is allowed to go home with her, Pyle said its important to teach parents how to deal with withdrawal symptoms.

"A lot of these cases can turn into abuse because moms won’t know these things, so it’s been a huge push for us to continue those resources for the mom and the baby," Pyle said.

When babies are exposed to drugs in utero, they later go through withdrawal symptoms that vary in severity. Often, the baby is very irritable, gets tremors, can't eat probably and has breathing problems. In more severe cases, there are birth defects, seizures, and stunted growth.

When treating babies, Pyle says he opts for a natural approach where the baby is consoled through physical contact like massages and put on a regular feed and sleep schedule. In a lot of cases, the natural approach works, but some cases require medical intervention.

Withdrawal symptoms can last up to eight months after the baby is born. In cases where it's not safe for children to return home, the doctors teach the foster parents how to manage the baby’s withdrawal symptoms.

The rise in addiction is one reason experts say a growing number of kids are being sent into foster care. Frank Sebastian, a four-year volunteer with CASA, has seen this first-hand.

“Drugs are a huge problem. I’m sure it’s not just this area, I’m sure it’s everywhere. It’s the parents on drugs," Sebastian said.

CASA volunteers are appointed by the court to advocate for children in abuse or neglect cases and make recommendations to the court about what they deem is the best living situation for the children.

Sebastian said the neglect he sees in cases where the parents are fighting addiction has long-lasting effects on the children. In some cases, the parents will go through cycles during which they get clean and then go back to drugs multiple times.

"(The parent) will come back into their life after following services, and the kids are happy to see you. And then they go on drugs again ... and that prompts many different things to happen," Sebastian said. "Rebellion, loneliness, acting out — very bad behaviors. And it just affects these kids more than anyone could ever imagine."

He said while it's heartbreaking at times, he can't imagine not being a CASA volunteer.

Sebastian described one case he had when a child was taken out of a neglect situation where drugs were involved. When Sebastian met the boy, he says the child had a myriad of behavioral issues. After intervention, however, the boy was eventually adopted by a foster family.

“Seeing the kids thrive, as heartbreaking as the case is at first, your goal is to improve the case. That’s one of the cases that started at the bottom and got it sky high.”

Suzanne Draper, the executive director of CASA, said there's a need for more volunteers, as there are 367 children on their waiting list.

"For many abused and neglected children, their CASA volunteer will be the only constant adult presence in their lives," Draper said.

CASA will be holding an information session on Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. at their office located at 600 SE 6th Street. Anyone interested in being a CASA volunteer is encouraged to attend. You can also fill out an application to be a volunteer at www.vandcasa.com.

This article originally appeared on Evansville: CASA: In one 30-day period, 13 babies in Evansville were born addicted to drugs