3 years into MAT and addiction recovery, Shannon finds herself unexpectedly pregnant. After jumping through hoops to find health care in metro Atlanta, and an early bleeding scare, she discovers that she has a bicornuate uterus and decides to switch providers. At her anatomy scan they find that her son’s umbilical cord is marginally incerted, and that he is growing in the 4th percentile. Due to her bicornuate uterus, methadone treatment, and marginal cord insertion, Shannon is requested to see MFM for bi weekly and weekly growth scans. Her son is also mistakenly diagnosed with dwarfism.
Due to IUGR Shannon is induced at 39 weeks. The induction and delivery were relatively smooth and easy, and her son is born at over 6 lbs and proportionally average.
NICU Stay for Withdrawal Symptoms from Methadone
12 hours after delivery, her son begins to experience withdrawal symptoms from Shannon’s medication, and is admitted to the hospital’s NICU for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). Shannon and her husband spend the next 14 days in the NICU helping their son through his symptoms, and working with Child Protective Services to ensure that their baby has a healthy future. On Thanksgiving day 2018, Shannon’s son is released from the hospital and the family is able to start their new lives.
Shannon and her husband Mike used to live in Metro Atlanta, but recently relocated to North Georgia with their 3 year old son, James Jude. They are expecting baby #2 in April 2022. Shannon is 6 years sober from opiates and a stay at home mom, while her husband installs and manages security tech for public schools and offices. Shannon can be found on Instagram at @mama.sha.oc, and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shanonnigans.
Resources
- Alliance Recovery Center
- March of Dimes NAS
- SAMSHA Methadone
- Reddit at r/Methadone
- The OG MAT Mom Group (FB)
- The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International
- Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin
- The Wonder Weeks by Frans X. Plooij and Hetty van de Rijt
- The Baby Owner’s Manual by Joe and Louis Borgenicht
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