A new service for pregnant drug users has been launched after the number of babies born to women who use drugs increased nearly five-fold in just three years.

Mary Stronach, a senior midwife with Airedale NHS Trust, will spend one day a week as the trust's first drug liaison midwife.

Her job will be to advise pregnant women who use drugs on ways to minimise the risk to their unborn child and to ensure the best possible care for them both.

A mother who takes drugs might

be risking the life of the child she is carrying.

Mrs Stronach's role has been created after a sharp rise in the number of babies born at Airedale General Hospital who needed special care because their mothers had been on drugs. The figure shot up from five in 1995 to 24 last year.

The Airedale trust's move comes just months after Bradford hospitals opened a unit to help pregnant women on drugs and their babies.

Mrs Stronach said most of the women involved were under 25 and used heroin although they took other drugs such as ecstasy and cannabis.

"The majority are quite stable in their drug habit but you get one or two who are chaotic drug takers and they will take anything they can get their hands on," she said.

"Women who take drugs can have underweight babies and go into premature labour, or part of the placenta can come away and they can bleed.

"The main problem for the babies is withdrawal symptoms after they are born which can make them irritable, very hungry and jittery."

She said the babies were more at risk of contracting infections such as hepatitis B and C and HIV.

And if their withdrawal symptoms were severe they could start having fits.

New-born babies dependent on heroin are often given morphine as a substitute so they can withdraw from it in a controlled way.

Mrs Stronach said some women had welcomed the new confidential service. "They are quite looking forward to having someone to refer to."

Liz Calvert, service manager for women's and children's health at Airedale Hospital, said that some women were unable to stop taking drugs and would be encouraged at least to use them in a controlled way.

The work is being done in conjunction with health professionals and outside agencies which help addicts.

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