A new way to care for babies at risk for withdrawal

At Riley Hospital for Children, there is a new care model being used to care for babies at risk for withdrawal. The approach is called "Eat, Sleep, Console" and it focuses on meeting the needs of the baby and empowering parents to respond appropriately. To encourage all of this, babies "room in" with their caregiver. Evidence shows that rooming in can decrease the likelihood of a baby going to the NICU or requiring morphine therapy, which is an escalated treatment for babies with significant withdrawal. 

We spoke to Dr. Pat Clements, the medical director for well newborn care, about how this family-centered care model is helping to lessen the stigma associated with opioid use disorder.