All newborns cry. They cry when they’re hungry. They cry when they’re frustrated. But babies with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) cry in a way that other infants do not. These babies cry because of a pain that is too much for their tiny bodies to bear. And their tiny minds cannot understand why they are hurting.
I’ve been practicing law for more than three decades, but these cases are by far the most difficult. As an NAS lawyer Memphis TN trusts, I’m heartbroken when I hear about children who enter this world already hurting from addiction.
“It’s a very sad cry,” Doug Walters, a San Antonio-based volunteer who cuddles babies born with withdrawal symptoms, said to Texas Public Radio. “It’s just sad, because they don’t understand what’s happening, and they don’t understand why things hurt. They just don’t understand.”
Their cry even sounds different. It is a distinct, high-pitched one — which Walters said he recognizes instantly — and it is one of many symptoms newborns with NAS struggle with. Others include:
- Body stiffness
- Hyperactive reflexes
- Tremors
- Seizures
- Trouble feeding
- Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal problems
- Breathing problems
Get Legal Help: Talk to an NAS lawyer Memphis TN trusts.
Many people don’t realize that the opioid epidemic affects society’s most vulnerable: children.
Back when opioids hit the market in the 1990s, mothers and doctors didn’t understand the side effects opioids could have on child development. As a result, many mothers took opioids for pain management while pregnant or breastfeeding. In many cases, their unborn children become addicted to the drugs, too. Those children spent their very first days in agonizing withdrawal because of NAS.
I am outraged and ready to fight for your rights. If your parents used opioids while pregnant, or if you’ve adopted a child who is suffering from NAS, please call (901) 327-1212 or contact us online. An NAS lawyer Memphis TN trusts will get the justice you deserve.