“I was in tears this morning. I walked in the kitchen and I was just thinking to myself – because I had just handed my baby off to one of the cuddlers, and one of the ICS was holding one of the other ones. And I was just thinking like, wow, what a blessing to be able to know like I handed my baby off and to know like he’s being so loved right now by somebody that wants to care for him, that wants to hold him, that wants to be there.”

The opioid crisis started when doctors began prescribing too many painkillers. Opioids are strong pain relievers, but what happens when a baby is exposed to them before birth, while still in the womb? Could that change how the baby feels pain later in life?

To find out, researchers looked at the genes in babies who were exposed to opioids during pregnancy. They found important differences that might explain how these babies sense pain differently after they’re born.

Babies born to mothers who used opioids during pregnancy can experience something called Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) — withdrawal symptoms that happen when the baby is no longer exposed to the drug after birth. One of the biggest challenges for these babies is feeding. They may struggle to eat well, which can slow their weight gain and keep them in the hospital longer.

A recent review by researchers Kailey Taylor and Denise Maguire looked at what we know so far about feeding babies with NAS. Here’s what they found…

Parents of children exposed to opioids before birth often notice that their kids react differently to the world around them. Some children are overly sensitive — they may get overwhelmed by sounds, lights, or touch, seem overly emotional, or try to avoid certain sensations. Others seem under-sensitive — they might not notice things most kids would, seek out intense sensory experiences, or struggle with self-control. These challenges can affect all the senses, as well as body movement, balance, and even awareness of internal cues like hunger or needing the bathroom.

So, where do these differences come from? Are they caused by opioid exposure during pregnancy?

Sensory processing disorder isn’t officially recognized as a mental health diagnosis, and we don’t yet have proof that prenatal opioid exposure directly causes it. But interestingly, research has found that several common risk factors for sensory difficulties often show up in the lives of kids who were exposed to opioids in the womb.