Substance Exposed Newborns

Marc Fishman, MD is an addiction psychiatrist and the medical director of Mountain Manor Treatment Center. 

Jocelyn Gainers, Ed. D., CAC-AD, AS is the Executive Director of the Family Recovery Program.  

Monique Knight is a parent and resident at the Family Recovery Program. 

Tiffany Brown is a Social Work Supervisor in the Substance Exposed Newborns unit of the Baltimore County Department of Human Services. 

Laura Latta is the Director of Early Childhood Initiatives at the Family League Baltimore. 

Lauren Jansson, MD, is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins Center for Addiction and Pregnancy. 

Martha Velez, MD is a Pediatrician at the Johns Hopkins Center for Addiction and Pregnancy.

Christopher Welsh, MD is a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He also works at several substance abuse clinics. 

Dina El-Metwally, MD PhD is a Neonatologist and the Medical Director of the NICU at the University of Maryland Medical Center. 

Katrina Mark, MD is an OBGYN and Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. 

In this video, a NICU therapist demonstrates swaddling and soothing techniques you can use with substance exposed infants.

In this video, providers discuss breastfeeding and substance use. 

Rachel Grimes discusses her experience with additction, a substance exposed pregnancy, and her journey to recovery.

In this video, providers discuss treating substance use in context and with a multidisciplinary approach. 

In order of appearance: Dr. Lauren Jansson, Dr. Martha Velez, Dr. Katrina Mark, Dr. Chris Welsh.

Monique discusses her children today. 

In this video Dr. Metwally discusses the pharmacological and non-pharmacological care of substance exposed infants. 

Dr. Martha Velez discusses neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

Here Dr. Chris Welsh explains the importance of motivation in the treatment of substance use, rather than relying solely on medication.

Here Dr. Chris Welsh explains the finnegan scale, used to assess NAS in newborns

Here Tiffany Brown from Baltimore County DSS discusses the importance of support systems when working with substance-using pregnant women.

Here Jocelyn Gainers of The Family Recovery Program and Laura Latta of The Family League discuss the importance of self-care for providers working with substance-exposed newborns and families. 

Here Jocelyn Gainers of The Family Recovery Program discusses the importance of using empathy when working with substance-using pregnant women.

Here Dr. Marc Fishamn of Mountain Manor Treatment Program discusses the role of stigma and bias in the barriers faced by substance-using pregnant women seeking treatment. 

Here Tiffany Brown of Baltimore County DSS gives her advice on provider bias when working with substance-using pregnant women

Here Dr. Chris Welsh and Jocelyn Gainers discuss relapse as part of the process through treatment and recovery.

Here Dr. Katie Mark discusses the challenge of working with women who may distrust the medical system due to past negative experiences, stigma, and shame.

This video clip is used in Module 1 of the SEN Online Training. 

Here Tiffany Brown discusses her opinion on addiction, and the stance her agency (Baltimore County DSS) takes addiction and their goal of family preservation.

This clip is featured in Module 1 of the SEN Online Training.

Here Monique Knights talks about her experiences with addiction and her journey through recovery, including forgiving herself and redefining who she is. 

This clip is featured in Module 5 of the SEN Online Training.

Here Laura Latta of The Family League Baltimore discusses the necessity of collaboration and to provide the appropriate level of integrated care.

This clip is featured in the SEN in-person Training. 

Rachel Grimes discusses what mom's need from providers from her perspective as a mother in recovery from using substances. 

Dr. Marc Fishman discusses the Safe Habor Program, a program that allows pregnant women to bring their children while they receive substance use treatment.

Rachel discusses the process of how she became willing to seek treatment and recovery.

Dr. Lauren Jansson discusses her perspective of addiction as a chronic, relapsing disease of the brain, and not as a choice.

Dr. Martha Velez discusses how substance exposure in pregnancy can act as a vulnerability and the contribution of comorbid factors to the development of the baby.

Dr. Lauren Jansson discusses her experiences with trends of marijuana use in pregnancy. 

Jocelyn Gainers discusses the array of providers and services that can be involved in supporting mothers in treatment for substance use. It truly does take a village. The needs of these families for safe and affordable housing, medical and social services, financial and emotional support, understanding of the care needed for their children, parent-child bonding, and negotiating father and family attitudes and behaviors are numerous

Dr. Katrina Mark and Dr. Marc Fishman discuss how pregnancy in the life of a substance using woman can be a time for great motivation and change.