Most babies born with prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol show signs of withdrawal that can last weeks, even months. Crying, tremors, and trouble eating and sleeping are all common behaviors among these infants.
Staff illustration based on photo of Maddie’s Place founder Tricia Hughes
by Kathy Plonka/The Spokesman-Review
Tricia Hughes knew this as a nurse who worked in labor and delivery. She also knew it as a longtime foster parent who had held and comforted drug-dependent babies in her care.
“There are so many medically fragile and drug-exposed babies coming into foster care,” Hughes says. “I thought I might be able to do something.”
Hughes brainstormed with doctors, social workers, and foster parents and the result was Maddie’s Place, one of two recovery nurseries in the state that provides withdrawal care to babies. It opened in Spokane in late 2022 and has served more than 125 babies since then.
Maddie’s Place takes in babies who are referred through hospitals, child welfare workers, and community nonprofits. The nursery provides medical care when necessary and emphasizes the evidence-based “Eat, Sleep, Console” method that prioritizes swaddling and contact, a low-stimulus environment, and family involvement when possible. About 30 volunteer “cuddlers” help with this care, people who “literally just sit and hold babies,” Hughes says. New volunteer positions are being added in the kitchen, doing yard work, and in administration.
Prenatal substance abuse is a national issue, but it hits some regions harder than others. Spokane County’s rate of neonatal abstinence syndrome, as the symptoms of withdrawal are called, is nearly twice as high as the rate for Washington state, and Washington’s is higher than the national rate.
Hughes’s philosophy is to tackle societal issues by “serving the people right in front of you.” While Maddie’s Place focuses on one life at a time, the nursery has the potential to change more lives through the services and support it provides.
Without Maddie’s Place, “My baby would probably have been in foster care,” says one mother. “And, honestly, I probably wouldn’t be in a treatment facility right now and working on myself. I probably would have relapsed.”
Says another, “There’s a bunch of different stuff that they helped me get squared away, you know, so I could have a better life.”
The comments were part of a report to the Washington Health Care Authority on the prevalence of neonatal abstinence syndrome and the effectiveness of Maddie’s Place. The study was led by faculty from Washington State University Health Sciences and released earlier this year.
“Health care and support systems are fragmented, at best,” says Ekaterina Burduli (’08, ’11 MS, ’16 PhD Psych.), associate professor at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and one of the report’s authors. “Even when they’re available, they’re hard to navigate. Maddie’s Place serves as a safety net where these families are cared for in a comprehensive way.” That might include help finding a place to live or childcare, or referrals to mental health and substance use treatment.
Hughes has stepped back from her day-to-day role at Maddie’s Place, but is advising others on opening recovery nurseries in their communities.
“I get contacted all the time by people who see the need, because drugs are everywhere,” she says. “Maddie’s Place would love to support people around the country.”
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