Hayes Quoted in BDN Article on Babies Exposed to Drugs

Marie Hayes, a psychology professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article “For Maine babies exposed to drugs, disadvantageous mount after leaving the hospital.” Hayes spoke about her ongoing research on the health of drug-affected babies conducted with Mark Brown, chief of pediatrics and director of nurseries at Eastern Maine Medical Center. She said many babies face challenges after leaving the hospital, such as poverty, poor nutrition and parents with limited parenting skills, which makes it difficult to isolate the effects of prenatal exposure to opiates. She added many of the infants also are exposed to tobacco and alcohol while in the womb. Hayes’ research has also determined babies prenatally exposed to drugs have displayed subtle problems developing their stress response, which could lead to a low tolerance for frustration and new challenges as they grow up.