INDIANAPOLIS -- There are very few options for pregnant women who are addicted to drugs and want to get clean.
Kristen Cebada's parents were both addicts. Her mother died when she was eight and her dad was murdered when she was 16.
She too became addicted to heroin. Cebada finally got clean for three years but then used for five weeks while she was pregnant until she felt her son kick for the first time.
"It didn't bother me that I was hurting myself but it bothered me to know I was hurting him," said Cebada. So she ignored her fear of being arrested and sought help.
Cebada says she was turned down by a major hospital in Indianapolis, which isn't uncommon for addicted pregnant women because treating them is tricky.
She found Dr. Tara Benjamin with Riley Children's Health who began treating Cebada with Subutex, a drug that minimize's withdrawal side effects.
"Pregnant women are the most motivated of any to get sober and clean and so, if we start with a population that is very motivated for sobriety, we can make a huge dent in this epidemic," said Dr. Benjamin.
Dr. Benjamin says at any given time she treats 60 to 70 addicted mothers. Since the summer of 2015, she's treated nearly 300 patients.
"It's hard for them to seek care and once we do, we need to encourage them as much as we can to continue to get prenatal care, " said Dr. Benjamin.
"Even though you feel ashamed, because it is a shameful thing, not to be ashamed to get hep because it's worth it," said Cebeda.
For more tools for addicted women seeking treatment, click here.
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