Collection Highlight: Integrated Perinatal and Postnatal Strategies for Infants with Prenatal Substance Exposure
Published in Healthcare & Nursing, General & Internal Medicine, and Public Health
Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology is a fully open access journal that publishes research spanning maternal health, fetal and neonatal medicine, and infant outcomes, with a focus on improving care throughout the continuum from pregnancy to early life. The journal welcomes clinical, epidemiological, and translational research that advances understanding of conditions affecting mothers and infants and supports evidence-based practice in perinatal care.
As rates of opioid and polysubstance use during pregnancy continue to pose significant challenges for healthcare systems worldwide, there is growing recognition of the need for coordinated, compassionate care that supports both mothers and infants. The collection Integrated Perinatal and Postnatal Strategies for Infants with Prenatal Substance Exposure brings together expertise and evidence on innovative models of care spanning pregnancy, the neonatal period, and early childhood. We spoke with Guest Editor Dr Anirudha Das about why this topic is so timely and where future research is needed.
The care of infants with prenatal substance exposure has evolved dramatically over the past decade. We have moved beyond focusing solely on treating withdrawal symptoms to recognizing prenatal substance exposure as a complex maternal–infant health issue that requires coordinated care across pregnancy, the neonatal period, and early childhood. At the same time, practices such as Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC), rooming-in, trauma-informed care, and integrated addiction services are being adopted worldwide, yet significant variation remains in implementation and outcomes. This collection provides an opportunity to evaluate emerging evidence, identify best practices, and help define a more standardized, family-centered approach to care.
The collection notes the increasing prevalence of opioid and polysubstance use during pregnancy. What are some of the most pressing challenges facing affected mothers and infants today?
One of the greatest challenges is that these families often face multiple overlapping vulnerabilities. Mothers frequently experience mental health disorders, housing insecurity, poverty, limited access to prenatal care, and fear of stigma or legal consequences, all of which can delay engagement with healthcare services. Infants have feeding difficulties, prolonged hospitalization, disrupted maternal–infant bonding, inconsistent follow-up, and uncertainty regarding long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes, all of which are challenges that require close attention.
What are the biggest evidence gaps that researchers still need to address in this area?
Although short-term management of neonatal withdrawal has improved, many important questions remain unanswered. We need robust prospective studies evaluating the long-term neurodevelopmental, behavioral, and growth outcomes of infants with prenatal substance exposure while carefully accounting for confounding factors such as socioeconomic disadvantage, caregiver stability, trauma, and polysubstance exposure. Additional evidence is also needed to determine which integrated care models—including ESC, rooming-in, breastfeeding support, telehealth, and structured developmental follow-up—produce sustained improvements beyond the hospitalization.
How can healthcare systems better support both mothers and infants while reducing stigma around substance use disorders?
Healthcare systems should recognize substance use disorder as a chronic medical condition rather than an issue of morality. Care should be trauma-informed, nonjudgmental, and centered on the mother–infant dyad. Integrating obstetric care, addiction medicine, neonatology, mental health services, lactation support, social work, and developmental follow-up can improve continuity of care while reducing barriers to treatment.
In one sentence, why should readers care about this issue?
Every infant affected by prenatal substance exposure deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and achieving that goal requires evidence-based, compassionate care that supports both the child and the family from pregnancy through early childhood.
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Maternal Health, Neonatology and Perinatology
This is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on topics related to the physiological and pathological conditions of women during preconceptional, perinatal, and postpartum periods; and of fetuses and newborn infants during and beyond their initial hospital stay.
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Integrated Perinatal and Postnatal Strategies for Infants with Prenatal Substance Exposure
As the prevalence of opioid and polysubstance use during pregnancy continues to rise globally, there is an urgent need to reframe how we support both mothers and infants affected by in utero substance exposure. This issue will spotlight innovative, multidisciplinary care models designed to optimize outcomes for neonates at risk for or diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS).
A special focus will be placed on integrated care approaches that span the perinatal continuum—from antenatal counseling and addiction support to postnatal management of NAS. Co-located and collaborative services involving obstetricians, addiction medicine specialists, neonatologists, mental health providers, and social workers will be highlighted for their impact on maternal engagement, breastfeeding success, and reduction in NICU length of stay. Models such as "rooming-in" and the Eat, Sleep, Console (ESC) method will be critically examined for their scalability and applicability to the population.
This issue will also explore the long-term growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes infants with prenatal substance exposure, emphasizing the confounding influence of poverty, caregiver instability, and trauma. Attention will be given to the role of early intervention services, predictors of resilience, and the pressing need for standardized follow-up protocols to support optimal cognitive, behavioral, and motor development.
By bringing together clinical innovations, public health perspectives, and developmental follow-up strategies, this issue aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of how to promote long-term well-being including optimal growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes for in this uniquely vulnerable population.
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being.
We are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or contact the Editor-in-Chief.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Sep 12, 2026
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This Collection focuses on a topic central to every neonatologist’s practice: highlighting recent advances, interventions, and protocols that improve intact survival among neonates born at less than 37 weeks’ gestational age. Because these infants require highly specialized care, management strategies used for more mature neonates often cannot be directly applied. This Collection aims to showcase how care differs for this vulnerable population and to emphasize the innovations that are reshaping preterm neonatal management.
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Neonatal mortality represents a substantial proportion of under-five mortality worldwide, with prematurity as a leading contributor. Accordingly, this issue will highlight not only postnatal treatment strategies, but also antenatal preventive approaches aimed at reducing the incidence of prematurity and improving the likelihood of neurologically intact survival when preterm birth does occur.
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This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
All submissions in this Collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process, and all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) are handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.
Publishing Model: Open Access
Deadline: Jan 08, 2027
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