‘I was a newborn addicted to crystal meth and heroin – no one should have such a tough start to life'
It's hard to imagine a more difficult start to life than the early days of Callum Hesketh.
He spent his first four months in intensive care after suffering a stroke and a cardiac arrest as hospital staff attempted to wean him off crystal meth and heroin – after he was born to a mother addicted to Class A drugs.
Adopted at the age of four after 24 temporary placements in foster care, Mr Hesketh was raised by a loving family in St Helen's, and only discovered the true extent of his birth mother's condition as he became older.
He had been born via emergency C-section over two months prematurely, and faced developmental delays during his early years, which included a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. As a result of suffering a stroke, he has also had to undergo two squint correction surgeries, including one as recently as in 2020.
'My adoptive parents rewrote my story,' the 28-year-old told The Independent. 'They literally saved me. Children who are in foster care are sadly more likely to turn to those kinds of behaviours and turn to drugs because it's what they've been used to.'
Latest figures reveal that over 1,000 newborns are born in England's hospitals every year suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), as they experience acute withdrawal symptoms from substances.
Freedom of information data shows that nearly 12,600 cases have been recorded since 2014, placing enormous pressure on NHS staff as calls grow for increased spending on treatment and rehabilitation for pregnant women who present at hospital with addiction.
Calling for better provisions to be in place for mothers who are struggling with addiction, Mr Hesketh said: 'This puts such a huge strain on the NHS, and they're not getting enough funding to help them and to provide recovery services.
'It needs to be enforced and there should be an action plan in place. It's currently not safeguarded, and in some cases you see a mother go on to have five children, all of them born with the same issues.'
Statistics show that there has been a slight decrease in the number of babies being born with NAS over the last 10 years, down from 1,287 in 2014 to 1,001 between January and November 2024.
Recent figures released by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that over 1,500 babies had been born drug dependent in Scotland since 2017, as they called for further investment in local drug services.
Symptoms can start within a few days of birth and can include uncontrollable trembling, sickness, poor weight gain and a continuous high-pitched cry. Consuming drugs and alcohol during the pregnancy can also lead to development issues for the foetus, and increases the risk of infections.
The introduction of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 has seen drastic cuts to addiction services, as it removed their funding from the central government to being commissioned at the discretion of local authorities.
With council budgets slashed over the last decade, services have been cut with less support available despite hospital admissions in England and Wales rising by 13.2 per cent between 2012 and 2021.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics in October showed that the number of people dying as a result of drug poisoning had reached the highest level on record.
'Drug abuse is becoming a lot worse than it was when I was born in 1996,' Mr Hesketh told The Independent. 'I've got friends who work in a women's hospital, who say they just don't get the support and they're having to comfort babies who can't sleep or eat as they're dealing with addiction.'
Now advocating for change, Mr Hesketh is calling for the government to introduce stronger measures to encourage pregnant women to break from the cycle of addiction.
'I was born into withdrawal and had to fight for my life before I even had a chance to live it,' he said. 'This law isn't about punishment — it's about prevention. We need to break the cycle of addiction, protect innocent babies, and give mothers the support they need to make better choices.'
This includes mandatory addiction treatment which would involve free or low-cost programmes, financial aid, and housing support for pregnant women, with potential legal consequences for repeat offenders.
Graeme Callander, policy and public affairs at addiction service WithYou, said: "It's vital that women who are using drugs during pregnancy receive the right support, for themselves and their child.
'Not enough research has been done on the impact of drug use in pregnancy on the child, and we also know that tragically stigma and shame mean many women are scared to reach out and ask for help.
"Our services are free and non-judgemental. You can contact us by visiting our website at wearewithyou.org.uk, and by using our anonymous webchat service 9am-9pm on weekdays and 10am-4pm at the weekend."
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