Daughter Born Dependent on Opioids Entered Foster Care While Mom Got Help. How They Reconnected Years Later (Exclusive)

As a child, Sophie Perry-Stewart found it difficult to navigate the world.

She didn't connect well with caregivers and teachers and pitched full-on fits just getting to school every day. She could also be violent toward other kids and had few friends. "I tried my best to fit in," she tells PEOPLE in this week's issue, "but couldn't put a finger on why I was having a hard time."

In context, her behavior is understandable because she was born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which occurs when a fetus is exposed to opioids in the womb and is born dependent on those substances. It can spur lifelong health problems, such as hyperactivity, bipolar disorder, developmental delays, emotional dysregulation and anxiety.

Sophie's challenges mirror those experienced by a multitude of kids in the United States who are growing up in the era of parental opioid use, an epidemic that began in the mid-1990s and continues today. Although no clear statistics exist to reflect the total number of children diagnosed with NAS, some 2020 data indicate there were about six newborns diagnosed with NAS for every 1,000 newborn hospital stays.

Sophie's mother, Meghann Perry, struggled with heroin addiction. When she got pregnant with Sophie, she shifted to methadone, the synthetic drug used to treat heroin addiction. But Meghann, 51, tells PEOPLE that she "was scared and worried" when her daughter was born.

"I knew she would get sick," she adds. "I wanted so badly for her life to be better than mine, but it wasn't starting out very well."

Immediately after birth, Sophie was placed in the NICU. She stayed there for a week and spent six more weeks in the pediatric ward. Connected to tubes and wires, she struggled to eat and sleep, and her mother was not permitted to breastfeed her. "I didn't know how to help her," Meghann says. "The staff didn't really support me being there or being very involved."

Mother and daughter missed the opportunity to bond properly. "Then all of a sudden we were bringing her home. It just felt terrifying," says Meghann.

For more on Perry-Stewart's story, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here .

Until she was 4, Sophie and her parents were a family. But Meghann needed interventions and treatment, which she sought. At some points she was without a home, spent time incarcerated, and struggled with trauma and mental health issues. She lost custody of her daughter, and Sophie spent the next six years living with foster caregivers and family members.

"It was normal to feel scared and helpless," says Sophie, now 23. At the same time, she was contending with a torrent of symptoms stemming from prenatal opioid exposure.

She says she struggled to stay in school, even with some special-education classes, and had significant issues with hygiene, including trouble with showering, brushing her teeth and even wearing clothing. She continually was removed from school for counseling sessions and spent a lot of time in detention.

At age 10, she was reunited with her mom. "It felt like we still had to live in survival mode," Sophie says. "We were trying to balance a new life together while both recovering from a traumatic time in our lives, each with a different set of challenges."

Sophie says her mother's honesty was the foundation that helped balance their relationship. "My mom was able to let go of some of her guilt and I was able to live free of resentment and shame," she shares.

Sophie's NAS symptoms persist to this day. She experiences anxiety, depression, sleep issues and discomfort with physical touch. "I have a hard time connecting with people, and emotional regulation is a big one," she says.

Today, Sophie has formed a "very safe space" where she lives in the Boston area. For work, she runs her own pet-care business, for which she walks about 12 dogs per week. To unwind, she enjoys hiking, practicing yoga and preparing healthy meals.

She and her mom live about 45 minutes apart and "we are both still learning to be mother and daughter," Sophie says.

"The most important part has been trusting that I am exactly where I am supposed to be," she adds. "I have faith that my mom and I are going to be okay, even if it's the 'new okay.' For us, that's a statement of acceptance."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.