Pistoletta - Good luck with the short term w/d. I coukldn't do it myself like that, you are a strong person. I think your plan sounds like a good one!
Jayw - "They gave my son an opiate to get off of sub., which is not an opiate." Suboxone is an opiate. It is buprenorphine which is in the same class as morphine and it has naloxone in it to block the receptors in your brain. Your doc. was right in saying it wasn't safe to detox pregnant, but he could have tapered you down... A friend of mine was on Suboxone during her first trimester and they tapered her down the entire 3 months and her baby was born just fine... and about your doctor telling you to take your suboxone for the rest of your life? That the FIRST time I've ever heard that... ever.
As far as w/d from Suboxone, I've went 6 days tops without mine (it was an experiment to see if I could do it) and the only thing I felt was a little sweaty. I take 16 mg a day now. Our doctor and my counselor will taper us down so our w/d is minimal at best. I'm starting my 16th month of subs, and I'm planning on tapering down in the next couple months. Right now, I'm quite content living on my suboxone.