IN UTERO EXPOSURE

In utero exposure

 DISCLAIMER: I AM A POSITIVE PERSON AND USUALLY TEND TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE. I'VE ALREADY BEEN TOLD THAT I AM PLANTING FALSE HOPE BY THIS ARTICLE. THAT IS NOT MY INTENT. I WANT TO PORTRAY A REALISTIC PICTURE. HOWEVER, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. FIND YOUR OWN COMFORT ZONE. (or step out of it.)

  I contacted many random people and asked opinions and experiences about drug exposed babies and more specifically, methadone. Here are the replies. Please read each one! Don't you love the wisdom in these compassionate parents? I will say that, though I searched for more negative personal experiences this is what I found. So either the parents with very negative experiences are not sharing or there are less negative experiences than positive experiences. Or as someone told me, people with negative experiences are too tired and too misunderstood to take the time to share. Maybe, I really do not know. Details have been slightly varied to protect the identity of the people sharing. Names are fake, but all are real people with real experience.

Foster and adoptive mom Becky:

  When it comes to drugs in utero, I believe the younger the mother the better. The older they get the more run down their bodies are and often the more stuff they are into. 

   I also firmly believe that if the mother is around abuse or is being abused it is much more traumatic than drugs and the child has more problems when they get older.

   To me prescription drugs are not nearly so bad as street drugs. Most all of the children that we have had developed normally and met all milestones in the first 5 yrs. The school years can be challenging.

Adoptive mom Kim:

   Our son is now 23. He was exposed to alcohol and drugs in utero. He is still struggling. This road has been the hardest and most difficult thing my husband and I have ever experienced.

Adoptive mom Sara:

   We have adopted 6 out of our 8 children all of which have been exposed to some kind of in utero drug use. 2 of them were addicted at birth to methodone and other drugs. Our first like this suffered with tremors for the first 6 months and did not like to be touched a whole lot. We did a lot of massage and that helped greatly. He also suffered with sensory issues as a toddler especially. However. Caleb is now 14 and he is an absolute genius. He has always done well in school and has always been in all the gifted programs. He is a joy. Our number 8, the baby who was a drug addicted preemie whom we adopted in 2011 was only 3lbs 7oz when born and heavily addicted to methodone. Being a more experienced mother now, I used essential oils and a lot of touch skin to skin. We were released from hospital with prescribed opium and within 6 days I had her drug free of any medications. She is incredible. No tremors, extremely smart and just a beautiful angel. In my experience we like drug babies and find that although their can be some issues later over all with lots of love and touch and in my case, essential oils, they can overcome all of these obstacles. At the end of the day it comes down to prayer and just knowing whether this baby is your baby. Then with faith you can move forward with optimism knowing all will be well.

Adoptive mom Kate:

   It's a huge daily challenge at our house. I will not tell anyone NOT to adopt a drug baby because they need homes more than the others. Nobody wants them. Please don't go into it lightly because it may be fine but it may be that he/she will be with you all your life or until you can find a facility that will take him or her.
  Also take into consideration your other children. Are they mentally strong enough to handle the chaos that will be in your home and will it not wreck them emotionally? I know this sounds negative to you, but to me it's reality. If I ever do it again there will definitely be things I will do differently from the time the child is over the withdrawals from the drugs until....

  Our son withdrew from the drugs for 11 months. He cried ALL THE TIME!!!!

  We were told no alcohol but it turns out that he has every symptom of FAS that his age can have. We were told he would have no lasting effects from the drugs, LOL!!! His other mother was on methadone, which is used to get off of heroin, prescription pain meds, prescription anti-anxiety and she SMOKED, like chain smoked but we didn't know all of this until after the baby was born and they did blood work. Then you only know what's in the system at the time of birth.

   A mom is pregnant 270 days and every day a part is growing. Every day the actions (drugs, alcohol ect) of the mother affect the part of the child that is developing. If a mother drinks on the day that the facial features are growing they will look FAS if the mother does not drink on those days the child will not look FAS. We are lucky or unlucky, our son has no facial features of FAS but then people expect him to be totally normal and that's not possible YET! 

   What I would do differently... After the baby is through withdrawing from drugs I would pouch him or her for a minimum of six weeks like 12 hrs a day. I would never let anybody besides me or dad hold the child until he or she is totally bonded. I would not take the child out in public until they are bonded. I know this sounds drastic but it's practically what we've done the last year with our son. It would be way easier before the child is two than when the child is four or five. And think about it... when you're pregnant that baby is with you and only you for nine months learning to trust you so why can't we do that after they come into our life?

Adoptive mom Nadine:

    I know several parents who have adopted babies exposed to cocaine, methadone, methamphetamines, or heroin (or more than one) in utero. Most--if not all--of the kids have done very well and are "normal." With that being said, especially the first few months can be challenging, and I wouldn't suggest anyone take on more than they think they can handle. On the other hand, there are no guarantees of perfect health even with a healthy pregnancy, and all parents take a leap of faith.

Adoptive mom Lia:

   We adopted our son Jackson a year ago and his mother was on 214 mg of methadone daily due to heavy heroin use. She was put on it while in jail at 5 weeks pregnant and was in jail for 6 months and then continued the last 3 months before he was born.
  He was born vaginally with no difficulty and weighed 6 lbs 15 oz. Most addicted babies have to stay in the nicu for minimum 5 days to withdraw, as ours did. He was not given any morphine to wean him off as we didn't want that. He did cry OFTEN and was difficult to soothe, but otherwise completely normal. The nurses are very helpful in giving tips to help sooth.
   Our son just turned a year old and is completely normal so far. There may be studies later that show something different.

Foster mom Diane:

   We have only had one baby exposed to methadone. I am unsure of the amount the mother was on. He was in the hospital for 7 days before he came home with us. He had some withdrawal symptoms like sneezing 3 times in a row and startling easy. He loved to be cuddled and really didn't have any noticeable problems. He was born at 5lbs a few weeks early (very common) and he went down to 4lbs before we brought him home. The doctor was very open with us and said that methadone is really easy for them to come off of. He did great and never needed any meds. The doctor told us that he expected him to develop perfectly and have no lasting problems. He is now 1 year old (not living with us now) but when I talked to his grandmother she said he is doing great with no delays. So long story short they come off of methadone much better then cocaine or heroin. A baby with drug exposure needs to be held and cuddled all through the withdrawals so they don't form bad attachments. They need to be able to attach well to overcome any problems down the road. I would highly recommend the Ollie Swaddle. It was created by a foster mom who took in drug effected babies and we have used it for a few kids and it's been amazing. It is worth the money. From what we can see the problems are only temporary and they can overcome everything. They are so resilient.

  So bottom line all kids react different, but our pediatrician didn't see where methadone causes any permanent damage.

  But FAS is very hard!! My parents adopted my brother as an infant when I was 12. He cried non stop. In my experience excessive crying has more to do with FAS.

  My brother is an adult now. He has autism on the low end and ADHD, otherwise he has turned out well. But he was a huge challenge to raise.

Adoptive mom Beth:

   Our son, whom we adopted as newborn was drug exposed baby. His birth mom was on Oxycodone and switched to methadone during pregnancy. We researched info on different scenarios early & later in life. He was born 4 days early & kept in NICU for 30 days due to observe per state law on drug exposed babies. However, we were at hospital every day from moment he was born to hold , talk and cuddle our baby until he came home with us. It was emotionally draining. We were blessed as our son is a very healthy and normal developing 6 yr old. Lots of nurture and love is key. As we pursue our 2nd adoption, our hearts are open again.

Adoptive mom and certified children's therapist Donna:

   Both drugs and alcohol cause brain damage.   Greater or lesser.   Depending on drug.   Frequency of use.  Stage of brain development.  Other in uteri factors.  Genetic complications.  Substance abuse always indicates an underlying parental mood and/or thought disorder which may or may not have genetic ramifications. Parents must hope and work for the best while accepting what is!

   Any child will benefit from being in your arms.  However the child, in my view, must be accepted and loved for exactly who they are, disabilities and all. To adopt with the view that you will somehow heal the child of brain damage might not be best for the family or the child. If the child is able to accomplish more for having been loved by you that is wonderful and a possible result. However if the child is never able to live independently no matter how much stimulation you provide that must be agreeable from the start.  We have 2 children born with fetal alcohol of differing degrees.  One is very competent and a wonderful father. The other was in and out of jail and prison for about 15 years and is now in an adult supervised long-term arrangement.

   Healing can always be a goal. But is best if it is not the bottom line as it may not occur. It depends on severity and so many genetic and in uteri conditions you will not be able to determine.

 Adoptive mom Tam:

  Our son's birth mother was on methadone. He was born with withdrawals and was put on methadone to cope with them. They said what he was feeling like was like when your foot is asleep, only his whole body felt like that. It's a long process to slowly wean them off. Around 2 - 2 1/2 months if I remember right. And it has to be done "just so". They gave us a 2 page schedule of exact dosages. Because it is so exacting some Dr's keep the baby at the hospital until weaned, but if they see you are capable and competent parents they may let you go home and finish the weaning process at home. As far as effects? We only have one child to go off of and he is only 3 yrs old, but we don't notice anything. He is completely normal at this time. We'd take methadone in a heartbeat!

  He was irritable the first month and he was 5 wks early. I did some research and found that the digestive enzyme that breaks down lactose is one of the last ones to develop. When a baby is born premature they often cannot digest lactose which makes them lactose sensitive. I put him on a very expensive formula called Nutrimigen and he changed overnight. I highly recommend Nutrimigen for any drug exposed baby, especially if premature.

Adoptive mom Val:

  Our daughter is 6 months old and was born dependent on opiates. After the initial withdrawal, which for her took 10 days, there are absolutely no signs of long term effects for our child.

  That being said... When we started this process to adopt, the ONLY thing we checked off as Unwilling to Consider was alcohol usage. Our first adoption was our 2 yr old daughter. Her Birth Mother never had so much as a beer, let alone any sort of drugs, yet our daughter has a serious genetic disorder, undiagnosed until shortly after birth.

  You can do all the research you want, but still need to recognize it's truly all in the stars. Adopted or bio, children are Heaven sent.

Adoptive mom Jana: 

   Our son, who is now two, was born dependent on several different street drugs. We adore his mother and realize addiction is an illness. We all have our challenges and this is hers. Our son has had some issues and I won't say it's been easy, but he is now 2 1/2 and is no longer delayed and affected. He is labeled as "exceptional" by his developmental specialist. As parents we hope to make the best choices for our children and drugs would not be in the mind of most of us. However, children are very resilient and we have seen over and over again how children can pull through and live productive and thriving lives.

    I just want people to know that while drug exposure, infectious disease, etc. is not the optimal set of circumstances that we would choose for our child, it doesn't mean the situation is hopeless. In most cases, it has very little long term effects that are not able to be overcome with therapy and close monitoring medication, etc.

    We are in love with our son and were oblivious but walking this road you get statistics and facts not just scary scenarios.

    Just like in anything humans respond differently but we are designed for resilience.

Adoption lawyer Jason:

    Before you comment on just how awful a person can be to do this to a child, please keep in mind that addiction is a powerful disease and it affects some differently than others.

   It is easy to say, "I would never...." or "how can a mother...." but I have learned that for a mother to be going through all of this, she is probably dealing with demons that we are not familiar with nor have too much experience battling.

   Mollie was devastated when the State terminated her rights to her son but, in reality, she had the chance to avoid the termination of her rights had she complied with her case plan. I am currently dealing with a couple faced with the termination of rights to all of their children. All they have to do is stop using opiates, but they cannot. I have yet to meet an addict that doesn't wish they could quit. Quitting addiction is just about as easy as quitting cancer.

   Anybody who works in a labor and delivery unit will tell you that there is an epidemic of opiate affected newborns and it has been going on for about three or four years and it is not tapering off.

Adoptive mom Jill:

   My husband and I adopted a child last year. Birth mother was positive for opiates and Hep C positive. Other than an early arrival due to drug use and a 19 day NICU detox she is absolutely beautiful and healthy and perfect in every way. There are many articles that now state that opiates have no lasting effects if the postnatal environment is a therapeutic environment full of nurture and love.

Adoptive mom Cassie:

   We have adopted several children from drug addicted birth mothers. They are now young adults. I think it is a mistake to assume there will be no lasting effects. It truly can go either way. It is important to be prepared for either. All of my kids are affected, although in vastly varying ways. That being said...I think walking a mile in a drug-addicted birth mother's shoes would give everyone a little compassion. They are loved by God and very worthy of love and support! I wouldn't trade one of my precious children and have an enormous amount of love for their birth parents!

Foster and adoptive mom Sandra:

   My youngest daughter came to us at three weeks from the hospital, she was born with both heroin and meth in her system. She is now 5 years old and she is smart as a whip and wonderful. Once she got through her withdrawals it has been smooth sailing. She does have some respiratory issues.

Adoptive mom Vera:

   We have one child born addicted to drugs. He is now 5. As a baby, he had difficulties, he was more needy and less screamy. As long as you had him in your arms, he was content. We never put him down for long. He slept with my husband on the couch and we laid him on our legs to change him. He wanted to touch us all the time and so we let him. He was sickly with feeding issues and breathing issues and had multiple surgeries and procedures. He was on meds daily for over 4 years for different issues. He was diagnosed with adhd at age ONE by his neurologist. He is very active and he has trouble paying attention.
    But do you know what? He is the light of my life. Quite possibly the sweetest child I have ever met. He is caring and loving and thoughtful. No, he can't pay attention in a regular school setting, and yes, during homeschool he reads while hanging upside down off the back of the couch. BUT he can read and he is so smart! He loves life and loves people. He is helpful and likes to bake cookies and DO CHORES!
   I am SO glad we hung in there with our needy little guy, because it has been nothing but a blessing to watch him grow and thrive. There are long term problems he will always face- mainly adhd, but after where he started from, that is NOTHING.

   So....what more can be said, that hasn't been said by these wise, compassionate parents? So... no drug is safe. No adoption is safe. Having children isn't safe. No day is safe. But if we have our hand in our Savior's and are following His road for our lives, we are safe.

  I'm no expert, but I love to research! I draw my own conclusions and opinions and I am not saying these are correct. Do your own research. Draw your own conclusions. There are SO many variables in different homes regarding child nurture and every child will respond differently and have different needs that much will always be a mystery, waiting to unfold. All of the studies and reports that I have read all state that due to many unknown factors prenatal and postnatal the report is inconclusive. That is why I love the thought to "follow your hear".

  

   So now for my opinions!

   Marijuana seems relatively safe and prescription drugs better than street drugs. Methamphetamines or  crystal meth, in my research, seems to be a drug with big risk, though there are very few studies on it. It is incomparably addictive and users often become addicted with the first use. Personally I think cocaine or heroin are safer than meth. Drug injections/IV's can be more damaging to the fetus than oral drugs. This is due to the injected drug going full-strength straight into the blood rather than being metabolized and somewhat diluted through the mother's liver if taken orally. Tobacco, by itself and anything less than a pack a day, may not produce too many effects, yet when combined with any drug can have a more adverse outcome. Tobacco effects are directly related to the amount smoked. The more cigarettes, the greater the risk of effects. Chain-smoking can be more detrimental than street drugs. Legal drugs such as nicotine and alcohol can produce more severe deficits on brain development than many illegal drugs. Hands down, alcohol can have the most catastrophic effects. Yet--- alcohol is legal, drugs are not. Developing babies lack the ability to metabolize alcohol and actually absorb alcohol. Withdrawing from alcohol is usually much longer and more traumatic than drugs. Some people think that where there is drugs there is always alcohol. In my research, most studies say that while concomitant use with other drugs is not unusual, alcohol is often used as a solitary drug. Yet it is good to be aware of the risk and have our eyes wide open. Many of the above experiences have to do with young children. Some people think that drug effects can stay completely hidden until adolescence. In my opinion, it does not make sense to me that I would have a healthy and normally developing child who was drug-exposed in utero and suddenly flip a switch to dysfunctional when he/she hit the teen years, nor have I found any proof of this in my research. I just think if there was brain damage in utero there would surely be some signs of brain damage throughout the growing up years, but I may be wrong. Then again the teenage years can be tumultuous for classic children. Most experts agree that what the child experiences postnatal impacts the future of the child more than what the child experiences prenatal. It is widely believed that the first 2 yrs after birth are THE most important. It is scientifically proven that experience changes the brain. (Obviously, depending on brain damage, there are exceptions.)

  

  The Methadone Maintenance Treatment has been used for over 30 yrs to help stabilize opiate addicted people, especially pregnant mothers. Heroin and methadone are both opiates as are many prescription pain killers, such as Vicodin, Demoral, Lortab, Percocet and many more. Anything over 100 mgs of methadone is considered a high dose. Dosage does not correlate with severity of withdrawal or effects for exposed infants as one might expect. From my research... it seems methadone is a safer alternative for opiate addicted mothers mostly for it's help in stabilizing due to it's slow action and close monitoring. You have to report to a methadone clinic for your daily dose where you also get prenatal care and random drug tests. Most pregnant mother's on methadone are very closely monitored. Occasionally if the person is stable for a long period of time you can get a take-home prescription for methadone. Dedicated, pregnant mothers on methadone often stabilize, but not always. If taken religiously methadone nearly eliminates physical withdrawals from other opiates. However, remember that addiction to the "high" is psychological as well as physical. Methadone is said to be slow acting, acting over a course of around 24-36 hrs.. If taken properly, you do not get "high" from methadone, so therefore the body does not go through the extreme highs and lows of street drugs. Plus street drugs can have questionable origins. Anything that attributes to a more stable environment in utero is positive and safer, even though no drug is safe. The slow action of methadone may be one of the reasons babies must be weaned off of it very slowly if they are having withdrawal symptoms. 75% of methadone babies have withdrawal symptoms. In general it usually takes longer to withdraw from methadone than the average street drug. The 3 most-to-be-avoided substances when taking methadone are alcohol, benzodiazepines and suboxone. If a pregnant mother is on methadone and using any of these 3 substances it can be catastrophically damaging for mother and/or baby. I found it interesting that meconium is the baby’s first bowel movement and it can detect drug exposure from the second trimester of the pregnancy right through to delivery.
    There are some women who avoid methadone like the plague due the difficulty of withdrawing and would rather continue street drugs.
   Addiction! What a vicious circle! Suboxone is being touted as the answer for methadone addiction, but some say it's just trading one addiction for another. Other's swear that weaning off of suboxone is much easier than weaning off of methadone. I'm not going to experiment and find out. It is easy for a pregnant mother to switch from suboxone to subutex and many believe withdrawal from subutex is easier for the baby.

   Here are some ideas regarding healing that have surfaced again and again in my research. Every baby will be different and every baby will respond differently. Essential oils can have healing effects as does swaddling and massaging. Carrying in a sling or pouch for hours a day is vital. A great pouch many recommend is the Boba wrap and another is the Babylonia. I'm sure there are many others. Essential oils many recommend are chamomile and lavender among others. When using essential oils always use a carrier oil, such as coconut oil, almond oil, or olive oil. One teaspoon carrier oil for a drop or 2 of essential oil. Massage slowly into the body much as you would lotion a baby. Massaging with lotion is good, too. Any massage or feather-touch is good! Skin to skin contact is so very important for all adopted babies, but especially drug exposed babies. Cause and effect toys are beneficial for exposed children, such as pop up toys. Swinging, trampolines, indoor rebounders, jolly-jumpers, strong-sitting, all help the brain. Yet nothing can over-estimate the healing properties of the pouch or sling. Being carried next to mom for hours a day is imperative. Hearing her voice, feeling the vibrations of her voice, hearing her heartbeat, smelling her scent, feeling her skin... It is crucial, especially for fragile babies. Some drug exposed babies are much more sensitive to chemicals, preservatives, colorants, and the such-like in processed food or soap or lotions. This is something to keep in mind. It is also good to remember that many drug exposed babies will be born somewhat premature and may be lactose sensitive.

   In utero exposure to substances, especially opiates and particularly prescription drugs, has risen by around 45% in the last 15 yrs. Pharmacies are making a killing off of this sad drug addiction epidemic. Somewhere I've read the ratio for effects is 1/3 and 1/3 and 1/3.  1/3 have no long term effects, 1/3 have mild long term effects and 1/3 have long term special needs. Yet the feedback that I got from parents who have adopted exposed babies, was much more positive than that.  As the in utero drug crisis explodes, our good God gives professionals and parents more knowledge about how to heal drug exposure! Surely our Father delights in healing and being the Healer of children! Or maybe He will just come soon and take us all. Then all of these precious babies will be healed forever.

  In closing I would like to repeat adoptive mom and therapist, Donna's, wisdom....

  Healing can always be a goal. But it is best if it is not the bottom line as it may not occur. It depends on severity and so many genetic and in uteri conditions you will not be able to determine. The child must be accepted and loved for exactly who they are, disabilities and all. Parents must hope and work for the best while accepting what is!
  I love that. Such wisdom. Follow your heart. Hopefully this article will help someone navigating the waters of adoption.
Courage to you, my dear friends... Rachelle Yost

P.S. I'd love to hear your comments! Negative or positive!