The Impact of Exposure to Cocaine in the Womb

by Fatherofeight | More from this Blogger

24 Jan 2007 11:17 AM

A few years ago, there was a lot of information in the media concerning the damage that women who habitually use crack cocaine were causing to the children born to them. Today, there is a lot of evidence that the damage was not as profound as some medical researchers predicted it would be. This is an important subject to me because I have adopted five children who had the misfortune to spend nine months in the womb of a crack addict.

I do not pretend to be an expert on this subject. I am forced to rely on the information that our children's doctors provide. Some researchers believe that children subjected to cocaine in the womb are more likely to have heart, lung, and neurological disorders. One of our children has a badly deformed heart valve which has been operated on twice and which will eventually need to be replaced. Three of our boys have significant asthma conditions, including the one with the bad heart. They have an older sibling who is autistic.

Our former pediatrician did her residency in the borough of Queens in New York City, which she characterized as the "crack capital of the world". Based upon her experience with children who had been exposed to crack, she has concluded that crack may not be the primary culprit. The real problem, in her view, is the sum of all the problems that these women have.

A woman addicted to crack cocaine is fairly certain to use other drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Cigarettes alone can cause the baby to have a low birth weight. The effects of fetal alcohol syndrome have been demonstrated to be extremely serious.

Additionally, a crack mother is very likely to have very risky sex habits and poor nutrition. She is also probably leading a lifestyle that lends itself to the risk of violence. All of these factors combined make it difficult for the baby to thrive.

The pediatrician's recommendation is that a child will have a good chance for a healthy life if he is taken away from his mother and her environment at birth. He then should be placed with a loving family that will see that he receives the best medical care available. She also points out that the human body is wonderfully made and that children that come into the world in a difficult situation often have very strong immune systems, giving them a good chance to recover.

We love our boys and provide them with every opportunity to thrive. Their Creator has been watching over them also. We are very optimistic about their future. I welcome any input that a reader might have concerning this issue.

Related Blogs:

Our Flawed Birth Mother

Our First Meeting With the Birth Mother

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PATTI (580) 24 Jan 2007 11:28 AM

Dear Ed, I don't have any new information to add, but I will say that our Creator is a good God and He has blessed you and your family and everyone else that lets Him. PATTI

Linda Hansen (1796) 24 Jan 2007 12:45 PM

Ed, I certainly agree. Although there can be irreversible damage, much of the harm done by bio moms who are crack users, can be improved. My boys are proof. Although they still struggle with health related issues, their mental stability has helped them come a long way in healing. Great blog. Artcraft

Fatherofeight (2475) 24 Jan 2007 02:23 PM

Patti and Art, thank you both. I really have bad feelings for our birth mom when the boys come down with something that seems like it came courtesy of her womb. I saw the kind of condition she in when she was carrying #5, we didn't know she was pg, but she was in bad shape. And the state just lets them keep having damaged babies.