"Just Say No" but is that the right choice for adoption?

D.A.R.E has been empowering children for years to say no to drugs. Rightfully so, I might add. So, much to my

surprise on our matching sheet there was multiple questions about birth parent drug use both mother and father, as well as drug exposure and drug addiction in infants. Jason and I immediately responded no to all drugs, to alcohol we marked stopped once she was aware of conception, and for tobacco we wrote uses on occasion. I went and met with our lawyer and she began to explain so many things that I was missing. Of course, Jason and I wanted to keep open every door possible but at the same time we want to make sure that we are able to provide an environment safe and appropriate for the infant coming home with us. After talking with the lawyer, I went home and hit the books, the internet, and the phone. I called and spoke with a neonatologist in Indianapolis and spoke with our choice of pediatrician locally. I looked on pubmed and read numerous abstracts regarding drug exposed and drug addicted infants. I decided to list out the basics of what I have learned from the numerous resources. I apologize that I have not linked a lot of the information because honestly I got so deep that I forget where information even originated from. 

Here are some fun facts and resources...

A. The difference between drug exposure and drug addicted is simply the amount of times the infant is exposed to drugs, alcohol, or tobacco in utero. I believe our agency said drug exposed would be 3-5x throughout a duration of a pregnancy, drug addiction is typically 1x per week or more. Either a drug exposed child or drug addicted can go through withdrawal symptoms. Typically, the umbilical cord of a drug exposed child would demonstrate significant less toxicity than a drug addicted infant. 

B.  "Ira Chasnoff, M.D., the nation’s leading researcher of the outcomes of children who were prenatally exposed to drugs, comments that many foster and adoptive parents have gone through long periods with difficult, drug-exposed infants who have eventually become well-adjusted children.

One of the strongest indicators of a positive outcome in children are the child’s caregivers. A recent study by Bergin and McCullough in Infant Mental Health Journal followed babies whose mothers had used substances and babies whose mothers did not use substances. The prenatal drug exposure did not play a role in how the babies attached to their primary caregiver. What did play a role was the nurturing, stimulating and stable environment of the babies. Care giving does make a difference in helping children reach their maximum potential for learning and socializing." Adoption Connection