MOST OFTEN ASKED QUESTIONS

In the past 20 years have you seen many changes in the drugs the babies are exposed to?

Yes, we are seeing a high number of infants exposed to prescription drugs. It is also not uncommon for a newborn to have numerous drugs in their systems today verses just one drug in years past.

Are you finding newborns with additional medical problems due to their mothers drug use?

No,  other than the withdrawal symptoms. If the baby is premature he may have medical problems, but they are due to the prematurity not the drugs.

What kind of withdrawal do infants that have been prenatally exposed to cocaine have?  Are they irritable and hard to manage?

Unlike opiate exposure, cocaine exposed infants do not have tremors nor are they irritable. Their problem is that they do not get the message they are hungry, may be hard to feed and are at risk for failure to thrive. They are like a normal newborn and with the proper  care they do not have to be fussy nor hard to manage

Should I be concerned about fostering/adopting a baby with prenatal drug exposure?

I think you should learn as much as you can about the effects each drug may have on the child and then look at the dynamics of your family  to see if a baby with substance abuse would do well in your home. Remember, these babies are normal, healthy newborns with a short term insult. Some areas of concern the first months of life:

Working mom
High energy / active family
Placing the infant in daycare
His sensitivity to stimuli
Any feeding difficulties

Are the babies going to have problems as they grow?

No more than any other newborn. After the first few months (and the withdrawal process is completed) we, the caregiver, will have a greater impact on the child than any of the drugs he was exposed to.

I have been told babies exposed to drugs have a lot of problems with flatus (gas).

Drugs attack the gastric system when the baby is in utero, therefore, for the first year of life it will not be uncommon for your baby to pass gas frequently. Because the babies are able to pass gas on their own, we find our babies do not need any medicinal support. Though It is not uncommon for the caregiver to be sensitive to this problem, medicating  the baby is unnecessary.

May there be long term residual effects to the baby from drug exposure? 

Yes, stimuli. Any stimulus can be difficult for the children if it is not introduced to them on a daily basis.  If the caregiver takes time to introduce it to the child regularly, they will do well in life but, if it is not the child may have a more difficult time.

What is stimuli?

Think of your five senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, taste. Any or all of them can easily cause a infant to have difficulty if it is too much. Think of bright colors, too much movement, (bouncing, riding in a car), heavy perfume, loud voices, sounds, crowds, anything more than gentle touch and even the sensation of formula going down their throat.