Any Folks Out There Raising Children That Tested Positive for Drugs at Birth Due to Their Addicted Mothers?

Question by peachiepie: Any folks out there raising children that tested positive for drugs at birth due to their addicted mothers?
How are your kids doing 10 years later, and what types of problems did you or still are encountering? I have heard jokes about “crack” babies, but in real life “BeBe’s kids are no laughing matter! They tend to have attention disorder and various other physical and emotional disorders I have noticed being the grandmother of 6 of them/ By the way I am not lumping all infants that tested positive as going to have these problems, but over the years all of my grand children have had some sort of disorder.

Best answer:

Answer by Ana
My 9 year old son was born addicted to crack and opiates. He is a very normal, healthy child and there is no way anyone would guess the serious circumstances of his birth if they just looked at him.

He was born premature and had some catching up to do with his fine and gross motor skills as a toddler, he began to walk and talk latter than the average child but he was good at communicating his needs without words, plus he has always been a very affectionate, loving boy. He is not the most coordinated person out there, but neither am I and I wasn’t born addicted to any drug. He got play therapy for the first 3 years of his life with us as his parents and at home we stimulated as often and carefully as we could, now he does everything a nine year old should do and some more.

To this day he has to get some help to stay on top of his academic demands at school. He doesn’t have a diagnosed learning disability but he is easily distracted and struggles grasping mathematical concepts. He doesn’t get abstract information on the spot. It’s all good though, we give him the extra support he needs at home and he is very articulate, vivacious and is a responsible student. He cares about school and I’m sure he will continue to progress.

He is also a few inches below the average height for his age group. Poor little fellow, he is self-conscious about his height and chances are he will be on the short side of the spectrum all his life.

All of this is very likely a consequence of his first few weeks of life struggling with prenatal addiction, plus the complex family situation that surrounded him where he lacked stimulation and bodily contact infants need from the get-go. He doesn’t have any disorders or chronic diseases, in fact, he is completely healthy and normal. Like any person, he has a few things to struggle with here and there but he is an absolute sweetheart and people are drawn to him for his generous, friendly personality. No behavioural problems whatsoever.

I don’t refer to my son as a “crack” baby and I highly discourage anyone from trying the term on him. We also do not mention the term “addicted” when we speak of his biological mother. That is a fact that we accept and do not judge but that should not be used as a way to stigmatize my son or his mother. His two older sisters were also exposed to drugs and alcohol in utero but there is no way to know what drugs and the amount because their first mother is no loner with us. Both of them are bright young girls who excell academically. One of them is a natural athlete and has taken ballet lessons for years. Their speech, growth and motor skills have never faltered, despite their initial exposure to drugs and the trials of their first years of life.

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