Discussion on Adoption 7: Drug Exposure

One concern with regards to adoption, is the baby has not always been under your care, even if you adopt a newborn.  There is history with the birth mother, and even bonding with the birth mother through  rhythms and the beating of the mother's heart.  There is a disruption in the bonding process when the baby or child is placed with another set of parents.  This is a disruption in the attachment process.

It was this reason that we fought so hard to keep Tony.  He had gone through three disruptions in his first year of life, and we did not want him to go through a fourth.  We had bonded to Tony when he was an infant, and then we went to live with a cousin.  He later came back to us, and we reattached quickly, he with us and us with him.  We did not want him to go through any more separations.

Another fear for an adoptive couple is the in vitro history of the child.  This could include drug exposure.  A fear in our area is that of exposure to methamphetamine.
http://health.utah.gov/meth/html/Healthconcerns/Children.html#prenat
This article covers these concerns.  First in talks about the immediate effects, prenatal birth and low-birth weight.  Tony has gone through both of these, and has come out of it wonderfully.  He was four pounds seven ounces and was born six weeks early.  As a result growing up his legs were weak.  However he has overcome that by climbing up slides and jumping on trampoline.  We got him a small trampoline when he was little.  He is very strong now, and has always been very strong in his upper body.  He loves monkey bars and climbing things.
His other physical short coming was the tendency to retain water in his kidney.  He has pretty much over come this, but he still has to go in for ultrasound every year to make sure he is OK.
The article above also talks about neurological effects, which are not necessarily permanent.  Tony does get "stubborn" at times, meaning he likes things to be the way he sees them in his head.  He also gets inpatient at times, meaning he likes people to understand what he is saying, and it is good to pay attention when he is talking.
We had some fears about his starting school.  However Tony really loves school  He is learning to read, and his teacher is very impressed with him.  He often comes home with a sticker.  Tony loves to read books, and have stories read to him.
I think the bottom line is even though statistically there are things to look out for, each baby and each child is an individual.  And love can overcome lots of obstacles, but not all.  It is good to be aware of what problems to look for, but also help your child meet his full potential.