[Boulderbabe]

I'm considering taking a fost/adopt placement of a meth-exposed baby girl. Can anybody tell me more about the long term effects of meth exposure?

Thanks,
Elizabeth

[knudsons]

My advice would be to take her the effects are not as bad as those without experience would think. If she is just exposed I would ask if this is a newborn if she is having withdrawl make certain you recieve training on dealing with that otherwise Congratulations.

[blessedbybug]

Originally Posted by Boulderbabe

I'm considering taking a fost/adopt placement of a meth-exposed baby girl. Can anybody tell me more about the long term effects of meth exposure?

Thanks,
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth. From all that I've read (we considered a possible situation with a babe exposed to meth during pg) this is what I learned. I'm no expert so keep that in mind.

Mostly, in regards to longterm effects, there isn't a whole lot of definitive statistics or data where meth exposure is concerned. This is for two reasons. First, meth is a pretty recent drug and there's nothing to compare it to. So there aren't a lot of studies that show longterm effects one way or the other. OTOH, the research that has been done is mostly with kids who were not only exposed prenatally but also in ther environment after birth. In other words, they lived in meth houses and it is known that the products used to make meth can be absorbed through the skin, causing a child to possibly test positive for exposure to meth. So really, there is little known about babes exposed to meth (at least from what I found at the time) that have not remained in that environment.

Not much help am I? One thing we learned with the situation we considered is that alot of the risk is in utero, the if the babe is born with no birth defects (meth can cause all sorts of things including underdevlopment of organs, etc) then there is a good possibility, with the right environment that the babe could be okay.

If you decided to have this placement, it would be important to be educated on the symptoms and process of withdrawal and on early intervention for her well-being. Of course, as a foster-adopt parent, you may have already learned this stuff in your training. I know alot of ours (we were approved for foster-adopt just a few weeks before our 2nd child came througha private agency... ) did and I am grateful for that. If not, it would be top priority to learn the process of bonding with a babe who might be effected by drug exposure.

HTH and best of everything on your decision. Do keep us posted okay?

[Boulderbabe]

Thanks, Tammy! She's not a newborn---she's 11 months old and has been fostered by my dear friends for the last 6 months, so I know her pretty well. So far, she's doing phenomenally well. But you know how tox exposure can be--sometimes the effects don't show up until later on down the line.

Whew! Fost-adopt can really be a crapshoot, can't it?

[Barksum]

As Tammy mentions in her post, there isn't much data regarding long term effects of meth. Additionally, it is difficult to get a child who is ONLY exposed to meth; many addicted moms also use other drugs, especially alcohol. Alcohol, as you may or may not be aware, does have well-documented long term effects. Even if the child shows no visible signs of FAS he/she may still have FAE, which is the brain damage without the physical abnormalities to show for it. FAE often doesn't become evident until the child is a bit older.

We have adopted 2 toddlers who were exposed to meth. One had some difficulties that have been problematic, and will continue to be areas we have to work through for a long time. However, this child was also neglected for the first year, multiple caregivers/moves, etc., and was also exposed to alcohol. So I can't say that the meth caused the biggest problems. He does have some FAE-kinds of problems, so could very well be FAE -- except that we can't get a formal dx due to not having a written statement from bio mom stating that she consumed alcohol during the pregnancy. (and I think the med. team that evaluated him wanted documentation of how much during each trimester of pregnancy. As if! )

The other toddler was born addicted to meth and had a really tough time for the first year. Health issues that were mostly just generally not having a strong immune system, with a catch-every-cold-that-came-along kind of thing for the first year. Of course this also delayed his development a bit, so he didn't attain milestones as quickly as the "norm", but is doing very well now. He continues to have some fairly icky reflux stuff that seems to be ongoing. He's 2 1/2 and still on presciption for reflux probs. However, his bio mom ALSO used cocaine and alcohol, and while he does not have FAS we were told to continue to monitor and be aware of the possibility of FAE for him as well. I think they won't screen for FAE until he's early school age -- say, 5 - 7 or so.

As with parenting any child (foster, adopt, bio) it's all a leap of faith and you just get to enjoy the little surprises as they come along. Bio daughter has a birth defect that we didnt' notice until she was 7, and our first adoptive child came to us with no identified issues and has some. You just never know how things are going to be in the future. It's good to be educated and understand the possibilities, but at the end of the day it all boils down to just stepping out in faith.

[Boulderbabe]

Originally Posted by Barksum

As Tammy mentions in her post, there isn't much data regarding long term effects of meth. Additionally, it is difficult to get a child who is ONLY exposed to meth; many addicted moms also use other drugs, especially alcohol.

....As with parenting any child (foster, adopt, bio) it's all a leap of faith and you just get to enjoy the little surprises as they come along. Bio daughter has a birth defect that we didnt' notice until she was 7, and our first adoptive child came to us with no identified issues and has some. You just never know how things are going to be in the future. It's good to be educated and understand the possibilities, but at the end of the day it all boils down to just stepping out in faith.

Thanks so much for giving me the benefit of all your experience! I imagine you've learned a heck of a lot as you've gone along.

With this little girl, we're very lucky: Her mom did a lot of drugs (meth, ecstasy and pot are the ones I know about), but did not drink alcohol. From what I hear about FAS/FAE, Little "Sally" really dodged a bullet with that one.

I think my biggest concern is that I'm a single mom, and I already have adopted my son, who is at high risk for bipolar. I'm just worried about getting spread too thin to be a good mom to both kids. I want to step out in faith, but I'd like to be sure I'm not stepping off the edge of a cliff!

[Barksum]

Yeah, I want to step out in faith, too...but I'd sure like to have a certificate guaranteeing that I'm doing the right thing! We've just ended up kind of being careful and prayerful, and understanding that if we are chosen as the adoptive family (and ususally there is more to the process than just saying, "Yes, we would like to adopt this child.") then we'll make it work and find resources as we need them. Frankly, it's SCARY. LOL But we've been so blessed, even while it's scary and difficult and all. It makes our life very full. Sometimes this is a "full and overflowing with abundance" kind of full, other times it's more like a "sausage that's been overstuffed and going to explode" kind of full.

[mommytoEli]

feel free to pm me if you have any questions...I have a meth baby. We originally received ethan as a foster placement at 16 hours old...he is now 3 1/2(and ALL mine ....there are days I THINK he is crazy! But really...he is just 3 1/2, and ALL boy....but absolutely perfect. We had a rough start, some apnea, tremors, reflux, but he got over it the only lingering problem now is that his mri showed abnormal brain development in some areas. the neuro said that b/c we only use 10% of our brains, that it might be that ethan's brain would use 10% that had developed correctly and was not damaged. based on the mri they said he is at high risk of having a learning disorder....but so far so good. he picks things up really quickly, knows his letters and sounds, shapes, colors, etc....he knows alot more than students I had enterring kindergarten! And his mind is like a steel trap...he remembers things from 1 1/2 ago...it is crazy! I think he is pretty bright, actually

Babies are resilient. I think if she is 11 months old and she looks like she is developmentally doing well, she is probably fine. I think you would know by know if you were going to have major problems....but that is JMO.

[cherrymom]

We have a Meth babe here too. Mom admits to using Meth throughout the pg, cocaine was in there too but she doesn't do alcohol (or so we were told). We brought her home at 8 mnths old, with all kinds of undiagnosed, unresolved medical issues. Mostly to do with organs not being developed properly. She has kidney issues and severe reflux. She is an absolute angel and I wouldn't change a thing. The fact that you know the Foster family is huge. By 11 mnths they should have a good idea how she's doing medically and developmentally. Does she eat? We got a 8 1/2 month old that would eat nothing, now at 2 1/2 we are a bit further along but not great unfortunately.
Barksum - what meds have they used for your sons reflux? We are still trying to find something that will work for a very long.

[Boulderbabe]

Does she eat? Oh lordy, does she eat. At 12 months old (her birthday is this weekend), she eats like a trooper. She weighs almost as much as my three year old niece! My son calls her "little potpie."

It is great that we know her foster family---that has been a real relief. She's doing very well, in PT and OT for a few minor things, but appears to be catching up.

Some days, you just hold your breath and dive in, I guess....

[cherrymom]

And have fun diving! Life's a journey but it's also lots of fun. K brings much joy to our life. Good luck!

[Barksum]

Cherry, we use zantac for Ds. I think his reflux is resolving, but I'm afraid to ditch the medicine totally, so use it at night and/or when I know he's eaten something that triggers reflux probs for him. (fruit juices, greasy foods, peanut butter, etc.)

Since he doesn't talk yet I have to go by more subtle signs, which is a bit iffy as to how accurately I'm guessing what's going on. I can tell by diapers (acid stools) and sometimes he just is cranky and doesn't want to lie down, so I GUESS that means his tummy is bothering him. ?? I go with the idea that giving him the zantac isn't stopping his acid production and isn't harming any normal function so we can continue to use it until he is better able to communicate what is going on.

I also am careful about the foods we offer. I limit tomato sauces, usually opting for plain pasta with parmesan for him, or cream sauces but not too fatty. No citrus juices, and I still dilute other juices for him. There's something else we don't give him, but I can't remember what it is. If you offer him things I can remember, but not off the top of my head! LOL

We did have another child with some nasty reflux stuff (born addicted to heroin). He was highly sensitive to ANY fruit. As in avocados, bananas, apples, all citrus, peaches, plums, tomatoes, ketchup, grapes, raisins, pears...you name it. I think we also avoided berries. He could tolerate melons, but didn't like them, of course. Anyway, he seems to have outgrown that level of sensitivity and is now just a regular persnickety eater. He only wants sandwiches. Or noodles. Or chicken. And if you serve what he asks for, he wanted the other thing. I think that's fairly normal. LOL

[cherrymom]

We are using Omprezol 30 ml per day (max dose) and Domperidone. Foods haven't really been able to identified because she doesn't eat much of anything. Dry cheerios (1/4 cup), one slice of cheese, and 4 or 5 pretzels, and maybe for dinner some (like a slice 1 oz) of sliced ham, chicken or beef, and maybe some rice.
We do juice and make smoothies for her which she will drink, so she does have an 8 oz vegetable/fruit smoothie per day. She also is on a formula supplement called Nutren Jr which is specially for kids with reflux. It has helped tremendously with the weight gain. She has gained 2 lbs on it. But she's still refluxing - she is very verbal and wakes up at least once in the night "choking" and screams until I can calm her down. So we are waiting for a scope to see what's going on in there. Thanks Barksum and Momof6 for the email.
C