[myjo]

Hello, I'll introduce myself as I've never posted here before. I'm mom to three little boys ages 1 1/2, 5, and 8. I've never fostered children, but I have a friend who recently took two foster babies, both addicted to drugs at birth.

I just wanted to know if anyone here has any advice for my friend on how to care for the special needs of her newborn foster baby who is still in withdrawals from Methamphetimines. Is there anything she can do for him other than just comfort and feed him?

Any advice or stories of your experiences would be great.

[standup]

Our FS was born exposed to numerous substances in utero, including meth. He is now 8mo old and truly a miracle! He had a seizure while in the hospital (normal 48 hour post-delivery stay) and has had no other ill effects. We do notice though that he can stay awake for LONG periods of time. He usually will wake around 7am and remain awake for 12 to 14 hours, and he still gets up 1-2 times at night. His doctor is pleased with his progress and growth (25th percentile).

Just tell your friend to enjoy him! Drug babies need just as much hope and love as any other baby. Just be sure to look for any signs of distress or developmental delays and discuss them with the peaditrican. Many of these children do beat the odds. Our FS is proof of that. Not to say that he may have problems with learning disabilities, ADHD, or any number of disorders as he gets older.

[naca]

I would ditto what the pp said. My FD was born exposed to Meth. She would stay awake for hours and hours during the day, it seemed that she never learned to nap like a normal newborn! She has always had a temper, was a bit fussy as a baby but LOVED to be swaddled. If your friend's baby is fussy, try swaddling or a swing. Those both worked really well for us!

[maricela]

We adopted our FD. She was born exposed to Cocaine. She had a very rough start; withdrawals, surgury for bowel obstruction...The doctors at the hospital said she was a miracle baby. And she truly is. She startled very easily as a newborn. Swaddling was the best thing for her. It comforted her. I also played alot of classical music for her. It was always on in her room. She also had/has a very sensitive gag reflex.is. She is now 2 1/2, knows her alphabet, colors & is very articulate. It is amazing how much love can turn a child around.

Good luck!!

[mylilangels]

hey..we took a meth baby and a cocaine baby..our meth baby was harder as far as the crying, always needed to be held etc..we found that keeping a darker more quiet room helped her alot..i also got one of those slings that breastfeeding moms use and it kept her so close to me plus it was very dark down in there..they don't need alot of stimulation since that causes them to cry more..our cocaine baby had the shakes a lil bit but slept like a healthy drug-free baby..i hope this helps..also,our baby had colic to so the dr. put her on alimentum and that helped w/ some of the fussiness..if i think of anything else i'll let ya know..

m.j
bio s 10yrs
bio d 6yrs
fd 13 yrs
fd 4 yrs
fs 5yrs
fs 9mos
fs coming jan 23rd 12yrs
fostering 9mos and we've loved 16 children..

[barbhuff]

Our son is nineteen months now, born addicted to cocaine and meth, fetal alcohol, and exposure to a number of other drugs. He's a healthy, happy little man typical of his age. He does still have sleep issues-- he's awake three, four times a night and very hard to console and get back to sleep.

When he was under a year, he still startled easily and was sensitive to light. About a year, he seemed to overcome them. He does still like to be swaddled when he wakes up at night (which is REAL fun with a toddler...)

[Luvbeingmommy]

I have had two foster babies that were born exposed to various drugs. The adivice of the previous posters is great. The swaddling worked really well when they were small. They both had "shakes". My 2nd one had alot of reflux issues and his ped. put him on Zantac which he took for several months before we could ween him off. Also was always fed cradled in my arms in an upright position to help everything go down smoothly. He is 22 months old and still has occasional nights when he has sleep issues.
Good luck and God bless!
Darla

[myjo]

Thanks for the responses. I was already thinking of letting her borrow my sling, and I will tell her about the swaddling. Thank you!