Long term effect of drugs on babies...?

Question

We were thinking about adopting a child, either internationally or here. As most of you know the easiest was to get a child in the U.S. is through the foster system and most of those children are there because their mothers are addicts. Usually crystal meth. What I want to know is what are the long term effects of crystal meth or other drugs on a baby whose mother was a user. Will they have predisposed tendencies of being users also and what other developmental, physical, and phychological problems will they have? I know these children shouldn't be thrown away - they can't pick their mothers, but I want to be prepared.

Answer 1

brain damage and persona;ut disorders! sad, but if you are using drugs and have a kid, the damage is permanent!  females who use drugs  while pregnant, should go to  jail for life!!

Answer 2

brain damage

Answer 3

The affects of crystal meth can be devastating to both baby development and to later development.

Research conducted in 2005 by University of Toronto researchers notes that if a pregnant woman takes just one dose of meth, it can have dire consequences for her baby. So it’s not just women addicted that are an issue, but experimenters of drug use as well. The study points out that long-term neurodevelopmental issues can develop in a baby due to that single hit. That is a scary statistic.

What are the effects of crystal meth during pregnancy on the baby exactly? Well, it not only causes the long-term neurodevelopmental problems, but also reduced motor coordination in the long-term. Research says that a developing baby is much more vulnerable to DNA damage because fetuses have not yet developed the enzymes that will eventually help to protect the baby from free radicals.

Free radicals are destructive molecules that have been shown to cause cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Everyone comes into contact with free radicals as children and adults, but by then we’ve developed some protection against them. Meth exposes a fetus to these very harmful molecules, but the baby has no protective devices and thus can be terribly harmed by them. Furthermore, fetuses are vulnerable from conception to the last trimester.

This study and numerous others points out that crystal meth use during pregnancy needs to be researched much more to determine the precise effect it will have on a fetus, but also that most research to date shows that meth can cause problems for a baby including:

    * Low birth weight.

    * Cleft palates.

    * Premature birth.

    * Mental and physical disabilities.

    * Increased chances of miscarriage.

    * Later issues can occur for male babies. A recent study reports that males fetuses exposed to crystal meth who later take meth themselves develop brain disorders much quicker than if their mother had never taken the drug.

Answer 4

All of the depends on the degree to which they were exposed. But in all honesty I've seen children grow up without problems once removed from the addict mother.  Babies can be weaned off drugs just like adults can be.

Answer 5

umm i had friends who were in foster care and none of there parents were drug addicts children could be taken away for many reasons neglect, physical abuse you name it! you shouldnt judge any kids life before you know dont be so shallow and help out the kids here in YOUR country

Answer 6

The majority of babies born to drug addicted mothers overcome their problems and I do not think it predisposes them to drug use later in life.  It depends on how they are raised.