done to children's brains and bodies when their mother drink heavily during pregnancy.
It is the leading form of mental retardation today.
Prenatal alcohol impairment, however,
also comes in a milder form called fetal alcohol effects (FAE).
Children with FAE often don't look disabled,
and they tend to score in the low-normal or even normal range of intelligence.
But these kids aren't normal.
Their mal developed brains cause them to exhibit a wide range of behavior problems,
including hyperactivity, attention problems, learning disorders,
and ethical problems such as stealing, lying, and cheating.
- Where to begin?! I guess the best way to do this is to start with explaining about how our youngest child came into our lives.
- Let me first start by saying this about alcohol and pregnancy.
NO amount of alcohol is safe
for a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
FAS/FAE and all the secondary disabilities are
100% preventable!
-
Now on with our journey.
- Somewhere near the end of her second trimester was when I got to know his mother.
She was heavy into drugs at that time. Once I got to know her
and some of her situation, I tried to explain to her what all her drinking and drug use (even though at that time I myself
had no clue as to how much damage alcohol did to a fetus)was doing to the innocent life growing inside her.
About how this childs life was in her hands alone and how it was her
responsibility to give that child a fighting chance. But it all seemed to fall on deaf ears,cause she continued to drink alcohol frequently and get high on dope daily through the rest of her pregnancy.
As anyone who has ever been around or knows an addict soon realizes,no amount of talking, pleading,preaching,begging and crying will get them to stop. That desire to change their life has to come from themselves and has to be stronger then the addiction itself. She had the baby June 22 '99. She was released the next day, and yes as you can guess she went right back to her old ways immediately. Never bothering to go back to the hospital to care for her son, till CS was contacted by the hospital.
- The first time I seen him was July 7th '99.
He had just been released from the hospital 2 days earlier.
He was just over 2 weeks old, but he looked so tiny, so fragile and yes so withdrawn and detached from the surroundings and everyone in it. He was laying quietly in a baby carrier,which seemed to swallow him up. There was no response from him to his mothers touch, the sound of her voice. No eye contact, no acknowledgement what so ever that there was someone behind those big shiny eyes of his. (At the time) This struck me as odd and made my heart ache for this child, and yes his mother too. His mother on the other hand was sitting there talking to us about how she was just so relieved that he was finally silent. Saying all he does is cry, won't eat and how nothing she does makes him stop crying.
More to come each day as I get time for the puter.
on
National FAS Awareness Day
That is the only way we know you stopped in. Thanks :-)
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