I’m doing some fireside (I made a fire) education tonight and watching a webinar called “Prenatal Substance Exposure: Risk, Development and Intervention.”
As the title suggests, it’s covering some of the risks of prenatal exposure — babies whose birth mothers were using drugs and/or alcohol during pregnancy. Risks, which can include everything from physical impacts to learning impairments, depended on the drug, the type and frequency of exposure, and when it happened during the pregnancy.
It can all be very scary, but this isn’t my first time learning about this in my adoption journey and I’m continuing to educate myself. Prenatal exposure exists on a spectrum and presents itself individually–there are no guarantees either way. And not to minimize some of the impacts, but some of the risks–like developing ADHD and depression–just sound like a normal risk for any human. And we know those are very manageable.
The hopeful part of the webinar is that, if there is an impact (there isn’t always), there are plenty of interventions and resources to help children grow up safe and healthy. Safety and consistency were things that were stressed as well as understanding that both nature and nurture matter.
Also, wow alcohol is really bad. Look at this chart for common risks, alcohol exposure checks every box:
They shared data that 20% of teenagers (15-17-year-olds) who are pregnant reported illicit drug use. It tapers off with age. Of pregnant adults (over 24) only 2% reported illicit drug use.
I’m continuing to learn.
With Love,
Natalie