Why do you think there is such a high rate of children with FASD being relinquished?

mom1

I'm not so sure that society would benefit from alcoholics keeping their children and especially those with one of the FASD diagnosis. If you look at the Washington FAS unit site you will see a host of factors that improve the outcomes of these children and not one of them suggests staying with an abuser.
Fetal alcohol exposure is 100% preventable and completely inexcusable. Not a single drop! It's abuse in it's most permanent form.
If women who used alcohol are ashamed of their behavior, good, they should be. Perhaps that emotion will prevent future occurrences.
My son is exposed, they tried reunification and he was neglected after birth. So, my answer is, not my son.

monkeykitty83

FAS actually often has more severe and persistent symptoms than drug exposure. People assume the opposite because drugs are illegal and alcohol isn't, but alcohol can often be much more damaging to the developing fetus, and carry more long-term effects.

For some parents it may be the stigma (though you would expect at least the same level of stigma with drug exposure, and the relinquishment rate isn't as high for those babies,) but I do think it's also the medical needs. Treatment costs for FAS can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the sufferer's lifetime. If a woman doesn't have good medical coverage, she will not have access to the healthcare her child needs. Aside from the money, children with FAS often have serious physical, mental, and developmental special needs; some parents just aren't prepared to cope.

I think it's important to educate women about the effects of alcohol on the developing fetus. Dealing with FAS has to start before it happens-- otherwise the damage is done, and FAS is a pretty bleak diagnosis. I think the best way to respond to FAS is with preventative measures, and making women more aware of the harmful effects of alcohol while pregnant. I think the best way to keep families together is to reduce the number of FAS cases in the first place, rather than trying to figure out how to deal with it after the fact. It needs to be about prevention.

Shelly P. Tofu, E.M.T.

Fetal Alcohol syndrome disorder?? I'm assuming that's what you mean.

If not, please excuse me for being a moron who knows nothing.

my first (and uninformed) impression is that a high rate are relinquished because the mothers have a problem with alcohol. After all, most women know it's bad to drink while pregnant.. so.. guess which ones DO continue to drink after finding out they are pregnant?? The ones who don't know how to stop (alcoholics)!!! So, either the state, or the women themselves, realize they have a problem and think their baby is better off with someone else..

The only way it would be good to keep babies with alcoholic mothers is to get their mothers help.. FAST.. and get them rehabilitated from their alcoholism. FAST..

Sure, keep them with their firstmothers.. their REHABILITATED and SOBER firstmothers..

Alchoholics do NOT make the best parents..

Randy B

While I think that "guilt" may be a very small part of it (or how they think they will be treated by people) I don't think it is the whole story or even close to the whole story. I don't have a problem with perception because people quickly observe that my daughter is adopted due to her race but I have been present when other foster parents get "the look" from people who assume that if the child has FASD symptoms then it is their "fault".

At the same time though I think that its a simple matter of the birth parents feeling overwhelmed. If you break down the issue, in many cases a child with FASD will be born to a woman who has addictions. If that is the case they are obviously dealing with a whole host of personal issues and this would only be one more of them. Since FASD is a permanent physiological change (it can never be reversed and the issues it creates can only be dealt with and/or accommodated) and its a lifelong issue that not only the child has to deal with but also the parents. For someone dealing with addictions and life stresses to the point where they drink while pregnant this could be more then they could handle and the child is placed for adoption or seized by CAS.

Obviously, for some birth parents increased social support and financial support may help but it's still a lifelong commitment that these people have to be able and willing to take on and they often, I think, find they are unable to.

â™¥â™¥Ritaâ™¥â™¥

I guess I have a different viewpoint...

Alcohol being a teratogenic, meaning it actually changes cellular structure, can impact every part of a child's life if exposed in utero. It can be caused by the mother having a friendly drink (not likely) or staying smashed for the entire pregnancy......that is CHILD ABUSE!

Do we see more FASD in children born to mother's from higher socioeconomic groups or more so in lower?? I think women in lower socioeconomic groups are least likely to get the intervention they need to quit drinking at least while they are pregnant.

I would rather have to take care of a child exposed to illegal drugs like marihuana or cocaine than have to tend to the special needs of a child who has been diagnosed with FAS or FASD....sad.

So the question is, if mom is still an alcoholic and has now given birth to a child with severe issues like FAS/FASD....does she need the child and would the child's needs be served by being with mom?? FAS is truly a lifelong disability. Some mothers have had as many as 10 children, all removed/relinquished and looking at them in pictures you can see the climbing severity in each one down the line.....and it could have been avoided.

So, I think the alcohol issues of the mom needs to be addressed before expecting the mom to be able to care for the child.

In my experience, children I have been involved with who have been so gracefully pickled by mom's addiction are usually born in to the system or are so within the first few years of their lives.....many have mom's who never recover from their addictions, cannot function and cannot provide for the basic needs of themselves let alone a child.

Looney Tunes

I can't answer the question cause I am too afraid of your avatar.

:)

.

Gershom

clearly they're not in their right state of mind when surrendering, because if they were in a healthy state they wouldn't have drank their babies to the point of having effects from it for the rest of their lives.

I think more support to mothers expecting children should be done.

Freckle Face

Dear Lara,

I agree with Monkeykitty, (as usual) in prevention being key. I think too many people still view alcoholism as a choice instead of a disease. Until the majority view changes, i don't see people bending over backwards to help alcoholic pregnant mothers while they still see drinking as her choice. The blame game is still going on, and as the economy gets worse so will the drinking.

mmmckinn

FAS children have terrible health problems from birth. Children of drug moms usually have deformities or some other phystical problem. Children who are born with FAS have failure to thrive, small birth weights, all kinds of psychological problems at birth, including attachment issues.

Steve K.

If someone doesn't care enough to refrain from drinking during pregnancy, chances are they're not going to be too broken up when it comes to childcare, and then they get their kids taken away due to neglect and/or abuse.

Alcohol is a sad addiction. I work with emergency medical services, and one of the first calls I went on was to a car accident. The mother was drunk as a skunk, and her 1 year old baby who was in the back seat now has permanent damage done to him.

Jennifer L

There are some that feel that pregnant women that abuse drugs/alcohol should be in an inpatient treatment center until she delivers. I am aware of one in a state where I used to live, that primarily focused on Native American women that substance abuse while pregnant. The inpatient treatment center focused on the substance abuse and underlying issues while at the same time addressed parenting classes, high school GEDs, etc. It seemed like a pretty comprehensive program.

And since ICWA was involved no, these women were not pressured or coerced into placing for adoption.

The justification was that FAS/FAE is effectively destroying the Lakota nation and way of life, especially with second and third generations being born. Also, since FAS/FAE is completely preventable but has lifelong consequences, if the substance abuse was so out of control, the government (in this case, the tribal government) was justified in stepping in and taking control.

It certainly was not without it's ethical dilemmas and challenges by the community.

Felicita1

I'd like to read that study. Can you provide the reference? I would like to see the data for myself.

If a child is born with FAS, I would think that it is more likely that the child will be forcibly apprehended from the mother, rather than a "voluntary surrender" a.k.a. "legalized abandonment" a.k.a. relinquishment.

swddrb

the moms are selfish and they are alcoholics they only care about getting their drink on
if they cared about the child then they wouldn't have drank while pregnant

Heather Leigh

I was thinking the same as Felicita. Are the children voluntarily relinquished or removed by the state? My son has FAE, but was forcibly removed from the home.

BLW_KAM

First the mother needs to recognize she has a problem and seek treatment. If she doesn't, community support isn't going to be much help.

If the mothers are dealing with an addiction, it may be very hard for them to care for a child with special needs. They may shun doctors or therapists because they don't want to be blamed for the child's FAS or hear "You must stop drinking" or it may be very painful for them to look at their child and ask, "What did I do to her/him?"

I don't know what can be done until the mothers say, "I need help" and take the steps to overcome their addition. Once that is done, the community needs to have the resources available for day care, support, therapy, etc. to help her succeed.

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