We have been approached by our adoption agency to adopt the 5-month baby sibling of our healthy adopted children. The baby was born prematurely, but had a normal weight and according to the medical report is healthy and developing well. However, the biological mother is known to have drank at different points throughout the pregnancy (including binge drinking) and has taken cocaine (we don’t know if this was the case while the mother was pregnant with our children, but they are developing well). We are really conflicted and don’t know if we should adopt the baby. We really want to, but our concern is that there is a very high risk of the baby having Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, particularly a severe form of it, which might result in the baby not being able to become an independent adult one day and being fully dependent on us for the rest of our lives. We are concerned about our children and the impact this could have on their lives.
We are completely lost and stressed and don’t know how to make a decision. I have been looking at statistics online, but these are not very conclusive.
Has anyone adopted a baby or a child for whom there was a risk of FASD? How did you make the decision?
We are desperate for some guidance, so any experiences or tips will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
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Adoption
Adopting a baby (risk of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)
7 replies
UKABC · 19/07/2020 20:37
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