First Three Years Old Child Who Tested Positive For Crack Cocaine During Pregnancy

Lauren’s mother succumbed to the troubles of the world and was addicted to drugs while she was pregnant. Her mother’s addiction caused the severity of Lauren’s

The documentary, “Healing Neen” tells the incredible story of how Tonier Cain’s life has turned out after suffering from traumatic events in her childhood. Tonier, also known as Neen, lived a tough childhood. Her mother was an alcoholic and often had men over at their house. Neen remembers men coming to her room and often sexually abusing her. After being removed from her mother’s home and being placed with a cousin, she ended up back at her mother’s house seeking a better relationship. This led Neen to an early marriage with a man who abused her, then a cocaine addiction and her first arrest when she was 19. Neen was arrested 83 times, and had three of her kids removed from her. There came point during her fourth pregnancy where all she wanted was to keep her baby and she would do whatever it takes. Being on parole, she was offered programs to help with her addictions and her mental health. Through therapy, Neen

It is a proven fact that cocaine use during pregnancy leads to serious complications. Cocaine can cross the placenta and enters the baby’s body, where it stays for longer because the elimination system is not fully developed. It leads to various complications and cocaine use in any form should be avoided throughout the pregnancy.

During Alejandro’s first years, he has had a turbulent life. When he was born, the medical staff had noted that he had methamphetamine in his bloodstream; Ms. C. had used the substance within four days before his birth. Alejandro had also been witness to domestic violence–watching as his father pinned down his mother and bit her cheek, drawing blood. During his second year of life, DCFS had placed Alejandro in a total of four different Los Angeles County foster homes.

In the 80s Boston, as well as other cities, experienced a drug epidemic. The drug was called crack and it affect the city of Boston badly. A nurse named Fulani Haynes at Boston Medical Center was working during the crack epidemic. She explains how to care for babies who were born addicted to drugs that passed from a mother’s bloodstream through the placenta and into a tiny body. “The babies couldn’t tolerate being held or rocked, she recalled. They wailed at the sound of soft lullabies. Only complete darkness, silence, tight swaddling, and medication could soothe them.” This drug has nothing to do with heroin but it shows the people of Boston that if the heroin addiction continues to spread, more and more children will be born addicts and

A mentally ill teenage named Jessica Roger was born to Joan and Kevin Roger. As a young girl Roger’s mother was verbally abusive to her and her sister, she even went as far as trying to kill her husband. When little Roger was about eleven years old her mother left them with their alcoholic father. Roger ended up in prison for biting her sister and other acts because of her disorder, eventually she committed suicide while serving her time in a place where she just didn't belong. Although her mother showed remorse after her death and said, “she accepts blame, maybe too much, for what happened to her Jet”. On the other hand her father was unapologetic for his drinking “I still drink. It’s legal”. Roger sent her parents countless letter of how she was feeling but they didn’t do anything until after her death. Are you wonder how a mentally ill sixteen year old girl ends up on prison?

Child development is the genetic and internal changes that occur in children during early years. There are many internal and external factors that affect a child 's growth and development. The connection between a child’s environment and a child’s development are explored in Heather O 'Neill 's lullabies for little criminals where a child named Baby becomes a product of her environment. This is explored through the early death of Baby’s mother, her being raised by a young father and her father 's drug addiction. Baby’s bad decisions and choices come from a lack of guidance necessary for a child’s social growth and development.

In A Foster Child of the Opioid Epidemic, written by Lisa Marie Basile, we read about her difficult childhood and upbringing. At the beginning of the story, Basile is facing her first day at her second foster home, after being separated from her 10 year old brother. Taken away from not only her brother but her parents too, who were opioid users, Basile is challenged with new life in the foster care system. Basile, throughout the story, focuses on how her life is affected and how growing up with different people in her life has impacted her. As Basile gets older, she recognizes how grateful she is for the compassion showed to her from the strangers who entered into her life, such as her teachers and her different foster parents and argues that

Claudia Gastelum is the Project Director for Healthy Development Services (HDS) in San Diego County. HDS is a department of the Family Health Centers of San Deigo (FHCSD). People once believed that babies were born with completely developed brains (nature), but enough research has proven this to be wrong, when in fact a child’s environment effects his/her developmental (nurture) (ecs.org). HDS is funded by First 5 San Diego, so it works under the same mission and goals in a close partnership. First 5’s mission is in, “promoting the vital importance of the first five years of life to the well-being of children, families and society,” and their goal is, “that all children ages 0 to 5 are healthy, are loved and nurtured, and enter school as active learners,” (first5sandiego,org). HDS provides free developmental check-ups for children from birth through 5 years of age, and connects children and familist to needed services. This organization ensures parents and other caregivers receive the help they need to keep their children healthy, because healthy children learn better (ecs.org).

The Adoption Encyclopedia “ Estimates of the percentage of pregnant women using cocaine have ranged from 10% to as high as 28% in some areas.” Cocaine is one of the oldest drugs known to man. This is a powerfully addictive stimulant, and is derived from coca leaves, and this drug has been abused for thousands of years. Crack Cocaine's worst damage to the fetus is its effect on the brain. It causes the brain's of both the mother and the fetus to experience the typical surge of dopamine. Since the fetal brain is still in the process of development, it can result in serious psychological addiction, attention deficit disorders, lack of cognitive abilities and developmental problems. Also crack's effects on the fetus result in seizures. Babies that are exposed to crack are at increased risk of birth defects, which include heart deformities. Crack causes an unborn baby to have a stroke or a heart attack. Cocaine abuse by mothers during pregnancy is linked with abnormalities in the development of the heart both before and after birth. Crack Cocaine

Families coping with serious ongoing problems such as substance abuse, extreme poverty, and chronic unemployment will likely need more than short-term services to remain safely at home and not re-enter the foster care system’’ (Chapin, 2014, p.397). Emilia needs to attend meetings such as NA to help her with her substance abuse issues and to stay clean. She also needs to become a U.S. citizen so she can get the additional support services she may need such as food stamps and health insurance. I feel helping Emilia to stand on her feet is possible if she can get family support and do everything that is required for her to do to regain custody of her son. However, the family needs counseling to reunite them and provide the support Emilia needs to help her overcome the barriers. In addition, she needs to get job training that pays enough so she can support herself and her son. Termination of her rights should be the last resort because if she can overcome these obstacles she can be a good mother.

“Crack-babies” a media induced phenomena brought about by the climax of public outcry from the results of the 1980’s war on drugs. This term laid the foundation for biased prosecutions which sparked a political crusade during climate of the time. Thus exploiting the public’s fear of children born to substance addicted mother and creating a firestorm of litigation to prosecute pregnant drug addicts. According to Flavin, Paltrow (2010), current evidence points to public stigmas and prejudice as posing a greater danger to both maternal and fetal health than use of the drug itself. Leaving the question as to why addicted women are still publicly reviled for the outcomes of their circumstances. From this abhorrence stems the likelihood that

At 11 years old she saw her mother deceased in a casket. She gave birth to her first baby at the age of 16 and had five more children to relieve issues of feeling empty and alone. As the pressures of teen pregnancy, poverty and motherhood mount Diane turns to crack cocaine and neglect her then young children. Her eldest daughter reports her drug use to her teachers which results in the removal of all six of Diane’s children into foster care for a period of 10 years. During that time Diane turns to her community drug rehabilitation center, Child welfare services, her religion and her therapist for help in recovering from her addictions and for help in reuniting with her children.

Once this girl started with the drugs, she could not stop. As soon as she tried the first drug, it lead to all of the other drugs and things that she did. Her first time doing the drug was an accident, and she did not know, but she made the wrong choice in continuing to do them. She said it gave her a feeling of belonging and love that she had never felt before. If her parents or her close friends had paid more attention to her, then some of the events that happened would not have happened. Her heavy drug use lead to her runaway from home to the streets, involvement in crime, her prostitution, and her visit to the insane asylum. She found a "best friend" (Chris) - one that would give her drugs - and they decided to runaway and leave their family and friends to start their own shop in San Francisco. They thought they could not handle their parents telling them what is right and what is wrong, but that is what they needed to hear. They were naive in thinking they could live their lives alone without any rules or any authority.

The following project, will address the case of Rita and Christiana C . after concern was provided by a neighbor, who reported that 2 years-old, Christina, seemed underweight, neglected and presented facial bruises. She is cared by her currently unemployed single 19 year old mother, Rita C., in a one bedroom apartment in a lower-income neighborhood of Pleasantville, CA. Under these circumstances, a caseworker was assigned by Child Protective Services to visit the home in order to identify the potential impacts and implications for the developmental growth of Christina C. In order to advise Judge Thompson, this project will focus on providing careful explanations that describe the familial and parental characteristics of the socio-cultural environment that favor the removal of Christina from Rita 's custody, followed by the explanation of why the attachment between the parent and child provide reasons that are against the removal of Rita 's custody of Christina, to end on a recommendation on which course of action will best benefit the child.