Beyond Control

Adoption is an adventure and you often feel out of control and along for the ride.  One aspect of adoption that is out of our hands is fetal exposure.  Adoptive parents can be selective regarding drug history, alcohol use, and smoking history of the birth mother.  We were selective in a lot of these areas.  We chose no drug or alcohol use during pregnancy.  We did however allow smoking.


We have dealt with a few respiratory issues.  One of our boys is soon to be allergy tested and tested for asthma due to a frequent struggle with respiratory issues.   Dealing with these things is part of our adoption adventure.


Had I been able to carry our children, I would not have smoked.  My mother in law is not a smoker however and my husband has asthma.  It can happen regardless but the risk can definitely be lowered.  A birth mother's choice to smoke or not to smoke is beyond our control.


As an adoptive parent, you will have to research the effects of certain exposures.  You will then have to decide what you are willing to accept and perhaps continually deal with.


The following website is very helpful when researching the effects of drugs, alcohol and smoking.  The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) is a non-profit organization made up of individual services throughout North America. They are dedicated to providing accurate evidence-based on clinical information about exposures during pregnancy and lactation. If you have questions about risks please locate a service near you by clicking on the map on the top of the web page.