Is it Child Abuse?

[tigger]

I think that she is lucky to have a friend who cares so much. But, it's like Catarinna said..... be careful. IF you get involved too much, it could make things worse. This may sound silly, but what about writing her a letter tellin her that you are concerned about her health and the baby's health? Unfortunatley, people who are alcoholics don't see it and don't think they have a problem.... What about her family? What do they do?

 

[lotsocats]

1st...if you wouldn't give the substance (booze, cigarettes) to an infant, why give it to an unborn baby? When you drink or smoke the alcohol, nicotene, benzene, and other toxins pass into the placenta where it is then absorbed into the bloodstream and brain of the fetus. Therefore, whenever you drink it is like putting beer in a baby's bottle! Almost everything you ingest goes into the placenta and then into the baby.

So, the simple question to ask yourself is "Would I give this to the baby when he/she is born?" If the answer is No, then don't do it, and if the answer is yes.....

With that said, the research says that children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are MORE LIKELY to have asthma, ear infections, be of low birthweight, have lower IQs, etc than children of mothers who didn't smoke. BUT, just because it is more likely to happen doesn't mean it is going to happen. So, you have to weigh the risks and benefits. Quitting smoking may be too difficult, so it is worth the risk to the child to keep smoking. But, if quitting smoking is not such a big deal, it is probably worthwhile to quit for the sake of lowering the risk to the baby.

I tried to keep this detached and scientific, so I am sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes. If I did, I apologize profusely!!!!!!

Oh...regarding reporting this to social services....because the baby is not yet born, it is not considered child abuse. It is only upon being born that you can abuse a child (speaking legally not morally). So, it won't hurt to make a report, but it probably won't help.

 

[debra myers]

There are some states that recognize abuse in the unborn - call your Department of Social Services and ask for the Child Protective Unit and get their input.
Unfortunately - this scenerio is all too commmon.