Foster Families Who Care for Infants with Prenatal Drug Exposure: Support During the Transition from NICU to Home

Marcellus, Lenora MN, RN

About the Author
Lenora Marcellus received her nursing diploma and NICU certification from Foothills Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, in 1984; her BSN from the University of Victoria in 1986; and her MN from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1990. She has worked as a staff nurse, manager, and educator in the perinatal field for more than 16 years. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Alberta and is studying the education and support of foster parents caring for infants with prenatal substance exposure.

Accepted for publication January 2004.

For further information, please contact: Lenora Marcellus, MN, RN, 3365-A Painter Road, Victoria, BC, Canada, V9C 2J3, E-mail: [email protected]

Neonatal Network 23(6):p 33-41, November-December 2004.

Abstract

Infants exposed prenatally to drugs and alcohol tend to enter the child welfare system at a younger age than many other foster children and often directly from the hospital following birth. This article examines three concepts from the postpartum family adaptation literature: transition to parenthood, maternal and paternal role identities, and attachment. It applies these concepts to the experiences of foster parents who care for infants with prenatal drug and alcohol exposure. Also reviewed are recommended strategies to promote development of the foster parent-infant relationship and to increase parental knowledge within the NICU setting and during the period of transition from hospital to home. Nurses within the NICU have a unique knowledge and experience of caring for infants in withdrawal. This knowledge needs to be shared beyond the hospital with community professionals, who may have limited training in infant health, mental health, or development.