u/_Phoenix-222

I was born in 2000 with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and prenatal cocaine exposure. I was also adopted at birth. Here is a small part of my story that I have never really told anybody.

On the day I was born, my birth mom had originally gone to a normal checkup. Once they realized I had IUGR, presumably due to the substance exposure, and wasn’t growing properly, they said it was safer for me to be on the outside than inside at that point. My adoptive parents took her to the hospital. By the time she arrived, the pregnancy was already considered high risk because of the IUGR. Even though she was nearly 37 weeks pregnant, one ultrasound estimated me closer to the size of a 24 week baby. Her fundal height only measured 27 weeks. The records mention tobacco use, prior drug use, chronic hypertension, bleeding, and late prenatal care.
Labor was induced with Pitocin around noon. Nurses monitored my heartbeat closely while NICU staff stayed nearby in case I struggled after delivery. My records note fetal tachycardia during labor, meaning my heart rate was running high, which added even more concern about how I’d handle delivery. Nobody knew exactly how healthy I would be or what condition I’d be born in. Then at 3:10 in the afternoon, I was born.
I weighed only 4.5 pounds and was 18 inches long. Despite everything, my APGAR scores were 9 and 9.
A few months later, doctors screened me for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and I was formally diagnosed. The signs included growth delays, facial features associated with FAS, and the beginning of struggles nobody around me fully understood yet. My records specifically noted features like a flat midface, low nasal bridge, and short palpebral fissures. On top of that, I went through weeks of withdrawal from the cocaine exposure.
I was extremely fortunate having amazing adoptive parents, and with years of therapy, I’ve definitely thrived far beyond what anyone expected. On the outside looking in, I’m a fully functioning adult. On the inside? Eh, most of the time it feels like an ongoing shit show.
The emotional dysregulation. The sensory overload. The dissociation. The impulsivity. The feeling of always being different. People don’t see the years I spent trying to understand why my brain worked the way it did or why everyday life always felt harder for me than it seemed for everyone else.
Somehow, against all odds, I’m here. I grew up. I built a life for myself. I am still learning how to adapt to a brain that was shaped before I was even born.

Any questions, I’d genuinely love to answer them. I’m hoping sharing my story can help spread awareness and education. Thanks for reading 💗

I was born at 37 weeks after my birth mom was induced for IUGR. I weighed 4.5 lbs, and my birth mom was only measuring around 27 weeks pregnant when she gave birth to me. She drank throughout the entire pregnancy. I don’t know how much cocaine was used, only that I was born with it in my system and spent weeks withdrawing. I was adopted, which obviously was for the best.
I'm an adult now with a job, a house, a fiancé, and two step kids, but my brain definitely doesn't work the way people expect. I struggle with emotional regulation, sensory overload, changes in routine, and time management, plus a list of other things that are harder to explain.
I've spent a long time feeling ashamed, like some brain damaged individual not meant to be here. I don't really want to feel like that anymore, and this is something that doesn't get talked about enough.
Ask me anything.

I was born at 37 weeks after my birth mom was induced for IUGR. I weighed 4.5 lbs, and my birth mom was only measuring around 27 weeks pregnant when she gave birth to me. I was adopted, which obviously was for the best.
I’m an adult now with a job, a house, a fiancé, and two step kids, but my brain definitely doesn’t work the way people expect. I struggle with emotional regulation, sensory overload, changes in routine, and time management, plus a list of other things that are harder to explain.
I’ve spent a long time feeling ashamed, like some brain damaged individual not meant to be here. I don’t really want to feel like that anymore, and this is something that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Ask me anything.

>Thank you to everyone who asked genuine questions and came from a good place, I really appreciate it. I’m going to go ahead and end this here because there’s been too many people commenting in bad faith. My diagnosis doesn’t make me incapable. It just means I navigate life a little differently than everyone else.

I was diagnosed with FASD as a baby, but I feel like most of what I see online is about kids. I don’t really see a lot from adults talking about what it actually looks like long term.
I’m doing “fine” on paper. I have a job, a house, a fiancé, responsibilities, all that. But the way I function feels… different. And honestly harder than it looks from the outside. I feel so damn alone in this.