Learning Center
Infant Mental Health · 6 min read
Prenatal substance exposure
Babies exposed to substances in utero begin life with a nervous system that is already dysregulated. What they need most is not distance. It is the calm, repeated presence of one specific person.
Mom as medicine
Research on rooming-in with mothers in recovery shows shorter withdrawal, less pharmacological intervention, better feeding, and — over time — better developmental outcomes. Separation adds a second trauma to a child already struggling.
Takeaways
- ·Recovery and parenting can heal together.
- ·Attachment is a protective factor even in the hardest beginnings.
Reflection
- "What would it look like for our communities to hold mothers instead of separating them?"
Further reading
- Ruth's Renewal — Mother-Infant Separation
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