In a state heavily impacted by addiction, these doctors saw firsthand the reach of substance use and the children it was affecting.
Delaware News JournalWILMINGTON, Del. – Three sets of tiny eyes looked up at Erin Meyer and Sandra Medinilla that Friday morning around their kitchen island.Beside Xavier sat a similarly tan-skinned boy with black hair, round dimpled cheeks, a wide-toothed grin and twinkly eyes that always managed to find the nearest camera. The 2-year-old's name was Theo.
Sandra, who is Guatemalan, speaks both Spanish and English. As a result, all the Meyer children are already bilingual and also know some American sign language. Erin, who is an internal medicine and pediatric hospitalist at Christiana Hospital in Delaware, says that unless the family told you the children were exposed to substances before they were born, you'd never know.
She says anecdotally, pediatricians at ChristianaCare care for at least two to three newborn babies a week who have been exposed to drugs. She's helped nurse them back to health in the neonatal intensive care unit. She's seen them get stronger and healthy enough to go home. And she's also worked hard to calm down their parents.
They had twin girls for 24 days, but then the birth mother decided to retain custody of her children, a decision she had up to 30 days to make. When she finished breakfast, Sandra – who goes by "Mommy" – playfully wrestled to get tights on a giggly Remy. Shoulder-length black hair would sometimes fall on her face as she blew raspberries on the little girl's stomach. When it came time to do her daughter's hair, however, she passed her off to Erin.
Erin and Sandra hope more prospective parents understand that no matter how a child's life starts, it doesn’t automatically spell doom and gloom, especially when an estimated 15% of babies are affected by prenatal alcohol or drug exposure each year, according to the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare.
Dr. Erin Meyer and her wife and Dr. Sandra Medinilla sit with their four adopted children during an adoption ceremony for their fourth child, 6-month-old Sydney.They show them Xavier, who like any eldest child has already learned how to work around the childproof gates in the house, much to the dismay of his moms. He gets annoyed when his little brother gets to wear brown shoes out and he can't.
A courtroom normally devoid of joy was filled with Paw Patrol and princess balloons. A slideshow opposite the jury seats cycled through photos of the Meyer-Medinilla family over the last three years. Judges Paul Wallace and Vivian Medinilla oversee the adoption ceremony of 6-month-old Sydney making her Dr. Erin Meyer and her wife Dr. Sandra Medinilla parents to four adopted children. Judge Vivian Medinilla is Dr. Susan Medinilla's sister.Behind the judge's bench sat another Medinilla: Sandra's sister, Vivian, also known as"Aunt Judge Viv."
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