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littlemissmartypants

(35,562 posts)
8. Even if his mother only drank moderately or binge drank while she was pregnant and possibly didn't know she was...
Tue Jun 30, 2026, 05:49 AM
Yesterday

He could have been affected. He has some of the main facial features like minimal philtral ridges, smaller upper lip than lower lip, small eyes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fetal_alcohol_spectrum_disorder
•Small eye openings (blepharophimosis), or an abnormally increased distance between the eyes, or both
•Substance dependence
•Developmental delay, cognitive disorder, or mental deficiency
•Conduct disorder, behavioral problems, disruptive behavior, or impulsivity
•philtral columns absent or minimal
•small upper lip
•reduced midface
•small nose for face

I listed them in no particular order.

His mother could have been sick with post-partum depression or any form of depression for that matter. Mental health issues in women especially were often minimized and explained away as "sickness" because of the taboos associated with them at that time.

I think that in a family with two known individuals who had a history of substance abuse, there's a high chance one or both parents are subject to possible substance abuse.

Alcohol abuse and prescription drug abuse resulted in many hospitalized mothers during that time. In the 1950s, women were frequently and inappropriately prescribed psychoactive drugs (such as sedatives and stimulants) and were most of the psychoactive prescription drug users of the time. Also, alcoholism was widespread after WWII.

In the 1950s, pregnant women were commonly prescribed all types of sedatives and tranquilizers to treat anxiety, insomnia, and morning sickness, often without safety concerns for effects on fetal development. Remember Thalidomide?

I'm just saying that it's a possibility.

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