Using drugs, alcohol kept her from prenatal care

Debbie Crowell swings daughter Sabrina at Las Amigas.

Crowell didn't get much prenatal care. She worried doctors would know she was drinking and using cocaine.
When she did make an appointment, she was sure to not drink or use drugs for a week before.
"On my way back from a prenatal visit I would stop and get a 12-pack," she recalled.
Some of the women who worked at the corner liquor store in Ajo refused to sell beer to Crowell because she was pregnant.
"But it wouldn't stop me," she said. "I felt like it was none of their business, and it encouraged me to drink even more. I'd just get a friend to buy it for me."
The day Sabrina was born, Crowell had come to Tucson to party. She stayed up until 5 a.m. April 27, drinking and using cocaine. The attack on her body sent her into labor.
It was a few days after Sabrina was born when Crowell checked in to Las Amigas. Since then she has learned that her 3-year-old daughter, Cory, has FAS.
Cory is plagued with hyperactivity and developmental delays. "She can't talk sentences," Crowell said. "She's 3, but she talks like a 1-year-old. She talks baby talk."
When she was pregnant with her now-1 ½-year-old son, Zachary, Crowell mostly used cocaine. She says he appears to be normal.
Doctors are worried about Sabrina. Her face bears the markings of an FAS child, and she's behind developmentally.
A few weeks ago, Sabrina started having seizures. Doctors are testing her to determine the cause.
Crowell worries about what lies ahead for the adorable, brown-eyed baby.
"She's really weak," the mom said, sitting on the floor with her baby in front of her. "We're doing exercises to help her get her strength."
Feeding is also a problem. The chubby infant, who loves her bottle of formula, can't eat solids.
"She doesn't know how to close her upper lip around the spoon to get the food off," said Crowell.