Some are born with smaller hearts. Some are born with part of their brains missing. And some will not live to see their first birthday. They are the children of drug-abusing mothers.
In borough communities where drugs have affected so many aspects of so many lives, even those who have yet to live have felt the impact.
Although Department of Health figures show that the infant mortality rate dropped from 1989 to 1992 -- from 14.7 deaths per 1000 births to 11.4 -- the borough still has the highest infant mortality rate in the city.
Substance abuse by pregnant women is not the sole cause, but it certainly plays a substantial role.
Ken Rosenberg, director of epidemiology and research at the city's health department, found that babies born to mothers who tested positive for drug use were more at risk than other babies.
"The infant mortality rate is increased for women who use cocaine, heroin or methadone during their pregnancy," he said.
For instance, in the most recent statistics from 1991 to 1992, Rosenberg cited that the infant mortality rate was 42.7 for each 1,000 live births for women who tested positive for cocaine use during pregnancy, compared with 11 for each 1,000 live births for those who tested negative.
Why is infant mortality particularly high in the borough? Some health experts believe the poverty level may have something to do with it. Mott Haven, for example, is in the poorest congressional district in the country and has the highest level of infant mortality in the borough.
"Poverty doesn't happen alone," said Emily Poler, who works at the Bronx Perinatal Consortium, a nonprofit group that seeks to improve maternal and infant health care. "Where there is poverty, there is despair and hopelessness and drugs are a good remedy."
B.K. Rajegowda, director of nurseries at Lincoln Hospital, said most of the pregnant women who come into the hospital are on public assistance. Many live in shelters and have very little education.
According to the city's health department, 66.7 percent of the live births in the borough were to women eligible for Medicaid in 1991, in contrast to 50.8 for the city as a whole.
A number of organizations are providing rehabilitation programs and prenatal care, including the Dominican Sisters Family Life Program, a drug-treatment facility in Mott Haven, and Children and Families Together, which targets cocaine-addicted mothers through an organization called Narco-Freedom.
But the problem isn't identifying women and babies at risk; it's reaching out to them.
Although services are available, some women fail to use them. And a number of those who do don't tell their doctors about their drug history, said Loretta Rodriguez, associate coordinator at the Consortium.
"Patients are reluctant to admit to anything they know is wrong," she said.
Not all women make it through drug treatment programs either. "They don't always think about what's best for their children," said Heather Forde, a primary care worker for the Dominican sisters program. "A lot of them have been using drugs for years."