drug testing newborns

[missdecember]

Ok so please don't judge because I don't believe in drug us during pregnancy at all! I quit drinking, smoking, everything when I found out I was pregnant. Unfortunately though I have such severe morning sickness that I can't keep anything down for more than a few minutes and am very small for being 5 months pregnant. The doctor tried giving me medicine but it didn't work so I did research and started using marijuana for my nausea.

It has worked wonderfully but I am afraid that my baby will be taken away from me at birth. I am on medicaid and live in missouri which is not a marijuana friendly state at all! I am so scared. I love my baby and only do this so I can give it the proper nutrition it needs.

I know marijuana can be traced back in the bbys meconium back to 16 weeks and I am currently 18 weeks. Although I am planning to quit a couple months before it is born to assure I am clean, I don't want my baby being taken by cps for testing dirty.

Does anybody know anything about this in missouri????

[la mamita]

Edited because other posters have provided better info. Good luck quitting! Have you really done the gauntlet of antiemetic meds to no effect? Zofran, Unisom/B6, Milk Thistle? Pregnancy nausea is the worst...
Edited by la mamita - 12/18/10 at 1:10pm

[LionessMom]

if you are single they will test you. quit before 20 weeks. everything i have read or been told say to quit before 20 weeks.

[kittywitty]

They tested me and baby without my knowledge or consent at every OB appt (urine test) and postpartum with #4. And I wouldn't even take tylenol during that pregnancy without a doctor note! I certainly didn't do drugs, but it was standard protocol for medicaid patients and then homebirth transfer. It infuriated me. They all came back clean but just kept testing.

[myk]

wow, i've never heard of that! i'd quit as soon as you can, just to be safe.

[Climbergirl]

Does testing the baby show up if you were around someone who was smoking?   If that is the case, then you could say someone was smoking at a house you went to and you left ASAP.  Just curious.

[la mamita]

Originally Posted by Climbergirl 

Does testing the baby show up if you were around someone who was smoking?   If that is the case, then you could say someone was smoking at a house you went to and you left ASAP.  Just curious.

once a baby tests positive for drugs, the doctor is mandated to report the parent to CPS--that's who you'll be giving explanations to and, as much as i respect CPS, that is not a battle i would want to be fighting. better to just avoid that situation!

[an_aurora]

I live in a marijuana-friendly (or at least MJ-neutral) state and Medicaid mandates a drug test during pregnancy (with the routine labs at 12ish weeks).  If mom admits to any current or prior drug use (at any time in your life--for instance if you say "I tried pot once in college 20 years ago" they would still test you) they do a drug screen on mom before or immediately after the birth, and test the baby as well.  Testing positive for MJ does not = CPS involvement, but testing positive for anything else does.  I had not heard of meconium showing use from 18 weeks--they only test the meconium here if mom and baby's urine tests come back positive.  

[LionessMom]

Originally Posted by Climbergirl 

Does testing the baby show up if you were around someone who was smoking?   If that is the case, then you could say someone was smoking at a house you went to and you left ASAP.  Just curious.

being around someone who is smoking does not show up. and if she said that then she would def have problems. if baby is positive the best route is to admit to it, give her reason, and lean on the mercy of the court to try and keep the baby. i have known of some mothers who kept their baby but received services and some who lost baby before leaving the hospital. all depends on the worker.
 

Originally Posted by an_aurora 

I live in a marijuana-friendly (or at least MJ-neutral) state and Medicaid mandates a drug test during pregnancy (with the routine labs at 12ish weeks).  If mom admits to any current or prior drug use (at any time in your life--for instance if you say "I tried pot once in college 20 years ago" they would still test you) they do a drug screen on mom before or immediately after the birth, and test the baby as well.  Testing positive for MJ does not = CPS involvement, but testing positive for anything else does.  I had not heard of meconium showing use from 18 weeks--they only test the meconium here if mom and baby's urine tests come back positive.  

in iowa, and i am assuming any not pot friendly state, they go straight for meconium.

they tested my first 2 kids but not my third. the only difference was that i was officially married before the birth of the 3rd. i quit smoking pot before my third baby. but the longest i ever smoked was 20 weeks.

you should quit now and look for other things to medicate with. have you tried ginger tea?

[tzs]

whaaaaaa?!?

i had NO idea about this. 

they test all people on medicaid? all single mothers? whaaaa?!?

i'm totally asking my OB about this next time.

how did you ever find out about this???

[Buddhamom]

It is my understanding that they do drug testing on ALL babies whether single, married, state aid or private insurance in SOME states as routine/law.  I found out about this when we were adopting our last baby when we asked if the baby would be tested and we were told by our social worker that is was routine for ALL babies depending what state our baby was coming despite being in an adoption situation.   I was actually shocked to find out that I was just tested for STDs without knowing it as routine and HIV as law here.  Not that I was worried of the results, it was more of offensive feeling I guess since DH and I have been married for 21+ years and I am 40. But drug testing is fine with me if it is law, but again, more of an offensive reflex due to I don't touch the stuff ever. I personally would get off pf it and talk to maybe a naturopath or look into acupuncture.  I found ginger worked wonders for my nausea.  Besides, wouldn't meds be free with your insurance as opposed to a lot of out of pocket for MJ?  Just think of the money you could be saving to but cute baby things

[PuppyFluffer]

The consent form you sign for treatment often says you agree to "testing".  It does not specify what testing.  Consent to treat forms are very very broad.  If you signed a consent form for care, you did consent to drug testing.

Is there any way you can home birth?

[kriket]

Possibly in other states, but in Ohio, if they did test me, they never said anything. I smoked until about 30 weeks.

Ask if you are concerned ask your DR. You should trust them to ask these questions :)

Why is it "OK" to take zorfan or other pharmas and not pot? I will never understand it.

I call BS on testing all Medicaid-ers or all single mothers. They don't treat people differently if they are on Medicaid or single moms.

Originally Posted by tzs 

whaaaaaa?!?

i had NO idea about this. 

they test all people on medicaid? all single mothers? whaaaa?!?

i'm totally asking my OB about this next time.

how did you ever find out about this???

[kittywitty]

You can call BS all you want but it's common protocol for some areas. And lots of people treat you different being on Medicaid. With my 4th pg, not a single doctor where I lived would take me as an OB patient being on medicaid. I was on a long waiting list and until then had to go to a drug/homeless clinic where at each visit I had to talk to a counselor about all the families who wanted a baby and my "choices"-being a religious group, that meant they wanted me to adopt my baby out even though we were only on medicaid waiting for dh's new work insurance to kick in and I had no desire in adopting out my baby. I used to work in two hospitals, as well, and know for a fact you are treated different-at least by administration-when you have medicaid. You are pushed out earlier, they push against you getting experimental procedures or potentially helpful but expensive procedures. One hospital I worked at would not take me as an OB (with #3) because I was medicaid-I didn't work quite enough hours to be eligible for their insurance. Things may be better over in OH, but here in IL it sucks in a lot of areas if you have medicaid-especially now that the state is so far behind in medicaid payments so many doctors are refusing to take medicaid patients on. For vision here, if you have medicaid you have to wait until the ONE day a month one optometrist within an hour of here takes medicaid patients. It is first come, first serve, taking only 8 people that day where you have to line up and wait for it to open at 8 or 9 (forget which) which pretty much automatically excludes anyone who works or goes to school or doesn't want to wait in the cold. And if you're an adult on medicaid, most dentists will only take you for extractions-I couldn't even get a teeth cleaning when I was pregnant. No dentists will take you.

Here in IL I was tested every pregnancy. One practice I went to (the last before I decided to UC) sent me a note saying they had and would continue to test all medicaid patients-they didn't specify whether medicaid or their practice demanded it. When I transferred from my UC I can almost understand testing *me* for drugs then, but I did not consent to them testing baby-they just went ahead and told me afterward, but we showed no signs of drug use so I was very put off by it.

[LionessMom]

Originally Posted by kriket 

Possibly in other states, but in Ohio, if they did test me, they never said anything. I smoked until about 30 weeks.

Ask if you are concerned ask your DR. You should trust them to ask these questions :)

Why is it "OK" to take zorfan or other pharmas and not pot? I will never understand it.

I call BS on testing all Medicaid-ers or all single mothers. They don't treat people differently if they are on Medicaid or single moms.

wow, 30 weeks. i wouldnt go that far. that is not long enough to clear out and it would be in baby's meconium. one doc i talked to said at least 3 mo before birth.

why is pot not ok and potentialy harmful stuff is? i dont know. it is crazy isnt it?

yes they do treat people differently on medicaid. there are a lot of biased doctors out there. also it is assumed that since you are on medicaid you are assumed to be low income and at risk for drug abuse....cause otherwise you could hold a job. that is just how some people think. i get treated differently all the time. not by my regular doctor but by other doctors i get referred to. i have had medicaid for a long time bc i am disabled.

[kriket]

I am sad and embarrassed for humanity if they think because you have medicaid you can't hold a job, or whatever other assumptions are made. In my state, DH and I were both working full time jobs and had had been since we were early teens, and still qualified for Medicaid. We weren't offered insurance at our small mom and pop style retail store. There are I believe 8 employees counting the owner. I have had to call around and use the directory to see who was taking new Medicaid patients, but I have never ever once felt I was being pushed in or out of treatment, I have been able to get regular dental care, and normal vision care (all be it, there were only a few frames to choose from, but I need to see, not make a fashion statement) Only while pregnant, DH is never covered, and I am only covered for the pregnancy. Luckily the kiddos are covered :)

I know people process MJ differently, but 10 weeks (30w-40w) is lots of time to clean things out. I wasn't baked my entire pregnancy. I had a few puffs almost every evening (when my M/S is at it's worst) I'd didn't test myself during pregnancy, but in my teens, I was clean within a month and I was smoking waaay more then that.

I really think my M/S is killing me now more than with DS because I don't smoke anymore (when would I find time for such luxuries with a needy toddler? )

[roslyn]

In Alabama they drug test all moms, regardless of insurance. Lot's of moms thought that they wouldn't be tested if they went to the more upscale hospitals, but they were tested there as well. If mom tests positive the removal of the child is automatic, no questions asked, though generally we'd try to place the baby with relatives if possible. We tried to change the policy to leave a removal for marijuana up to CPS discretion, but the family court judges raised hell about it, so we had to do it even in those cases. I would suggest that unless you're in a marijuana friendly state that you not smoke while pregnant. Foster care is like a roach motel, easy to get in, but darned hard to get out. 

[MamaChef]

missdecember,

Why are you planning on stopping a couple month before baby is born?  I'd stop smoking NOW.  It just isnt worth it to get tested and have to deal with CPS.  If you are 18 weeks there is a chance that the THC would be so dilute that even if they tested baby's meconium the levels would be so low that they would come in under the test limit.  Even if they were above the levels, it would look better to CPS that they were low and that you and baby tested negative via urine at birth.

Im sorry you are having to deal with this, I also believe that marijuana is way safer and more effective then most of the drugs the docs prescribe for M/S.  If you are a medicaid patient it is pretty much guaranteed they will test you.  Your OB actually might have already tested you and flagged you without saying anything to you about it.  It's a really effed up system. 

Good luck to you.

[justrose13]

this is very interesting...

to the OP, maybe try posting in this thread: Autumn & Winter Cannabis Mamas and MJ Lovers
they might have some more advice! good luck!

subbing to see if anyone else has more info!

[coyotemist]

So I'm a bit ignorant about such matters, having only smoked a few times.  But I was under the impression that it cleared out in 30 days?  So if mom is clear on a blood or urine test, would they test baby anyway?  I was on medicaid in OR (a slightly more friendly state) and did not notice anyone taking my baby's poo somewhere for testing...

As for zofran, I know a lot of mom's who have needed 2 pills a day, and insurance will only cover 6 per month.