need some help...

[terrifiedtobe]

i decided to post on here, because it seems there are a lot more supportive people than other forums ive read. so im 38 weeks pregnant today and at my last doc appt (im on medicaid) they informed me that in a urine test they did several weeks ago i tested positive for marijuana. now ive done my homework and know the ins and outs of its usage, so its not that im so much worried about that. they told me because it was positive, they will test me when i go into labor, and if im positive, they will test the baby and CPS will be called. so... im petrified. the last i smoked was oct 26th, after a huge fight with my family- maybe a week before that, and several before that. i dont smoke often, usually only when im extremely upset or stressed because i know that is way worse for the baby than a couple hits off a joint. im due nov 21st and im so afraid im going to go into labor before its out of my system, or that they will test the baby and he will be positive. i drink an insane amount of fluids a day and (of course) pee all the time. is there anything else i can do to help?? does anyone know Kentuckys stand on this? i cant find anything to help me!

[Jenga]

I'm going to assume that the state will take the baby if he tests positive. I wouldn't do a cleanse, because they're not generally recommended during pregnancy or while nursing.  I guess you'll just have to wait and see, and not smoke again during pregnancy even if you're stressed. Maybe look up some other ways to deal with stress?

What you can do to help is to get into a treatment program or join NA because that will probably look good for you if you/the baby test positive during labor/after delivery.  

[mkat83]

I don't know the laws, but it sounds absurd since there are people who smoke cigarettes their entire pregnancy and nothing happens to them.  Seems like smoking marijuana once should be no big deal.  Maybe you could call CPS and ask anonymously?

[cameragirl]

There should be guidelines online for your state if you're willing to dig. In CA, the hospitals usually test if there is a history of involvement with CPS, lack of prenatal care, or the mom/baby appear to be under the influence. They are supposed to run a blood test to confirm if the urine test comes back positive. THEN CPS is supposed to be involved.

[Adaline'sMama]

I know someone who was tested at 36 weeks and was positive and then tested positive again at birth.They didnt tell her she would be tested until after the birth. They just told her at the birth that she tested positive at 36 weeks, so they needed to test her again, so she had no idea she needed to be not smoking pot between 36-40 weeks. She tested positive at the birth, but the baby did not. They did call CPS and CPS came and did a hospital interview with the mom before they were discharged. The social worker brought a bunch of paperwork about the dangers of housefires and the dangers of smoking second hand smoke. They also talked to her about the dangers of being arrested for pot and if the child was in her care that she would be taken into CPS custody until the father came to pick her up if the mom went to jail. She was released from the hospital and took her baby home. CPS has never been to her house for a home visit or anything outside of that one time they came to the hospital. IDK where you live, but this woman lives right outside of Louisville and gave birth at Baptist East this past spring.


Honestly, if you dont smoke any more pot, you should be totally fine.

[hippiemommaof4]

kentucky tests pregnant women all the time apparently my doc office does every visit and I dont have medicaid either, I have private insurance and I am 100% drug free and they still test me every visit @@. Dont smoke it anymore, just dont do it. It's not worth having your baby taken away and yes you should be fine if you didnt smoke it anymore. Kentucky is apparently a babysitting state in this aspect, I looked up some info on it when we moved here a couple months ago. I'm all for medicinal MJ use but when it comes down to it in the state of kentucky, its not worth having your baby taken away to smoke it. Oh and I looked up the info on it because I was pissed that they were testing me all the time and apparently it was under some kind of protecting the rights of the baby bs. Which obviously some people who are drug users do need to be tested etc but if you are proven clean there is no need for that at every visit. It borderlines some kind of violation of rights imo but it's a fine line they cross. Being a conservative minded state in many aspects the whole ordeal does not surprise me.

[provocativa]

In Kentucky, CPS does not take your baby for MJ afaik.  Fearmongering does no one any good, mamas.

[Adaline'sMama]

Originally Posted by hippiemommaof4 

kentucky tests pregnant women all the time apparently my doc office does every visit and I dont have medicaid either, I have private insurance and I am 100% drug free and they still test me every visit @@. Dont smoke it anymore, just dont do it. It's not worth having your baby taken away and yes you should be fine if you didnt smoke it anymore. Kentucky is apparently a babysitting state in this aspect, I looked up some info on it when we moved here a couple months ago. I'm all for medicinal MJ use but when it comes down to it in the state of kentucky, its not worth having your baby taken away to smoke it. Oh and I looked up the info on it because I was pissed that they were testing me all the time and apparently it was under some kind of protecting the rights of the baby bs. Which obviously some people who are drug users do need to be tested etc but if you are proven clean there is no need for that at every visit. It borderlines some kind of violation of rights imo but it's a fine line they cross. Being a conservative minded state in many aspects the whole ordeal does not surprise me.

I have a hard time believeing that they test you every visit, considering that would be quite expensive for the office.
I am on Medicaid and my OB has told me each time they tested me, once at 12 weeks and then once again at 38 weeks. I imagine that if I tested positive at 38 weeks, they would test the baby at birth. However, as I said before the one person I know that this has happened to never got her baby taken away, or even had CPS come to her home.

I also have had two friends with small children be arrested for pot and their children werent threatned to be taken at all. The police called a grandma to pick them up, they didnt even to to temp foster care and they had pot in their car with them. While KY is a conservative state, the MJ laws arent that strict. I live in a super conservative area, and there is pot being grown everywhere around this part of the state. Cops know it, teachers know it, and Im sure CPS knows it. I have to disagree with you that KY is a super strict state when it comes to MJ. Id love to see the link about ky being a babysitting state in this aspect, but regardless unless you know someone who has had their baby taken away, its not worth scaring a mama over.

I wouldnt smoke any more pot until after the baby is born, just to be safe, but I think youll pass the drug test no problem.

[hippiemommaof4]

I'm not scaring anyone, I'm putting the facts out there on what they do with me at the clinic I go to period! They test me every single time hands down is that the only things they test for with the sample no but I know they test me every time because I had to sign a waiver specifically for it  at my first initial appt LOL, they also added in the fact that if I refused they would refuse to see me again it was pretty standard apparently and they also did a little  talking where they said if you do drugs and they are in your system that they would involve social services etc. so yes they do every visit! I have never been tested like that and I've lived in Ohio,NC,GA, and Alaska! I also need to add that living in kentucky isnt new to me either my family is here and we just moved back...so I do know a little about the state. Like I previously stated I googled some stuff on the urine testing in kentucky for drugs because well honestly I couldn't even believe it to be honest and I found a few things they do which like I said they call it something about the welfare of the unborn child or something I dont remember its been at least 4 months ago. I never said the state of kentucky is a babysitting state about mj only  I was refering to the constant drug testing thing with pregnant women (like I said I did some googling), but I wont mislead people into thinking that it cant happen... because it does! As a matter of fact a childhood friend of mine and my sisters who lives here smoked it all through her pregnancy and when she had some issues and went to L&D she was drug tested, tested positive and was told directly by the staff that if they were in her system when the baby was born they would take the baby. So in other words I wouldnt even chance it, I don't like the fate of my baby to possibly be in the states hands though. I believe even if I chose to smoke it that just for the sheer fact that someone in the state could come in and take my child that I would not do it. I have a husband who needs medical MJ too so I am not in any way opposed to using it and eventually we will move to a legal med mj state!  I'm just not cool with taking chances on my kids being taken because of it so therefore those are my two cents take them for what you will .I am sure the doc offices have the choice to do it or not, I am also sure that mine does it as a liability type of thing. I also had to sign a waiver for smoking tobacco while pregnant and I dont even smoke lol

Edited by hippiemommaof4 - 12/6/11 at 3:50pm

[hippiemommaof4]

http://peopleadvocatingrecovery.org/amicus/HB136Analysis02-23-2010.pdf

here was one thing i found, i'm trying to find the other things too about some things going on or that have went on in the state reguarding these issues. like i said though its been 4 months since i did this the first time :-/

this is from here..

In 2008, Kentucky enacted legislation allocating $2 million over two years for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs for pregnant women. Healthcare professionals must test newborns for prenatal drug exposure when there is suspicion of prenatal drug use or abuse.

http://www.aul.org/states/kentucky/

Edited by hippiemommaof4 - 12/6/11 at 4:19pm

[cameragirl]

Originally Posted by hippiemommaof4 

I'm not scaring anyone, I'm putting the facts out there on what they do with me at the clinic I go to period! They test me every single time hands down is that the only things they test for with the sample no but I know they test me every time because I had to sign a waiver specifically for it  at my first initial appt LOL, they also added in the fact that if I refused they would refuse to see me again it was pretty standard apparently and they also did a little  talking where they said if you do drugs and they are in your system that they would involve social services etc. so yes they do every visit! I have never been tested like that and I've lived in Ohio,NC,GA, and Alaska! I also need to add that living in kentucky isnt new to me either my family is here and we just moved back...so I do know a little about the state. Like I previously stated I googled some stuff on the urine testing in kentucky for drugs because well honestly I couldn't even believe it to be honest and I found a few things they do which like I said they call it something about the welfare of the unborn child or something I dont remember its been at least 4 months ago. I never said the state of kentucky is a babysitting state about mj only  I was refering to the constant drug testing thing with pregnant women (like I said I did some googling), but I wont mislead people into thinking that it cant happen... because it does! As a matter of fact a childhood friend of mine and my sisters who lives here smoked it all through her pregnancy and when she had some issues and went to L&D she was drug tested, tested positive and was told directly by the staff that if they were in her system when the baby was born they would take the baby. So in other words I wouldnt even chance it, I don't like the fate of my baby to possibly be in the states hands though. I believe even if I chose to smoke it that just for the sheer fact that someone in the state could come in and take my child that I would not do it. I have a husband who needs medical MJ too so I am not in any way opposed to using it and eventually we will move to a legal med mj state!  I'm just not cool with taking chances on my kids being taken because of it so therefore those are my two cents take them for what you will .I am sure the doc offices have the choice to do it or not, I am also sure that mine does it as a liability type of thing. I also had to sign a waiver for smoking tobacco while pregnant and I dont even smoke lol

Even in a state with legal medical cannabis, there are no protections for parents. If it is in the baby's system, you're usually out of luck, medical recommendation or not. I think is is BS and that cannabis is far safer than many of the prescription meds out there, but that's how it is unfortunately.

[hippiemommaof4]

I am with you, I dont agree with the babysitting of people who use mj at all it shoudl be legal imho...I just would hate to take my chances and set off any kind of investigation by cps and then have them constantly in my business about it for who knows how long kwim esp with my kids because to me it would just be so heartbreaking and you never know what they would do. I would want absolutely part in that business. I also feel like this if they dont take your baby why would you want to take unnecssary chances and cause yourself worry with something you could have prevented in the first place? Thats also a reason why I dont think it should be smoked esp if you are on their radar and this person is. I'm not trying to scare anyone either, I just know that I wouldn't want that for my family and I also wouldn't want people to give me the sunshine and roses about it only either. I am sure this poster had her baby already and I hope nothing happened.

Edited by hippiemommaof4 - 12/6/11 at 6:04pm