i only need real serious previous experienced advice please

[mommagrems]

I am 32 wks today.. I recently got out of the hospital for preterm labor and was on the mag drip. I was dilated to almost a three already. It stopped my contractions so I was put on procardia and bed rest and released. Upon getting home literally that night my husband got transferred to another state for work. I went with him as I need his help with our two yr old. So the next day we traveled via greyhound for almost 2000 miles. Upon our destination for his transfer, I smoke some pot (literally a hit or two) to relax my nerves from the stress of moving. I haven't had any contractions, but within a few hours of getting off greyhound, I used the restroom and noticed a small amount of clear snot like substance. I'm worried that my baby is really coming and I can't feel the contractions due to the procardia and also about losing my child to social services due to pot being in my system. I heard they test the mother and the baby if there are any complications during the delivery. Please someone calm my nerves. I feel terrible for smoking but at the time it wasn't something that had me worried. The stress from not smoking I considered a higher risk of labor from the traveling.

[katelove]

I can't help you with the pot but the procardia will not stop you from feeling contractions if you start to have them. Its purpose is to prevent you having contractions in the first place not to reduce your sensation.

The substance you lost sounds like some of your mucous plug. As you're already partially dilated this may not mean anything but if you lose anymore then I would suggest you get in touch with your health care provider. As you've just moved it would be a good opportunity to make contact with them anyway.

Best wishes. I hope things go well.

[Almi]

I was at 3 cm and 50% at 36.5 weeks (that was a week ago), and after that cervical check I've been losing plenty of mucus plug, but no bloody show.  I thought I may have been in labor Friday night, but even after 10 hours of contractions and it getting intense, it stopped.  So there's no guarantees unfortunately.

I also thought I might be going into preterm labor at 28-31 weeks a few times, but nope.  However it did get me dilated to a 2 (that is, from my perspective and me checking myself). 

Losing some mucus is totally normal in the last trimester, particularly if you're already dilated some.  Which, you can sit at 3 cm for quite a while, and it happens all the time.  I would only worry if you're losing copious amounts several times in a 24 hour period, or if it is streaked with blood.

I don't know why they'd test you for marijuana, specifically.  But even if they did, it doesn't mean they're going to take your kids away.  It's not illegal to have it in your system, or to even smoke it.  It's only illegal to buy, sell, or possess it (without a license).  So as long as you don't get caught with it or any paraphernalia (like a pipe with residue), you should be fine.

[ErinMomma]

I know its a late response but I just wanted to add that marijuana is  oxytocic, meaning it can bring on labor and increase contractions, just to keep in mind.

[alicewyf]

I think they'd only test you for pot if you showed some sort of "red flag" behavior. Unfortunately that means if you want to avoid it, you should probably comply with any and all tests the hospital wants to do on you and your baby. I personally have no problem with pregnant women smoking pot, as I haven't seen research to prove it is harmful. The main reason to avoid it in my view is the possible legal issues you could run into.
 

[eknuckles]

I had intense contractions startin at about thirty two weeks and i knew that it was not preterm labor, though if i was not havin an unassisted pregnancy/birth i would have been told it was. This is not to say you weren't in preterm labor, just that its possible your body is just working things out and also that i gave birth the day before my due date.
Oh and i also lost bits of my mucus plug continually starting ar thirty weeks.
Hopefully everything goes well for you!!!

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by Almi 
I don't know why they'd test you for marijuana, specifically.  But even if they did, it doesn't mean they're going to take your kids away.  It's not illegal to have it in your system, or to even smoke it.  It's only illegal to buy, sell, or possess it (without a license).  So as long as you don't get caught with it or any paraphernalia (like a pipe with residue), you should be fine.

This really isn't accurate in many, many, many places. In many hospitals, ALL mothers are drug tested (they just aren't told about it) when they're in labor or shortly after, and if she can't be tested, the baby is. Search around some more on MDC, it's the norm in some states. Also, in some states it actually IS illegal to smoke it when you're pregnant, thanks to all those "fetal protection" laws that were supposedly meant to protect pregnant women from attackers and abusive partners, but are pretty much always used for prosecuting pregnant women instead, and DO often result in CPS involvement. So basically everything you just said is wrong in some states. I know your intentions are good, but you could be causing serious problems that you can't even imagine by reassuring women (and with such certainty) that it's perfectly fine to smoke pot and nothing bad will happen as far as CPS or the law is concerned. The fact of the matter is that sometimes something bad WILL happen, and we can't predict when that will be. Whether or not a woman chooses to take that risk is up to her, but it doesn't help anyone for her to be convinced that there isn't one, when there actually is.

There has been extensive discussion about this on MDC in the past. I don't smoke pot, so I don't remember the details, but basically any pot smoked or ingested after a certain week will be detectable in a full-term baby's meconium. I think it was 20-something weeks. Some hospitals will take the baby's first meconium diaper for testing, regardless of whether there are any red flags to suggest the mother was using drugs - it's just a hospital policy. Whether that is dictated by state law or not, I'm not sure, because it hasn't been relevant to my particular situation.

[Almi]

Wow, I apologize.  I was not aware that it made a difference if you were pregnant or not.  This is why I stay the hell away from hospitals when I have babies.  Not because of any legalities, but just all the crap they do.  Ridiculous.

[Plummeting]

Yeah, it's CRAZY. I have some anxiety issues, and while I do not smoke pot, there was a rough patch a couple of months ago when I really, really thought some would be helpful. Unfortunately, out of fear of what would happen if I did have to transfer to a hospital, I had to just deal with it other ways, which was not fun. It pisses me off that it's perfectly okay for me to take all kinds of prescription psychotropic drugs, as long as I don't eat a pot brownie. It's not fair and it's stupid, but to me, it just wasn't worth the risk.

[Alenushka]

It is not OK to take all sort of psychotropic drugs while pregnant. In  fact, this is why pregnancy can have a whole different and additional level of complexity and difficulty for people with anxiety, bipolar disorder or depression...because they can;t take their medications.

I do not know why people thin that  because pot is natural, it has no side effects. It is potent drugs and there is evidence that it is not exactly harm free as far as the fetus concern.

Every behavior has risk and benefit. Did it worth smoking it for anxiety if now you have bigger anxiety of worrying about hospital testing and CPS?

Another issues with taking pot while you take melds is that pot can act synergistically on medication that have tachycardia as side effect. So, some medication that would not cause you server rapid heartbeat by itself, in combination with pot can lend you in ER.

And other posters are right, in ,any state there is not red flags needed for drug testing. They just test women. I personally disagree with it because it is invasion of privacy but it is what it is.

There 100% natural and side effect method of dealing with anxiety while pregnant. You can meditates, either zen style of guided mediation, take prenatal yoga classes and or swim.

Research your sate laws. Hopefully, you can be at peace. urine testing is far more likely than meconium. So, if you do not smoke pot form now on, soon enough it will be out of your system

I lost my mucous plug quiet early but my child was a week overdue. Procardia will not stop you form feeling contractions, so if you had them you would feel them.

Edited by Alenushka - 5/19/12 at 10:46pm

[newsolarmomma2]

First, I want to say it's better to avoid illegal drugs, no matter how much you think its helpful. It's not worth it.

BUT
If you really only took one or two hits, you are fine. It won't show up on a test at that level, the tests are not that sensitive. I know from experience, though I wasn't preg when I smoked last. If you smoked enough (several times, a whole joints worth total) to show up on the test, they will then test the babys poo, which stores drugs for months. Repeated use will show, but not one hit. If baby tests positive, depending where you live, and who the social worker is, you may get a CPS visit, or a case. I had one friend that wasn't a druggie but smoked a little, got caught at the birth, and had to be monitored for a year plus drug and parenting classes. In some areas it's not a big deal if the levels are low and no other drugs are present.

I recently had my baby at 33 weeks after PROM, and a failed NST and BPP. A little mucous isn't a big deal, but if your water breaks please go in. They wanted to keep the baby in until 34 weeks, at least, but baby wasn't doing well so I got some pitocin and had her in 4 hours and 4 pushes. Easiest birth ever! Also a VBAC. I had wanted a UC but no way was I having a preemie UC!

I don't want to tell you what to do, but from experience, you shouldn't be traveling like that when you're fighting pretem labor. A premature birth is no joke, avoid anything that might bring it on- stress, activity, pot, etc. I was able to get the entire round of steroid shots, so my baby's lungs were developed, and she was a good weight (4.4#) and in good shape, but she was still in the NICU for a month! Without those steroid shots, she may have needed CPAP or oxygen. It took her weeks to BF, and weeks more to be able to take a whole feeding BF.

Best luck! Hope your baby stays in there for 6 more weeks :-)

[rnra]

Originally Posted by Plummeting 

This really isn't accurate in many, many, many places. In many hospitals, ALL mothers are drug tested (they just aren't told about it) when they're in labor or shortly after, and if she can't be tested, the baby is. Search around some more on MDC, it's the norm in some states. 

Do you have evidence to support your claim?  I'm intrigued by this, as I have never heard such a thing.

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Originally Posted by rnra 

Do you have evidence to support your claim?  I'm intrigued by this, as I have never heard such a thing.

I worked in the field of child protection for the last five years. I can tell you that for many woman on state insurance, testing for drugs is standard not only at birth, but also in the urine screens that you give at your prenatal appointments. The tests are then used as evidence against the parent in court proceedings to either take the child from the parent or to obtain court monitored supervision.  Not every provider drug tests, not every hospital drug tests. Some only do if there are red flags, others do for every single woman they treat. There isn't any way to know unless you ask, and if you ask, that is going to be a red flag, so it's kind of a lose lose. 

Marijuana is not as concerning as heroin and crack/cocaine, but it is also not taken lightly.  Depending on whether you are assigned a social worker, and who that social worker is, ANY, I repeat, ANY drug use during pregnancy could be grounds to remove your child.  

I know that some women swear by the positive effects of marijuana during pregnancy, but in the US, you are taking your child's life in your hands every time you choose to take even one little hit. It just isn't worth the anxiety or the risk of CPS involvement. 

[hildare]

OP, i would imagine that out of all the possibilities, being that stressed out if you only smoked it once is far, far worse for you. 

if you only took 2 tokes as you said, it might not show up in your system if you were tested or in your baby's.  if it did show up it would be in a very low concentration. 

if you're dilated to 3 cm. you are likely losing cervical mucous.  were you given a list of things to watch for when you were in hospital?  were you told to go back if you experienced any symptoms of labor or what mandated a return visit?  someone should have gone over that with you. 

just because you smoked a little, i would not let that influence the decision of whether or not to seek medical care.  obviously you are having some physical difficulty with this pregnancy. 

it sounds like you're really concerned about the testing, though, so on the chance that you're still smoking, you might want to weigh whether it's worth the stress of having to worry about it and elect to drink some chamomile tea instead.  good luck!

edited per mod request

Edited by hildare - 5/19/12 at 11:37am

[Plummeting]

Originally Posted by Alenushka 

It is not OK to take all sort of psychotropic drugs while pregnant. In  fact, this is why pregnancy can be so difficult for people with anxiety, bipolar disorder or depression...because they can;t take their medications.

Not to be too nitpicky, but no, this is NOT the only reason pregnancy can be so difficult for people with those disorders. I don't take medication when I'm NOT pregnant and I manage just FINE. Pregnancy is difficult because there are physical changes, hormonal changes, and concerns about life changes after the baby is born. It isn't as simple as, "She's not taking her medication and that's why pregnancy is difficult for her." That's silly. Pregnancy can CAUSE anxiety and depression in people who never experience them at any other time. Please don't tell women that the only reason pregnancy is difficult is because they're off their meds.

[Alenushka]

I do not know how you inferred something like this. Perhaps I need to clarify.

[Almi]

The only supposed thing that can happen to a fetus if the mother smokes pot is they can end up with ADHD.  And that's only a speculation, not proof.  They so far cannot actually prove that marijuana can be harmful, particularly if it is taken occasionally and not in high doses (which, btw, it is impossible to overdose on it when it is smoked or eaten, you'd have to concentrate it and inject the thc into your bloodstream).  I personally know someone that smoked most likely every day of her pregnancy and their son is perfectly fine.  

Really the only risk with smoking pot is that you typically have to own it to smoke it, so therefore you can get in trouble with the law.  But physically, there's not much risk with smoking it.

I also want to point out that ultrasound technology has not been proven to be safe for sure either, but people still use that, too.  Just my two cents.

All that being said, I avoid marijuana smoking during pregnancy (just in case) and I still get a few ultrasounds done during my pregnancy because to me it is worth it.

[Alenushka]

Well, I know someone who drunk during her pregnancy. A lot. He son is fine. So what? One dog study

[Almi]

Originally Posted by Alenushka 

Well, I know someone who drunk during her pregnancy. A lot. He son is fine. So what? One dog study

Redundant.

[fayebond]

OP, its probably too late to try this, but have you considered finding a midwife or birth center in the new state?   Its not as advanced as far as equipment goes, but they could tell you if you are actually in preterm labor, and diagnose your urine/other stuff without drug testing.  And if you did need hospital help, they would tell you that too.