Drug testing on newborn babies.

[jeepboi]

I'm a nursing tech on a pediatrics/labor and delivery floor. I have seen many babies come and go over the past 5 years... Some of the mothers who were tested for drugs ended up having babies born with cannabis in their system. By protocol, we were required to treat them for withdrawal, though from both my personal observations, as well as the plethora of nurses and OBGYNs on my unit, it's pretty much a joke. The only infant who did have signs of withdrawal, who tested positive for THC was also suffering opiate withdrawal.

Generally in Maryland, unless they have a reason to test the baby/mom for drug use, they won't. The babies with THC in their systems generally require a very short social work consult, but nothing of consequence.

I know this is purely anecdotal, but my best friend's mother is a very intelligent woman- one of the most respected arachnologists in the country! She also smokes pot. And lots of it. She admitted to smoking when pregnant, for both children. My friend is absolutely brilliant, and a wonderful person, as is her brother.

Good call for those of you who recognize more harm in the combustion of the plant material as more of a harmful thing than the THC and CBNs. Cannabinoids are actually produced by the mother when breastfeeding- this encourages the infant to keep drinking the nutritious milk, though I wouldn't necessarily smoke and then immediately breastfeed, the chemicals are passed to the baby.

I'd think vaporizers, brownies, tinctures, etc. would be best during pregnancy, though.

a much nicer informative post than my own.

[killerweed420]

So gunner how did it go?

[luciddreamer]

MY GOD PEOPLE!!!!
She said DON'T give her your views on it. All she wanted to know is whether they would test her baby in fucking Illinois. If you don't know don't reply.

[Purple Banana]

MY GOD PEOPLE!!!!
She said DON'T give her your views on it. All she wanted to know is whether they would test her baby in fucking Illinois. If you don't know don't reply.

Chill out... Some gave legitimate advice, others voiced their opinions. Telling them not to is like you saying "Mom, don't get mad, BUT..." It just happens. It's human nature. And the Internet.

Best of luck with everything, and congrats! Let us know how things turn out, Gunner's girlfriend! :thumbsup:

[killerweed420]

I hope she did OK. I've seen child protective services in action and they are real nazi gestapo pricks. My friend had here life torn to pieces when they said they were going to take her kid because of a faulty drug test. A horrible thing to do to a new mother.

[Dro_Princess]

MY GOD PEOPLE!!!!
She said DON'T give her your views on it. All she wanted to know is whether they would test her baby in fucking Illinois. If you don't know don't reply.

Well you didn't know the answer but yet you still replied. Maybe you should have taken your own advice. You seem like you need to ingest some THC and calm down.


I hope everything is ok Gunner's gf!

[alrynV12]

Well smoking cigerettes and pot will most likely have the baby be underweight especially since cigerettes have something in it that makes people not have an appetite and you are doubling up on how much carbon monoxide you are putting in your body.

But coming from the doctor if you smoke alot of weed even before you found out you were pregnant, They said that you cannot quit cold turkey because it will put a shock to the baby's system and cause more problems than continuing to smoke. They said they are more concerned with the harder drugs since the only problem would be the low oxygen level from the carbon monoxide.

As for the drug testing, in the state of Iowa it's if you are on file at DHS for having problems with previous kids because it gives them probable cause.

I know many people who only smoked weed while they were pregnant and had no problems but one person did have the baby a month early because it developed everything early and its a healthy baby girl.

This website (Melanie Dreher, Jamaican Pregnancy Study) that shows a research done in Jamaca :rastasmoke: on pregnant women and how their children developed over time after the pregnancy. They found that there was no difference between the children of a user and of a non-user..

If you do continue to smoke be careful on who you are getting it from, where it's coming from etc. because you could run the chance of having problems if it is laced with another drug or chemical and if you want to quit try to do it slowly and not cold turkey.

[EciRonTog]

several people told me they would test my baby without my consent and take him away if it came out positive.

First of all, who the hell is saying that? Are you hearing that from some sort of medical professional or a crazy paranoid family member? "Several people"?

Second, the idea of a mother getting her baby taken away just for testing positive for THC seems pretty silly. That is why I'm wondering who told you that in the first place. I'm having a difficult time imagining a medical professional saying that rather than someone in your personal life trying to take advantage of your ignorance of your rights and the laws to scare you into conforming to their sense of right and wrong.

[BlueBrother]

THEY WILL DO A MARCONIUM TEST!!!!!!!!!!! 'CPS WILL BE INVOLVED!!!!!!!

KNOW YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS AS A PATIENT,AND DO NOT LET THE DOCTORS DO THE TEST WITHOUT CONSENT FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[justme24]

Hey Gunner!
This is my first visit to this site. I registered so I could let you know that it is Mandatory in Illinois to test newborns for drugs. I have a gf that had her baby a month ago and they did test her baby for drugs in
GA. As I was researching, I found a site that shows all states and what their mandates are pertaining to this.
here is the link....hope it helps you. Congrats & Good Luck...
A national survey of state maternal and newborn drug testing and reporting policies.

I'm Gunner's girlfriend, I'm from Illinois, and I'm 29 weeks pregnant. I used marijuana up until 25 weeks, after several people told me they would test my baby without my consent and take him away if it came out positive. I've done A LOT of research on this, but haven't heard a straight answer yet. Some sources say they will only test the baby if the mother appears intoxicated or has tattoos or piercings, others say they can't legally test the baby without my consent, and some say they will regardless. I can't find a single source that gives me a difinitive answer. I even spoke to an attorney from NORML, and he didn't give me a very clear answer either. Everywhere mostly says to look up my state laws. The problem is that I don't know how to go about doing that, or what to even look for. So my question is, are there any mothers from Illinois who know whether or not they drug test your baby in Illinois? Or anyone who happens to know the laws?
If you're only giving your moral opinion, don't bother. I don't need to hear you bashing me for smoking pot while pregnant. I've done my research, and most of you who will have something negative to say haven't and have no idea what you're talking about. So keep your close-minded, brainwashed opinions to yourself and only answer if you have the information I'm asking for. Thanks.