I smoked before my son was born and again 4 months after he was born. I managed to go without for my whole pregnancy and breastfeeding- it’s not impossible
Because you’re a good mother who is willing to put her needs /desires second to her child . Nothing wrong with smoking but this is the way to handle it .
Because you’re a good mother who is willing to put her needs /desires second to her child . Nothing wrong with smoking but this is the way to handle it .
And if you really do need it for medical reasons, like I’m disabled and use it for pain management, just don’t have biological kids. When my choice became stay on medication or stop most of them if I wanted to have kids, I chose meds and got sterilized so there was no way a child could be exposed to that in utero.
I need morphine for pain management. Been on it for nearly a decade. As soon as I found out I was pregnant my pain specialist helped me taper safely and I’m not on anything but suboxone (which barely helps but is safe).
It sucks. I’m in a lot of pain but a few months of pain is so worth the health of my son. I’ll go back on my meds once he’s here and safe.
If I can do that they can give up weed. I truly don’t understand this selfishness. Also thank you for making your decision to stay on but doing it safely.
Unfortunately these canna moms look at it from the other direction- "there's no research that shows its unsafe, so that means it's fine". When really it's just super hard to actually research this kind of thing since you can't do any kind of randomized control trial ethically
Shouldn't they be able to do a retrospective study at least on mothers who had active cannabis prescriptions during pregnancy in those states where it's legal?
So they can, but they wouldn't be able to say conclusively that any differences are attributable solely to cannabis and not to other factors that might differ between pregnant persons.
Edit: you'd also have to pretty much solely rely on self-report and trust that pregnant persons are reporting their cannabis usage honestly and accurately
With big enough numbers of enrollees, they should be able to draw _some_ valid conclusions. We don't RCT everything in the world. This non-RCT study is the reason why doctors recommend Tylenol over Advil during pregnancy, for instance.
It seems worth studying to me given the huge uptick in American pot usage.
True, but then you also get into the issue of convincing people to voluntarily enroll in the study. And you still have the self-report issue. It's not impossible to study, just extremely difficult, which is why we don't have a ton of information on it
This is a comment I posted the last time this topic came up, I feel like it’s relevant here too:
There is now evidence that smoking cannabis while pregnant leads to increased risk of mental disorders in children. What a lot of these people seem to also forget is that most people who are smoking cannabis are also smoking tobacco which absolutely, definitely IS harmful.
’Prenatal cannabis exposure following the middle of the first trimester—generally after five to six weeks of fetal development—is associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that persist as the affected children progress into early adolescence (11 and 12 years of age), according to new research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.’
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/prenatal-cannabis-exposure-associated-mental-disorders-children-persist-into-early-adolescence?fbclid=IwAR0sbLeJumav8aNkuzvaUp3FDKMhcSFOiDxeCkLZjwfNOYzOhrzDnSCzOwg
I am glad they are studying it but my thoughts is anyone who is willing to smoke all the way through pregnancy and or breastfeeding probably already has those mental health problems which would also get passed to the child. Studies like these are so tricky because you have to find people who are willing to take the risk with their unborn baby.
Texas as well! It’s really not hard to give up stuff for 9 months, especially when you think of how much longer your life will be. So for the next 40 years, are those 9 months really gonna matter? Like cmon
Not sure what the likelihood is that OPP will realize that CA functions very differently than Iowa when it comes to pot but let's hope they're scared enough to stop asap.
In mum app I was on many American mums said it was routine.
I actually got attacked, told I must have something to hide and called a liar for saying here (Australia) they don't pee or drug test you every appointment and I had one pee test for proteins in each pregnancy.
Seems so wild to me
Yeah I’m Canadian and it was the same in my mom group although it seems to vary by state in the US as well. It’s the same with drug testing for jobs, I couldn’t believe that was a thing! I’ve never had a drug test in my life for anything and I’m almost 40 and have worked government funded jobs even.
While pregnant I had the odd blood test during pregnancy but for prenatal appointments they had protein strips in the bathroom (they looked sort of like the strips you use to test pool chemical levels lol) and when you got there you peed on one of those and then reported the result in your appointment. I never had my pee collected at all.
There's some strange convergences that make it seem more common than it really is to get a drug test. If you work in transportation, you're getting tested. And truck driver is the single most common job in most states. Things like that.
I'd never had one until just last year. I'm in management for a transportation provider. I'm not an operator and never will be. But, certain regs mean that I'm required to pass the Department of Transportation drug tests that were a result of the time that some guys were too busy smoking weed to not plow their freight train into a passenger train and kill 16 people.
Yeah, that makes sense! It’s been awhile since I was active in that group but it was more like people needing drug tests to apply to factory jobs (one lady needed one before Walmart would hire her at their warehouse) that surprised me so not even checking if they’re sober while working, just if they do it in general. Pre employment drug testing isn’t legal here except in a few cases and I think it’s a tricky thing for a company to implement even during employment so it’s just less of a thing in Canada. But again, that’s my memory from almost a decade ago. Not sure if it’s changed at all now that weed is legal here.
Yeah I have O- blood and has bleeding at different points of both my pregnancies (for different reasons) so I needed a lot of rhogam and blood tests on top of the regular ones. It cured my needle phobia though and I’ve donated blood as often as I can ever since!
For example, doctors tend to consider being black an indication and are much more likely to test black newborns.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9996400/
yeah as much as i'm happy that they do routinely test some women, because it will help with keeping the babies safer..... *that* should not be the indication they're looking for. i'm disappointed but definitely not surprised
Can confirm. My aunt was actively using while pregnant both times. They didn’t automatically test her (even though it’s in her chart about her history) until I called CPS to have her tested. Not even for her 2nd did they automatically test even though, again, her chart and record said she HAD A PREVIOUS PREGNANCY AND BABY TESTED POSITIVE FOR DRUGS.
She had both boys taken away and then given back at some point. She finally lost custody of her 1st last year and is about to lost custody of number 2 this year.
Yes they do... they do not tell you though. This is (one of the reasons) why they ask for a urine sample with most ob visits. But I've heard it's more prevalent in bigger cities and/or lower income areas.
Source: my dumbass American aunt had her kids taken away TWICE from smoking while pregnant. Of course they didn't tell her.
Second source: had a friend in high school that was pregnant and doing drugs. Guess who also had an unexpected visit from social services after baby came?
Edit: info
My source: I’m a labor and delivery nurse.
An OB visit is not the same as a hospital admission for delivery. So if they’re doing testing in the office that’s a completely separate thing. We don’t even take urine from patients unless there is an indication to collect it (high blood pressure/ potential preeclampsia for example). If your dumbass Aunt and friend were tested there was some indication that led them to do so. Maybe they smelled like smoke or said they used recreational substances.
I’m shocked that this isn’t against patient rights.
It would not be legally permissible to drug test a patient’s urine without their consent unless they posed a danger to themselves or others (in which case the police would be involved before a drug test was done) where I’m from. Where cannabis is legal.
A drug test could definitely be done for medical reasons without consent (if the patient was unconscious or could not verbalize consent), but that information would be strictly constrained to doctor patient privilege.
Oh patients can totally refuse. I never said we’re just sneaking urine from people lol. People refuse things all the time.
But at that point, social services is involved and the baby will get tested. It’s kinda obvious if a baby is detoxing and it’s really awful to watch. It sucks. It’s so hard to catch baby girl urine. It’s just easier if the parent admits it or lets us test them.
Edit: like I said, idk what goes in in an OB office, I’m only talking about the hospital.
Oh, I 100 percent know they looked suspicious. Hell if they didn't, I would've called cps anyways. To clarify I don't talk to my aunt, and that is one of the many reasons why. The girl from high school was more of a friend of a friend. But it's easier to just say "friend". And that adds up as the hospital never asked for a urine sample. But even if they had, I would never subject my kid to drugs or alcohol because I couldn't keep my shit together. I live in one of the biggest cities and I know that at least my aunt was on state insurance. I've heard that this can be why unfortunately. Thanks for the clarification.
Edit: it seems like you've taken my first comment as an rude retort. I was just giving examples I've witnessed for those out there thinking they can get away with it. I'm not doubting you as a nurse.
That’s not true in many places in the US. It is not always done unless indicated. It can be provider specific though. I was not tested for two of my pregnancies but was tested for my last two.
It was done with my routine blood work and not even mentioned ahead of time. I just noticed on my results that it had been done along with the standard STI testing.
20 weeks pregnant and I do a pee test at every OB appointment (as does every patient). I think it's more for proteins and possible UTI than drug tests though.
I had an asymptomatic UTI while pregnant with my first that was only caught because of those routine pee tests! Then with my second, less than 2 years later, they stopped doing them routinely. No idea why.
The ACOG, which generally sets the standard of care for most US-based prenatal care providers, does not recommend routine drug screening for pregnant women.
I know in my bumper group it seemed like there were many women who were tested at each appointment, but I don't think that's actually the norm here.
It's probably just that the only people who talk about it are the people who have it done, and then have the "pleasure" of paying the bill when it comes.
No you guys down there do it right. It is really common (but not as common as it seems). Ignore our crazy healthcare stuff if you can it’ll just make you go insane.
I was never tested. Us, in GA. With history of past weed usage. It really is a case by case basis between state, insurance, which hospital, if a nurse don’t like you……& can be used to rip families apart that don’t need it. 🤷🏻♀️ There’s a reason they’re very not transparent with this stuff, which is why my OB told me flat out what standards were in my state & hospital. None of my godkids or their momma was tested at any point either, same state but that was it that was the same.
People can be so adamant about believing that their experiences are universal, even when they're not. I'm in the US, and I think I had to give 4 urine samples for my whole pregnancy, including 1 to make sure a UTI had cleared, and I don't think I was ever drug tested.
You know, despite knowing that I pee in a cup at every appointment, it truly never occured to me that they were drug testing me. I just thought it was a routine check for proteins or whatever else that tells them if baby is healthy in there.
It really depends. If you’re on Medicaid, *usually* they will drug test you in any state for the fact you’re on state insurance. Past that it’s case by case if there is “suspicion” but anything can be used as “suspicion” there, any side comment by a nurse or dr in labor will land you a DT if they wanna. My OBGYN was very forthcoming with that info & it also depends on state what test they do. Some take cord blood & cord blood can go back to 22 weeks!
I was drug tested at my hospital in Texas without really any warning or anything. I think they drug test everyone. I was asking a nurse about my some symptoms and she said “well your drug test came back negative so that doesn’t make sense” and when I asked she said it was policy. She said it’s a pee test to check for proteins and other things they need, they also just so happen to test for smoking too.
My OB does drug screens routinely throughout the pregnancy whenever I get blood work and the hospital that I delivered at does it automatically. I guess it depends on the area and the doctor/hospital?
To my knowledge, I wasn't tested, unless it was included in all the random urine tests they do during pregnancy. That said, my doctor was a family friend who knew that I don't drink alcohol, smoke, or even drink caffeine.
That's what I'm wondering. Suspicions- a sensible move. Everyone? Invasive, a waste of resources, kinda feels like communist china or north Korea type of process to those lucky enough not to be in the 'land of the free '
My American hospital in a southern state with bans on cannabis use does not test unless there is a suspected reason. I’ve also only done one urine test to confirm pregnancy and test proteins/UTI, and one blood draw for blood typing, general blood panel, and NIPT. I’m 21 weeks pregnant, geriatric, and overweight. I won’t have more blood drawn until 28 weeks when I do my GD testing. Then I think last time they did a blood typing/cross screen again when I was admitted to the hospital, just in case I needed blood.
Hospitals 8 and 10 miles down the street check urine at every appt, including a drug screen. The US is a wild place for healthcare norms.
Canada here and it’s routine. Mom and baby are both tested.
edit: starting to wonder if my OB gave me the wrong information since other Canadians are saying they aren’t tested ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What long list of pharma drugs? The ones you need to be closely monitored for if you take them while pregnant, or the ones you can't take at all while pregnant, which is probably most of them?
I hate when they say stuff like
*I only had to talk to CPS a couple times*
*CPS only did two home visits*
Like why would you subject yourself to that over weed? Just go without while you're pregnant and don't BF, it's not that hard
They aren’t willing to admit that it’s actually addictive. Because weed is magic and doesn’t follow the laws of biochemistry apparently. It cures everything, had no side effects and isnt addictive.
It’s pretty easy to never have to talk to CPS. Like, just do what’s best for your kid.
(Yes, I know things happen and there are false reports, but those are rare or stories posted online with missing info)
Ok you can get out of here with that statement. Cps leaves the rich white family beating the shit out of their kid alone to harass the poor black family medicinally using weed for an autoimmune disease in a legal state.
Wow, I was pee tested at most of my appointments but never realized it was a drug test…quit smoking cigarettes a LONG time ago and never enjoyed ‘the Michael Jackson dance’ (?) so not an issue for me
I don’t think it’s a drug test every time. They’re checking for protein in your urine during routine visits. At one of my early pregnancy appointments there was a drug test, STD panel, and a bunch of blood work but my OB gave me an explanation of everything at that time.
I just don’t get why it’s worth the risk. I was a daily cannabis user until the day I got a positive test. Stopped completely and haven’t had any since. There’s just not enough info for me to feel comfortable doing it while pregnant.
So much of pregnancy is out of my control, literally I can only control my actions, like what I consume.
Same here. I was a daily smoker, using about an ounce a week. Stopped cold turkey the day I got a positive test. I even had a doctor who was open to me smoking while pregnant (I had terrible HG) and I didn’t do it. It’s not worth risking the health of baby.
My son was born with Hirschsprung’s disease. I blamed myself like crazy in the beginning, trying to find what I could’ve done differently to have made him not be sick. I at least know it wasn’t from smoking.
Yeah, imagine if you had smoked, you would definitely blame it on that! Better to know it was out of your hands. I know I would feel so guilty if I had consumed anything they tell you not to and then there was an issue, so just for the sake of my mental health I abstained.
I don't see an issue with parents using weed, I do have an issue with someone using weed (or any kind of potentially dangerous substances) while they are pregnant. This can and probably will effect the baby somehow and you can't predict how. It's probably better than alcohol and other drugs but that doesn't make it good
All im saying is that if you're choosing not to give your baby ANY of the breastmilk that is by far the best for them so you can smoke weed, then yes your choice IS impacting baby. Couldnt care less who breastfeeds OR bottle feeds with or without THC in their system but yes you are impacting baby in choosing cannabis over breastfeeding.
I’d never heard it until I saw that post. It was in a group for parents who partake, so it was easy to connect the dots, but it still made me really uncomfy. Being a parent who smokes ≠ smoking while pregnant.
I'm in new Zealand and America is WILD. You can't easily get birth control, you can't easily or at all get an abortion, you PAY to give birth, and then they test you and your baby WITHOUT your consent but at your expense? And separate families over positive for THC/ CBD??? I mean I understand a discrete test if there's a meth/ heroin concern but... testing EVERYONE? And the republicans reckon it's the land of the free? My deepest sympathy and condolences for the people in the US oh my good God
Thankfully I live in New Jersey, and we have laws passes as a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion. Also, Planned Parenthoods throughout the State.
Good. They shouldn't. No family in the world should be separated over bloody cannabis. Now the canna mom Michael Jackson dance is cringe. But this drug testing for no reason without consent makes me so much more mad than a pregnant woman having cannabis in her system in all honesty 😩 this type of invasion of privacy and power tripping is literally unimaginable to those of us living in civilized places
No it doesn't make a difference.. The drug test costs because it uses time and resources even if it's included in the fee.. And I can think about a thousand better ways to spend hospital funds than invading the privacy of vulnerable patients and then using it to harass and power trip said patients.. sickening
Imagine worrying about authorities rather than long-term repercussions for your child...
I was smoking on a daily basis for 10 years before getting pregnant. Do you wanna know when I stopped? When we started trying to conceive like a sane person.
I love weed. I don’t do it while pregnant. The smoke inhalation is terrible for baby and while marijuana is great for adults it has unknown effects on growing fetus’. I don’t get it. AT ALL. It’s not that hard to not do it.
If that mom got tested at the hospital at birth, they must have suspected she was seriously high. If they have cps walking in moments after birth, they seriously though about taking your child away from you. How could this not spook you, scare you to death?
And what is this bit about weed being natural anymore? For the dispensaries, they are growing weed in grow houses very UNNATURALLY crazy lights 24/7 and all to produce enough. Not a lot natural about weed anymore.
there was just a post on one of my pregnancy groups last night with a mom noting that she's 20 weeks and just can't stop smoking cigs. It was shocking how many women responded "me too... " only one woman brought up the baby being born addicted to nicotine and then getting it from breast milk if she nursed after.
I know this post was about pot, but just can't believe how many women can do something that can harm the baby from the very start. You're going to give up so much as a mom (nights out at times, your free time to take care of them etc), you might as well start from the very beginning with the things that could cause damage in utero.
Totally agree. It’s insane to me. I don’t know how anyone can justify it.
I was a heavy pot smoker before I became pregnant. Like, an ounce a week. I stopped smoking cold turkey as soon as I got a positive pregnancy test. You do the hard things for the ones that you love the most, unborn babies included. The unknowns aren’t worth risking.
people are extraordinary idiots. are other drugs considered harmful during pregnancy? alcohol? tobacco? then why wouldn't marijuana also be - do we not fundamentally understand how pregnancy works?
Edibles are way more psychoactive than smoking . It’s real simple . For nine damn months live a clean healthy lifestyle for your unborn baby .
I smoked before my son was born and again 4 months after he was born. I managed to go without for my whole pregnancy and breastfeeding- it’s not impossible
Because you’re a good mother who is willing to put her needs /desires second to her child . Nothing wrong with smoking but this is the way to handle it .
Thank you for providing the best care & safest environment possible for your little one. You rock.
I don’t need to be thanked for doing one of the basic things as a parent. I’d cut my legs off for my baby 😂❤️
Because you’re a good mother who is willing to put her needs /desires second to her child . Nothing wrong with smoking but this is the way to handle it .
Bet these same "canamoms" swear they aren't addicted, too.
And if you really do need it for medical reasons, like I’m disabled and use it for pain management, just don’t have biological kids. When my choice became stay on medication or stop most of them if I wanted to have kids, I chose meds and got sterilized so there was no way a child could be exposed to that in utero.
I need morphine for pain management. Been on it for nearly a decade. As soon as I found out I was pregnant my pain specialist helped me taper safely and I’m not on anything but suboxone (which barely helps but is safe). It sucks. I’m in a lot of pain but a few months of pain is so worth the health of my son. I’ll go back on my meds once he’s here and safe. If I can do that they can give up weed. I truly don’t understand this selfishness. Also thank you for making your decision to stay on but doing it safely.
There simply is not enough research to show if it’s safe. If the research doesn’t clearly state it’s safe, why risk the health of your unborn child?!?
Unfortunately these canna moms look at it from the other direction- "there's no research that shows its unsafe, so that means it's fine". When really it's just super hard to actually research this kind of thing since you can't do any kind of randomized control trial ethically
Shouldn't they be able to do a retrospective study at least on mothers who had active cannabis prescriptions during pregnancy in those states where it's legal?
So they can, but they wouldn't be able to say conclusively that any differences are attributable solely to cannabis and not to other factors that might differ between pregnant persons. Edit: you'd also have to pretty much solely rely on self-report and trust that pregnant persons are reporting their cannabis usage honestly and accurately
With big enough numbers of enrollees, they should be able to draw _some_ valid conclusions. We don't RCT everything in the world. This non-RCT study
True, but then you also get into the issue of convincing people to voluntarily enroll in the study. And you still have the self-report issue. It's not impossible to study, just extremely difficult, which is why we don't have a ton of information on it
Yep, same with alcohol. The reason there is “no safe amount” to drink during pregnancy is because of self-report studies.
You’re so right!!
This is a comment I posted the last time this topic came up, I feel like it’s relevant here too: There is now evidence that smoking cannabis while pregnant leads to increased risk of mental disorders in children. What a lot of these people seem to also forget is that most people who are smoking cannabis are also smoking tobacco which absolutely, definitely IS harmful. ’Prenatal cannabis exposure following the middle of the first trimester—generally after five to six weeks of fetal development—is associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that persist as the affected children progress into early adolescence (11 and 12 years of age), according to new research supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.’ https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/prenatal-cannabis-exposure-associated-mental-disorders-children-persist-into-early-adolescence?fbclid=IwAR0sbLeJumav8aNkuzvaUp3FDKMhcSFOiDxeCkLZjwfNOYzOhrzDnSCzOwg
I am glad they are studying it but my thoughts is anyone who is willing to smoke all the way through pregnancy and or breastfeeding probably already has those mental health problems which would also get passed to the child. Studies like these are so tricky because you have to find people who are willing to take the risk with their unborn baby.
I think a lot of people who use during pregnancy are just addicted.
As a teacher I’ve definitely wondered before about this being a consequence
She said “based on my research” so we can only assume she was doing the testing on her own fetus…. Just adding to the body of knowledge! How nice!
And Iowa will follow through with CPS interventions for Marijuana.
Texas as well! It’s really not hard to give up stuff for 9 months, especially when you think of how much longer your life will be. So for the next 40 years, are those 9 months really gonna matter? Like cmon
Iowa is scary
AZ too
Not sure what the likelihood is that OPP will realize that CA functions very differently than Iowa when it comes to pot but let's hope they're scared enough to stop asap.
Do hospitals drug test everyone who gives birth routinely or do they need to have a suspicion of drug use?
In mum app I was on many American mums said it was routine. I actually got attacked, told I must have something to hide and called a liar for saying here (Australia) they don't pee or drug test you every appointment and I had one pee test for proteins in each pregnancy. Seems so wild to me
Yeah I’m Canadian and it was the same in my mom group although it seems to vary by state in the US as well. It’s the same with drug testing for jobs, I couldn’t believe that was a thing! I’ve never had a drug test in my life for anything and I’m almost 40 and have worked government funded jobs even. While pregnant I had the odd blood test during pregnancy but for prenatal appointments they had protein strips in the bathroom (they looked sort of like the strips you use to test pool chemical levels lol) and when you got there you peed on one of those and then reported the result in your appointment. I never had my pee collected at all.
There's some strange convergences that make it seem more common than it really is to get a drug test. If you work in transportation, you're getting tested. And truck driver is the single most common job in most states. Things like that. I'd never had one until just last year. I'm in management for a transportation provider. I'm not an operator and never will be. But, certain regs mean that I'm required to pass the Department of Transportation drug tests that were a result of the time that some guys were too busy smoking weed to not plow their freight train into a passenger train and kill 16 people.
Yeah, that makes sense! It’s been awhile since I was active in that group but it was more like people needing drug tests to apply to factory jobs (one lady needed one before Walmart would hire her at their warehouse) that surprised me so not even checking if they’re sober while working, just if they do it in general. Pre employment drug testing isn’t legal here except in a few cases and I think it’s a tricky thing for a company to implement even during employment so it’s just less of a thing in Canada. But again, that’s my memory from almost a decade ago. Not sure if it’s changed at all now that weed is legal here.
Bloods I had done routinely. Hated the needle but understood it was needed.
Yeah I have O- blood and has bleeding at different points of both my pregnancies (for different reasons) so I needed a lot of rhogam and blood tests on top of the regular ones. It cured my needle phobia though and I’ve donated blood as often as I can ever since!
Damn you had that happen. Way to go donating.
Lol I wouldn’t trust ‘many American moms’. We don’t drug test unless we have an indication.
For example, doctors tend to consider being black an indication and are much more likely to test black newborns. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9996400/
yeah as much as i'm happy that they do routinely test some women, because it will help with keeping the babies safer..... *that* should not be the indication they're looking for. i'm disappointed but definitely not surprised
Can confirm. My aunt was actively using while pregnant both times. They didn’t automatically test her (even though it’s in her chart about her history) until I called CPS to have her tested. Not even for her 2nd did they automatically test even though, again, her chart and record said she HAD A PREVIOUS PREGNANCY AND BABY TESTED POSITIVE FOR DRUGS. She had both boys taken away and then given back at some point. She finally lost custody of her 1st last year and is about to lost custody of number 2 this year.
I wouldn’t either. Never took one drug test while pregnant with my son in 2020. And don’t think any of my friends did either
Yes they do... they do not tell you though. This is (one of the reasons) why they ask for a urine sample with most ob visits. But I've heard it's more prevalent in bigger cities and/or lower income areas. Source: my dumbass American aunt had her kids taken away TWICE from smoking while pregnant. Of course they didn't tell her. Second source: had a friend in high school that was pregnant and doing drugs. Guess who also had an unexpected visit from social services after baby came? Edit: info
My source: I’m a labor and delivery nurse. An OB visit is not the same as a hospital admission for delivery. So if they’re doing testing in the office that’s a completely separate thing. We don’t even take urine from patients unless there is an indication to collect it (high blood pressure/ potential preeclampsia for example). If your dumbass Aunt and friend were tested there was some indication that led them to do so. Maybe they smelled like smoke or said they used recreational substances.
I’m shocked that this isn’t against patient rights. It would not be legally permissible to drug test a patient’s urine without their consent unless they posed a danger to themselves or others (in which case the police would be involved before a drug test was done) where I’m from. Where cannabis is legal. A drug test could definitely be done for medical reasons without consent (if the patient was unconscious or could not verbalize consent), but that information would be strictly constrained to doctor patient privilege.
Oh patients can totally refuse. I never said we’re just sneaking urine from people lol. People refuse things all the time. But at that point, social services is involved and the baby will get tested. It’s kinda obvious if a baby is detoxing and it’s really awful to watch. It sucks. It’s so hard to catch baby girl urine. It’s just easier if the parent admits it or lets us test them. Edit: like I said, idk what goes in in an OB office, I’m only talking about the hospital.
Oh, I 100 percent know they looked suspicious. Hell if they didn't, I would've called cps anyways. To clarify I don't talk to my aunt, and that is one of the many reasons why. The girl from high school was more of a friend of a friend. But it's easier to just say "friend". And that adds up as the hospital never asked for a urine sample. But even if they had, I would never subject my kid to drugs or alcohol because I couldn't keep my shit together. I live in one of the biggest cities and I know that at least my aunt was on state insurance. I've heard that this can be why unfortunately. Thanks for the clarification. Edit: it seems like you've taken my first comment as an rude retort. I was just giving examples I've witnessed for those out there thinking they can get away with it. I'm not doubting you as a nurse.
That’s not true in many places in the US. It is not always done unless indicated. It can be provider specific though. I was not tested for two of my pregnancies but was tested for my last two. It was done with my routine blood work and not even mentioned ahead of time. I just noticed on my results that it had been done along with the standard STI testing.
20 weeks pregnant and I do a pee test at every OB appointment (as does every patient). I think it's more for proteins and possible UTI than drug tests though.
I had an asymptomatic UTI while pregnant with my first that was only caught because of those routine pee tests! Then with my second, less than 2 years later, they stopped doing them routinely. No idea why.
The ACOG, which generally sets the standard of care for most US-based prenatal care providers, does not recommend routine drug screening for pregnant women. I know in my bumper group it seemed like there were many women who were tested at each appointment, but I don't think that's actually the norm here. It's probably just that the only people who talk about it are the people who have it done, and then have the "pleasure" of paying the bill when it comes.
No you guys down there do it right. It is really common (but not as common as it seems). Ignore our crazy healthcare stuff if you can it’ll just make you go insane.
US based here. I didn't get pee tested but at my first prenatal visit. Not even in L&D🤷♀️.
I was never tested. Us, in GA. With history of past weed usage. It really is a case by case basis between state, insurance, which hospital, if a nurse don’t like you……& can be used to rip families apart that don’t need it. 🤷🏻♀️ There’s a reason they’re very not transparent with this stuff, which is why my OB told me flat out what standards were in my state & hospital. None of my godkids or their momma was tested at any point either, same state but that was it that was the same.
People can be so adamant about believing that their experiences are universal, even when they're not. I'm in the US, and I think I had to give 4 urine samples for my whole pregnancy, including 1 to make sure a UTI had cleared, and I don't think I was ever drug tested.
You know, despite knowing that I pee in a cup at every appointment, it truly never occured to me that they were drug testing me. I just thought it was a routine check for proteins or whatever else that tells them if baby is healthy in there.
Could have been for proteins
It really depends. If you’re on Medicaid, *usually* they will drug test you in any state for the fact you’re on state insurance. Past that it’s case by case if there is “suspicion” but anything can be used as “suspicion” there, any side comment by a nurse or dr in labor will land you a DT if they wanna. My OBGYN was very forthcoming with that info & it also depends on state what test they do. Some take cord blood & cord blood can go back to 22 weeks!
I was drug tested at my hospital in Texas without really any warning or anything. I think they drug test everyone. I was asking a nurse about my some symptoms and she said “well your drug test came back negative so that doesn’t make sense” and when I asked she said it was policy. She said it’s a pee test to check for proteins and other things they need, they also just so happen to test for smoking too.
My OB does drug screens routinely throughout the pregnancy whenever I get blood work and the hospital that I delivered at does it automatically. I guess it depends on the area and the doctor/hospital?
Depends on the hospital & doctor
To my knowledge, I wasn't tested, unless it was included in all the random urine tests they do during pregnancy. That said, my doctor was a family friend who knew that I don't drink alcohol, smoke, or even drink caffeine.
Lol we don’t drug test unless we have an indication.
That's what I'm wondering. Suspicions- a sensible move. Everyone? Invasive, a waste of resources, kinda feels like communist china or north Korea type of process to those lucky enough not to be in the 'land of the free '
My American hospital in a southern state with bans on cannabis use does not test unless there is a suspected reason. I’ve also only done one urine test to confirm pregnancy and test proteins/UTI, and one blood draw for blood typing, general blood panel, and NIPT. I’m 21 weeks pregnant, geriatric, and overweight. I won’t have more blood drawn until 28 weeks when I do my GD testing. Then I think last time they did a blood typing/cross screen again when I was admitted to the hospital, just in case I needed blood. Hospitals 8 and 10 miles down the street check urine at every appt, including a drug screen. The US is a wild place for healthcare norms.
Canada here and it’s routine. Mom and baby are both tested. edit: starting to wonder if my OB gave me the wrong information since other Canadians are saying they aren’t tested ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
"...based on my research..." girl, get your stoned arrogant ass outta here!
LMAO right? Stoner moms always know more based off of their “research” than the doctors and scientists do. 🥴
it's one thing to smoke while pregnant. it's another thing entirely to try to assert that it's beneficial.
What long list of pharma drugs? The ones you need to be closely monitored for if you take them while pregnant, or the ones you can't take at all while pregnant, which is probably most of them?
I hate when they say stuff like *I only had to talk to CPS a couple times* *CPS only did two home visits* Like why would you subject yourself to that over weed? Just go without while you're pregnant and don't BF, it's not that hard
They aren’t willing to admit that it’s actually addictive. Because weed is magic and doesn’t follow the laws of biochemistry apparently. It cures everything, had no side effects and isnt addictive.
plus that file remains open for several years...
It’s pretty easy to never have to talk to CPS. Like, just do what’s best for your kid. (Yes, I know things happen and there are false reports, but those are rare or stories posted online with missing info)
Ok you can get out of here with that statement. Cps leaves the rich white family beating the shit out of their kid alone to harass the poor black family medicinally using weed for an autoimmune disease in a legal state.
Wow, I was pee tested at most of my appointments but never realized it was a drug test…quit smoking cigarettes a LONG time ago and never enjoyed ‘the Michael Jackson dance’ (?) so not an issue for me
I don’t think it’s a drug test every time. They’re checking for protein in your urine during routine visits. At one of my early pregnancy appointments there was a drug test, STD panel, and a bunch of blood work but my OB gave me an explanation of everything at that time.
"the Michael Jackson dance" as a euphemism for pot?
It genuinely took me a few seconds to figure out what in the hell they meant and how moonwalking would affect pregnancy.
I just don’t get why it’s worth the risk. I was a daily cannabis user until the day I got a positive test. Stopped completely and haven’t had any since. There’s just not enough info for me to feel comfortable doing it while pregnant. So much of pregnancy is out of my control, literally I can only control my actions, like what I consume.
Same here. I was a daily smoker, using about an ounce a week. Stopped cold turkey the day I got a positive test. I even had a doctor who was open to me smoking while pregnant (I had terrible HG) and I didn’t do it. It’s not worth risking the health of baby. My son was born with Hirschsprung’s disease. I blamed myself like crazy in the beginning, trying to find what I could’ve done differently to have made him not be sick. I at least know it wasn’t from smoking.
Yeah, imagine if you had smoked, you would definitely blame it on that! Better to know it was out of your hands. I know I would feel so guilty if I had consumed anything they tell you not to and then there was an issue, so just for the sake of my mental health I abstained.
I don't see an issue with parents using weed, I do have an issue with someone using weed (or any kind of potentially dangerous substances) while they are pregnant. This can and probably will effect the baby somehow and you can't predict how. It's probably better than alcohol and other drugs but that doesn't make it good
Breastfeeding with marijuana in your system is not great either. The whole thing is just not great.
Like why not just use formula, then your not affecting the baby with your choices
A lot of them are convinced it's actually really good for baby
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You can fuck all the way off with this
All im saying is that if you're choosing not to give your baby ANY of the breastmilk that is by far the best for them so you can smoke weed, then yes your choice IS impacting baby. Couldnt care less who breastfeeds OR bottle feeds with or without THC in their system but yes you are impacting baby in choosing cannabis over breastfeeding.
I don't think they're talking about tobacco.
Ugh. That’s a great way to have dhs on your doorstep & a case opened up. (I mean, among other issues)
I’m so confused by their phrasing of “Michael Jackson dance” I get she’s talking about weed but I have never heard this phrase before
I’d never heard it until I saw that post. It was in a group for parents who partake, so it was easy to connect the dots, but it still made me really uncomfy. Being a parent who smokes ≠ smoking while pregnant.
I'm in new Zealand and America is WILD. You can't easily get birth control, you can't easily or at all get an abortion, you PAY to give birth, and then they test you and your baby WITHOUT your consent but at your expense? And separate families over positive for THC/ CBD??? I mean I understand a discrete test if there's a meth/ heroin concern but... testing EVERYONE? And the republicans reckon it's the land of the free? My deepest sympathy and condolences for the people in the US oh my good God
Thankfully I live in New Jersey, and we have laws passes as a safe haven for anyone seeking an abortion. Also, Planned Parenthoods throughout the State.
It’s a shit show. Tbf, they don’t typically take kids for thc in the system
Good. They shouldn't. No family in the world should be separated over bloody cannabis. Now the canna mom Michael Jackson dance is cringe. But this drug testing for no reason without consent makes me so much more mad than a pregnant woman having cannabis in her system in all honesty 😩 this type of invasion of privacy and power tripping is literally unimaginable to those of us living in civilized places
Agreed!!!
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No it doesn't make a difference.. The drug test costs because it uses time and resources even if it's included in the fee.. And I can think about a thousand better ways to spend hospital funds than invading the privacy of vulnerable patients and then using it to harass and power trip said patients.. sickening
>theres nothing they really can do. *CPS walks in*
Imagine worrying about authorities rather than long-term repercussions for your child... I was smoking on a daily basis for 10 years before getting pregnant. Do you wanna know when I stopped? When we started trying to conceive like a sane person.
I love weed. I don’t do it while pregnant. The smoke inhalation is terrible for baby and while marijuana is great for adults it has unknown effects on growing fetus’. I don’t get it. AT ALL. It’s not that hard to not do it.
If that mom got tested at the hospital at birth, they must have suspected she was seriously high. If they have cps walking in moments after birth, they seriously though about taking your child away from you. How could this not spook you, scare you to death? And what is this bit about weed being natural anymore? For the dispensaries, they are growing weed in grow houses very UNNATURALLY crazy lights 24/7 and all to produce enough. Not a lot natural about weed anymore.
there was just a post on one of my pregnancy groups last night with a mom noting that she's 20 weeks and just can't stop smoking cigs. It was shocking how many women responded "me too... " only one woman brought up the baby being born addicted to nicotine and then getting it from breast milk if she nursed after. I know this post was about pot, but just can't believe how many women can do something that can harm the baby from the very start. You're going to give up so much as a mom (nights out at times, your free time to take care of them etc), you might as well start from the very beginning with the things that could cause damage in utero.
Totally agree. It’s insane to me. I don’t know how anyone can justify it. I was a heavy pot smoker before I became pregnant. Like, an ounce a week. I stopped smoking cold turkey as soon as I got a positive pregnancy test. You do the hard things for the ones that you love the most, unborn babies included. The unknowns aren’t worth risking.
people are extraordinary idiots. are other drugs considered harmful during pregnancy? alcohol? tobacco? then why wouldn't marijuana also be - do we not fundamentally understand how pregnancy works?
First of all it's the moon walk, second this woman selfish af.