This is not pertaining to me but my sister!! My sister is pregnant at the same time as me and its okay I guess but she and I are not close becuase she runs with a bad crowd. She called me crying today wanting to know an answer to something that I seriously did not know the answer to- so I need your help. She wanted to know if they drug test every mother and newborn automatically...She has smoked pot about one week ago, and I hate asking this b/c I am embarrassed to call her family but I had no other way of trying to find out for her. And if they do do they take the child away? Its ridiculous I know but she is supposebly quitting and she still is my sister and I just thought I would ask.
2006-10-12 05:59:22 · 26 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
It is not the usual practice in the U.S. for physicians to do drug screens on mothers or infants without some reason. Smoking marijuana during pregancy certainly show a disregard for the welfare of her child, but at least she is not intentionally killing it like the abortion industry promotes. Perhaps she would consider putting the child up for adoption if she cares so little for it.
Perhaps, you might get close to your sister and try to draw her away from this bad crowd. Sounds like a tough situation to be sure. Try to help her if you can. In the US she can talk about drug abuse with her physician without fear of losing her child in the process. However, I am puzzled with her idea of love in the first place.
2006-10-12 06:08:14 · answer #1 · answered by Nick â? 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
As far as I know there is no evidence that marijuana causes birth defects. It's the law the she should be worried about. If someone tells the medical people that drugs are/were involved, then they are obligated to notify the police and upon proof through blood or urine test, the patient can be arrested.
My second ex-wife smoked tons of pot during her last pregnancy. The little girl was born healthy, no problems. She seemed to take a little longer to do things but that may be because Mommy was still smoking and not being a very good mother. The baby is now 4 and I have been her Daddy most of her life. She is amazing and the funny-est little person I've ever seen.. She just does and says stuff that's really funny. Maybe the pot did that.
2006-10-12 13:07:20 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
well i'm not sure how the folks will react when you tell them.. if they'll get mad or consider you a home wrecker.. you see it's always your fault and not the perpetrators.
if the child is in any danger... social services can intervene.. but that's not a good solution either. it's really touchy actually what really happens when situations like this arise.
has your sister been in trouble before? was it the use of marijuanana or having possession of it? was she ever in trouble before?
is the fact that her use of the material is causing issues?
you really must think hard before you present any complications to a situation.
pot i don't consider an issue... but it is illegal. if her parenting is good and she has been very representable to the child and is a good provider.. then leave well enough alone.
but if there's problems and abuse... then you must consider if it is going to be well worth the effort and the outcome. when other people get involved due to any form of abuse or ill parenting it can be messy.
the child will be definatly effected pretty hard.
i never met a social worker i liked.. and child protective services can only do so much... foster homes can be just as bad as the original problem is not worse... adoption is a mess and it doesn't mean the child will find a stable home.
and the grandparents or other relatives getting involved with custody of the child can be a life long effort and you or the ones involved must be under scruteny until the child is of legal age.
take your time when you are about to affect other's lives.
it can be a mess.
it's never as easy as they claim it is or what they show on the news or shows.
alot of red tape and the emotional development of the child will be considerably altered.
i was raised by my grandparents, i'm glad but there was always red tape, they were always checked up on... my mother was a horrible mess and she did many drugs and couldn't even take care of herself and she was always in jail... my poor grandparents always having to drop by and prove they were caring for me and that my father was paying the child support which my grandparents had to distribute and take care of also....
it was complex and i knew i was under the microscope of the social services eye.
it was hard on my poor grandparents... here they were in their 50s now... taking care of a 7 year old and a 16 month old... it was tough and it was worth it.. but in our case our parents were really not fit to care for us.
and my other two siblings were in foster homes... one was in an abusive situation where the foster parents were frauding the system and the other was in a rather well kept enviroment but they never were around they always had the nanny take care of things.
2006-10-12 13:25:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One thing I do know is that depending on how far your sister is when they take blood samples which they do every so often it will show up. They can detect everything and when the baby is born they will do more test and take blood to see how they are doing if something doesn't loOK right. If she keeps doing it they will take her baby away until she gets help unless one of the family members take responsibility for it. Because she does this she has a more likely chance of giving her baby birth defects. You really need to talk to her about that. I was drinking constantly for 4 months until I found out I was 4 months pregnant. I gained 60 lbs after that and prayed to god that everything would be ok with my baby. I didn't drink during my pregnancy and haven't had anything to drink in a long time. But I told my doctor and luckily I wasn't far along. Those was the most critical stages but my son is perfectly healthy. Please get her some help or help her yourself she has to stop hanging out with those friends or she will never stop. Trust me I know.
Sincerely yours,
Laurie
2006-10-12 13:08:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of my son's lives in Arizona, they just had a boy, two weeks ago. YES! They automatically check the baby and the mother. I live in Idaho with my daughter, who is three weeks from delivery. YES! They check there too! I have a sister in California, baby 4 weeks ago! YES, they check there! I have a sister in Washington State, YES, they check there. I have a sister in Texas, new baby, almost one year. YES, they check there! This is something that is happening in virtually every State so you can do one of two things.
Talk to your hospital! Ask them you need to know what to expect. AKA What type of tests you and the baby will have after delivery. What kind of expense you will need to look forward to. If they give you a list of blood draws ask them the name of the test, what it means, how much will it cost and is it something you really need to have.
There are things you can do, but, I must warn you, if your sister is doing drugs while she is pregnant I suggest you give her a stern talking to. She has no right to put anything in her body that may harm the baby. Sorry, this is a very touch subject for me! I'm against every drug unless given by a doctor.
But, if your sister is calling you that means she loves and trusts you so tell her what you think!
She has another life growing inside of her. She has no right to give that life something against it's will. If she wants to do drugs she can Darn well wait and do them when she isn't giving them to someone who doesn't want them.
I am one of biggest cowards in this world. I smoked before my children but quit before I got pregnant and didn't start again until my children were grown. If I can stop smoking ciggs she can darn well do it!
Sorry again for swearing, like I said, kind of a touchy subject with me.
Or the second thing you can do is ignore it all and just let her be on her own. However, if it were my sister I would do what ever it took to help her get her act together.
Okay Little One, Good Luck with your new one, and don't be afraid to tell her what you think.
2006-10-12 13:25:28 · answer #5 · answered by wonderingmom 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think the only reason they would check the baby is if there was something wrong at birth. If she has been continually smoking pot, then she is taking the risk of her child having birth defects like blindness ( I know someone personally who did this). If its was a one tme thing, then she must really consider never doing it again. Everything that goes into her body also goes into the baby. Ask her to think about what she would do if there was something wrong with her baby. Is she prepared to take care of a child if its born with a defect?. Its ultimately her choice in how she lives and the things she does. And all you can do is pass on the information to her and trust that she will do the right thing. Good Luck..and God Bless you both. !!!!
Congratulations on the Baby Too !!!!
2006-10-12 13:11:57 · answer #6 · answered by lisa46151 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When they do an ob workup, they usually test for drugs so that they can help the mother if she does have a problem. Encourage your sister to talk honestly with her ob and to seek the help she may need to get clean. As long as she straightens up, they will not take the baby from her but if she continues in a bad lifestyle, she could face losing her baby. She also needs to understand that any drugs that she does while pregnant will hurt the baby. I'll be sure to keep you and your sister in my prayers!
2006-10-12 13:06:00 · answer #7 · answered by lilbitadevil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on where your sister lives. I'm in Nevada and they test both mom and baby. However, they do not take the baby away!!! They will have a social worker talk with her and make a plan. If there is reason to believe the baby is in immediate danger they might take the baby away. They do not remove babies that test positive for cocaine, meth and other drugs unless there are other issues!
2006-10-12 13:07:40 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well actually I had a friend who they suspected was on drugs because of they way her baby was developing and she tested positive for drugs and they had a social worker and everything in there and yes they did take her child away. So let her know to stop doing drugs if she still is.
2006-10-12 13:35:54 · answer #9 · answered by swtsuga19 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My sister is the same way, she smoked throughout her pregnancy and she was drug tested at the birth. Both her and her daughter tested positive for drugs, they gave the baby to one of our family members and retested my sister three months later. She then tested clean and got her daughter back, but it was a hard thing for her to go through. Tell your sister to quit smoking, she will cause severe damage to her unborn baby. Good luck and I know first hand how hard it is to be in this situation.
2006-10-12 13:03:47 · answer #10 · answered by justwondering 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋