September 2015 Moms

smoking weed, cps

Hi mommys okay first off I am writing this post for ANSWERS not to be JUDGED I am currently 18 weeks and 5 days and only yesterday did I fully quit smoking weed. I smoked because it helped me so much with my morning sickness and to get a appetite. . . I am reading everywhere that they test the baby's urine, first poop, cord blood ect when the baby is born. . my question is how far back can all of those test go ? (The poop, pee, cord blood) and will they take my baby from me because of it? I heard its a new law in Florida please someone give me accurate answers and experiences .. . will I be okay since i quit? Or Will the THC appear?
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Re: smoking weed, cps

  • I can't say for sure but I used to be somewhat involved in drug testing for a company I worked for. With 20+ weeks of sobriety under your belt by that point from a testing standpoint you would likely be okay. If I remember right, at that point only a hair test could (maybe) go back that far. Good for you in taking this step!
  • Idk Florida's laws on this. I do know that we have a lot of ladies drive here (Asheville, Nc) from Tennessee cuz they will test and arrest mothers for testing positive for weed there. I find this crazy cuz a lot of these moms don't get prenatal care because they are too afraid the dr will test, and they will end up giving birth in jail.
    I'm not saying it's ok to smoke pot while preggo. I am saying that criminalizing it causes more harm to the baby than good.

    As far as how long it's in your system, I would assume the same amount of time to be out of your system as a non pregnant person. But I don't have any specific knowledge on this.
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  • It took my best friend a couple months to get the thc out of her system. You should be ok :) drink your water and sweat but you have plenty of time to be in the clear.
  • runner636runner636 member
    edited May 2015
    I don't know the medical side of things, so I'm not sure how long that stuff stays in their system, but I do know the social services side - legally, they can remove a child who tests positive at birth. The thing is, social services isn't looking for a way to take kids out of their home, they're looking for ways to keep kids in the home (or return them home ASAP) - within reason. If you haven't used in months and you're obviously committed to being a parent, no social worker would even want to remove a child and no judge would sign an order for removal even if they did. The best thing you can do right now though is to talk with your doctor, ask how long it takes to leave yours and baby's system, make sure its safe to go off cold turkey, and see what resources there are for pregnant mothers who have used or are using substances so that if (slim slim chance) it's a problem, you can easily show that you have been working on it for months and are fully committed to staying clean. Bottom line is, yes legally they could remove, but I would not be at all worried as long as you do not use again.
  • Thc sticks to fat cells. Before I got pregnant it took me 4 months to get clean from weed with no exercise and I'm 200 lbs. Every time you smoke it sets you back 45 days. So stay clean and drink water. Really, you'll be fine.
  • On the bump for 21 weeks it says that baby's first bowel movement is beginning to form. I'm not sure if it had started sooner than that. I"m assuming since that stays in the baby the whole rest of the time, if it's there now, it might still be there at birth. This is no way shape or form medical advice, but since you said you stopped around 18 weeks, it's likely there won't be anything. 
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  • I don't think hospitals here (KY) routinely check for drug use unless the mother/baby is symptomatic. Usually it takes pot about 30 days to get out of your system, unless you're heavier like me and @sphillips18 and then it takes a couple weeks longer. A salvia test goes back 3 days, and a hair test can show drug usage for years, but is expensive to test which is why it isn't common.
  • I couldn't agree more with @piscesmommy222. I sure hope this is a lifetime change you are making.
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  • I'm not sure how things work everywhere, but I know here where I live they always check baby's poo etc for lots of reasons, they aren't looking for drugs and no one is out there to get you. They would only specifically look for drugs if they had suspicion or good reason (like you've had children taken from you in the past) but I also know that they can go pretty far back with the samples they collect. Just because the THC is out of your urinary system in 30-45 days doesn't mean they still can't get a positive sample from another means. Overall, I wouldn't worry unless you think they have some other reason to test you. Even if they did open an investigation on you doesn't mean they would take or keep your baby. The ultimate goal is to always keep children with their parents whenever possible.
  • I don't think hospitals here (KY) routinely check for drug use unless the mother/baby is symptomatic. Usually it takes pot about 30 days to get out of your system, unless you're heavier like me and @sphillips18 and then it takes a couple weeks longer. A salvia test goes back 3 days, and a hair test can show drug usage for years, but is expensive to test which is why it isn't common.

    I don't know about for the rest of KY but in northern KY and Cincinnati area because of the heroin epidemic new laws have been passed in the last year that require every single mom be drug tested (I'm not sure if it's urine or blood) upon being triaged in L&D. If youre urine pops positive for anything, state law requires baby be kept in the hospital for 72 hours to monitor for withdrawal symptoms since they take a minimum of 48 hours to show up. It doesn't mean baby will be removed from you and it doesn't mean baby isn't in your custody in the hospital it just means they can't be discharged at the normal 24 hours.

    I have some chronic health issues and have to take narcotic pain medication daily so I've discussed this in depth with my OB and hospital social worker. Since my med is prescribed by a physician as a medical treatment its a diffferent situation but even with it being explained baby will still be held and tested at birth so they know what to watch for. I know I will have a positive drug test because of the Norco I take.

    As for the THC, chances are they will test your urine/blood for drugs and only if that pops positive do they test baby. It's not normal protocol to test every baby being born for drugs if there is no reason to believe mom is on drugs based on a negative drug test. If you stop using now, I'm sure that it will be out of your system by the time baby is born. Your body metabolizes things even faster when pregnant.

    I'd also strongly encourage you to be honest and open with your OB/midwife about your drug use. I have no judgment for you but your medical team needs to know what's going on. They can work with you and help you get any resources you may need to continue a healthy lifestyle for the remainer of your pregnancy. As pp said, social services doesn't want to take kids unless they absolutely have to. In having a dialogue with your Dr now it will further prove you were honest about your situation and have been working on sobriety.

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  • Ps many drug affected newborns show up"healthy" at birth and later develop issues with their IQ, motor skills, sensory processing disorders, ADD, ADHD, impulse control problems, immune issues, the list goes on and on.

    Both are now 6 years old, one had twins, they are at the top of the class school wise and have no behavioural problems. The other is the same, highly intellectual.

    Again I am not justifying it! Just that that isn't always the case.
  • I understand. That is very true.the average age for drug impact to show full effect is middle school/high school though.
  • My best friend was a crack baby. She's 25 now, always did well in school and is a fantastic artist. Not everyone ends up the same.
  • @mybabynumber2 No need to be rude.

    It is common sense that if I'm saying I am raising a child with life long consequences from her birth mother's drug use, and then you reply saying that you know women who did drugs and everything was fine and babies are tougher than we think (when you have no first hand direct experience) I might find that bothersome and inaccurate information.

    You knew what you were saying when you said it.

    I know what I said as I said it lol?? I wasn't aiming it at you personally, I mentioned you as what you said isn't always the case.
    I was looking out for the op, like I said in my previous post, I don't agree with it at all, I was trying to make the op feel better about it all.
  • My best friend was a crack baby. She's 25 now, always did well in school and is a fantastic artist. Not everyone ends up the same.

    Correct. I personally wouldn't choose to gamble with my baby's life.
  • Neither am I saying that. there are some selfish women out there who don't give a flying f**k about the baby their carrying. That's what I was trying to say before. Fortunately for them they went on to have healthy kids.

    Jeez that is all.
  • str13str13 member
    I don't know that AL tests everyone or not. I do hear about moms testing positive, but I don't know if it's routine or they were symptomatic.
    CPS does try to keep baby with mom though. I worked at a daycare where some parents had got into some sort of trouble and CPS had classes they could attend on different topics that the kids parents were taking in order to keep the kids in the home.
    At times I hear about children having to be removed, but meth is usually involved around here.
    I do agree with pp, I would tell your OB. That way everyone is on the same page and even though they may test you on delivery, you won't have to stress out about them finding out at delivery.
  • I don't think hospitals here (KY) routinely check for drug use unless the mother/baby is symptomatic. Usually it takes pot about 30 days to get out of your system, unless you're heavier like me and @sphillips18 and then it takes a couple weeks longer. A salvia test goes back 3 days, and a hair test can show drug usage for years, but is expensive to test which is why it isn't common.

    I don't know about for the rest of KY but in northern KY and Cincinnati area because of the heroin epidemic new laws have been passed in the last year that require every single mom be drug tested (I'm not sure if it's urine or blood) upon being triaged in L&D. If youre urine pops positive for anything, state law requires baby be kept in the hospital for 72 hours to monitor for withdrawal symptoms since they take a minimum of 48 hours to show up. It doesn't mean baby will be removed from you and it doesn't mean baby isn't in your custody in the hospital it just means they can't be discharged at the normal 24 hours.

    I have some chronic health issues and have to take narcotic pain medication daily so I've discussed this in depth with my OB and hospital social worker. Since my med is prescribed by a physician as a medical treatment its a diffferent situation but even with it being explained baby will still be held and tested at birth so they know what to watch for. I know I will have a positive drug test because of the Norco I take.

    As for the THC, chances are they will test your urine/blood for drugs and only if that pops positive do they test baby. It's not normal protocol to test every baby being born for drugs if there is no reason to believe mom is on drugs based on a negative drug test. If you stop using now, I'm sure that it will be out of your system by the time baby is born. Your body metabolizes things even faster when pregnant.

    I'd also strongly encourage you to be honest and open with your OB/midwife about your drug use. I have no judgment for you but your medical team needs to know what's going on. They can work with you and help you get any resources you may need to continue a healthy lifestyle for the remainer of your pregnancy. As pp said, social services doesn't want to take kids unless they absolutely have to. In having a dialogue with your Dr now it will further prove you were honest about your situation and have been working on sobriety.

    I live in Kentucky and I haven't heard of the required test after birth but I think they only do it if they are suspicious of the mother using during pregnancy.
  • I didn't end up reading every post so I hope this isn't repeating any information. I'm not sure how much you smoked during your pregnancy but I have heard that quiting cold turkey if you've smoked during the first 2-3 months of pregnancy can result in the baby going into shock. This is pregnant lady gossip/hear say though so I would do some research on that.

    My friend smoked through pregnancy and her baby is healthy. Her mother smoked through pregnancy and all of her children were healthy physically but had behavioral issues that may have been triggered by the drug use during breast feeding and pregnancy (based on what I read on the subject and this particular family). So it may be something you should watch for over time. :) I hope everything works out for you.
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