Do you think pregnant woman should be hospitalized or made to go into rehab if they fail a drug test?

Teresa - posted on 03/04/2012

Sorry, but considering that I'm allergic and spend my days coughing constantly since I have neighbors that smoke.... Like I KNOW, it's not a popular opinion, but it is mine. I happen to like being able to breathe and I miss it thanks to that disgusting habit completely beyond my control (kind of how it's out of control of an innocent fetus or child).

Sherri - posted on 03/04/2012

Drugs yes rehab. A severe alcoholic rehab yes



An occasional glass of wine drinker or cigarette smoker no!!!



@Teresa sorry I marked your post funny because smoking cigarettes amts to child endangerment actually made me chuckle.

Medic - posted on 02/29/2012

Hell yes I think that there should be some harsh punishment for those women. My neice is 6, her mom was 17 when she had her, she was too young to drink, too young to smoke. My beautiful perfect neice has fetal alcohol syndrome, no one noticed until she turned 3. She now gets picked on daily, has ticks she cannot control, is low MR high low functioning, is repeating kinder, cannot function in a normal environment. I had custody of her from a year old till she was 3, her mom never officially lost rights is now allowed to come and go as she pleases because "at least she is making an effort". Is pregnant again and BAR TENDING! I feel horrible for this baby, I am the one that has to look my neice in the face when she tells me why she has no friends and why the kids at school make fun of her. It IS 100% because of a decision her "mother" (or whatever we want to call her) made that was 100% avoidable. Her mother should be the one that gets to explain to MY 5 year old why his cousin is different. He hurts for her because he understands what the kids are saying about her. Lock them up, people should have the ability and right to fuck up their own lives but they should not have the right to fuck up their kids lives.

Lacieann - posted on 02/27/2012

Since it's mostly for the safety of the baby, cold turkey would be a bad idea of course.



I think I would support state or federal legislation for something like this. What caveats do you think there would have to be for something like this to be accepted as law?

Kelina - posted on 02/27/2012

My first instinct to this is absolutely to rehab. But there's this niggling little voice n the back of my head asking waht would happen if an addict were forced to go cold turkey. Would their body still be able to support the pregnancy? There's all sorts of side effects associated with withdrawals would those really be the safest route for the baby? http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/wit... "Suddenly stopping alcohol or tranquilizers can lead to seizures, strokes, or heart attacks in high risk patients. A medically supervised detox can minimize your withdrawal symptoms and reduce the risk of dangerous complications. Some of the dangerous symptoms of alcohol and tranquillizer withdrawal are:



Grand mal seizures

Heart attacks

Strokes

Hallucinations

Delirium tremens (DTs)"





They mention that medically supervised detox is a safer option for these people. Rarely do people have just one go to, I'd be of the opinion that something like that would probably be better for pregnant women too. Having an optional rehab center open for women who find themselves pregnant for things like smoking as well I think would be an awesome idea.

Lacieann - posted on 02/26/2012

I agree that pot should be legalized but it can still do damage to an unborn baby so I think if they find it in someone's system after they know they are pregnant they should be penalized.



Even light drinking may pose risks to an unborn baby, but for penalization to occur it would have to be a detectable amount found after a woman knows she's prego which is unlikely to happen with a light drinker.



I smoked during my pregnancy ( I quit completely at the 6 month mark and was down to one or two cigarettes a day for two months before that) and I know I would have quit much sooner if there was a center where I could have stayed for a week or two for rehab.

Mother - posted on 02/24/2012

Me too Deborah. Marijuana should have been legalized years ago...decades ago...but they are slow to change!!

Teresa - posted on 02/24/2012

Yes! If a pregnant woman is doing drugs/alcohol or even smoking cigarettes (that probably won't be a popular opinion, but oh well) they should be given a choice.... put in rehab or put in jail. It's definitely child abuse/endangerment.

Deborah - posted on 02/24/2012

I think it depends on what drugs and to what severity. If there is a high amount of hard illegal substances, then rehab, absolutely.



I honestly think marijuana should be legalized, or at the very least decriminalized, so I don't include that in my opinion, but meth, heroin, acid, and the like, well, those women need help. If there are high doses of the drug in their system, they should be kept in a rehab facility until the baby is born, but if they show/demonstrate an honest attempt to quit, than they should have an outpatient option. Lots of women don't know they're pregnant until they've past the 1-2 month mark, and some states (Florida) won't give prenatal care until the woman has hit her 12 week mark (my fiance's ex lost a set of twins because they wouldn't give her prenatal care prior to her 12 week mark...)



So it really depends on circumstance. I think a 'light' drug user who attempts to quit after she finds out shouldn't be forced to do those kind of things, but stupid women who don't take care of themselves should be put in rehab, with a very real possibility of the state taking the baby if the mother doesn't show improvement regarding her addiction.



Cigarettes and booze, no. I drank with all three of my kids (BEFORE I knew I was pregnant), and I shouldn't have to go to rehab because of that. With all three pregnancies I had wine on new years, but I don't/didn't drink any more than that, minus a sip of something I wanted to try here and there (*I would frequently be a DD with my daughter and my son, so if someone got something tasty I would have a little sip to try it...who is gonna resist a chocolate martini?*). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome usually happens with heavy drinkers, so someone who is smart about consumption, and someone who does it VERY rarely, shouldn't be penalized.



Smoking is a very hard habit to break, so if the state wants to provide a way for pregnant smokers to quit by providing a smoke-free facility that will aid them in quitting, than sure. I think most people have problems quitting because quitting is the only thing that they are trying to change. If they are removed from that environment and forced to re-establish a routine without smoking, it would be easier to re-enter their home environment smoke-free.

Amanda - posted on 02/23/2012

I think they should be forced into rehab and charged for using any illegal drugs while pregnant. I work in a jail and I get so sick of seeing these girls come in having used all sorts of drugs. Then they have to be put on methadone so that they don't lose the baby while they are withdrawing from the drugs, so the babies are still born hooked on the methadone. And the only time these girls usually are concerned about their babies is when they think that does of methadone might be late or if they think they can get the doctor to up the dosage. And God forbid we inconvenience them by making them stay up after breakfast to go to ob check ups or the methadone clinic. Grrrr

Jennifer - posted on 02/23/2012

Thank you, Kelly. I know it's not right to throw all those women i one class, but I get so protective of my kids!



The cigs and booze also tick me off, but I don't think it could be banned. I also bought beer and skoal for hubby while I was pregnant. I really didn't think much about it. I also bought a HUGE amount for a family reunion in my 7th month......never drank a drop though! Oh, I also went to a bar while preggo!! A friend was on a pool league, and we went to hang out, I went and ordered a round for everyone and got a funny look. I told the bar maid the juice was for me, and she gave me the order, but she did kinda circle our area and 'keep an eye on me'. I thought she was pretty cool!! I was glad they had banned smoking in bars a few months before, or I would not have been able to go, and it was a fun evening!

Lacieann - posted on 02/22/2012

I know it would never actually be illegal, but I don't think that a store clerk should be criticized if they won't sell it.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 02/22/2012

I don't think you'd be able to outlaw selling alcohol or cigarettes to anyone who was of age. My brother was visiting while I was (very) pregnant with my first. We ran to the store. My husband called and asked us to get him a pack of cigarettes and a 6 pack. My brother was only 19 at the time so I had to buy it. I wasn't too thrilled at the hubby for asking me to get those things, but I wouldn't have been happy if I couldn't buy something for him.

Lacieann - posted on 02/22/2012

I feel that they should be placed in rehab until the birth of their baby and be charged with child endangerment.



After the birth I think that the baby should be given to a guardian (hopefully someone in the family that is stable) and the mom can work to get custody back after staying clean and being in therapy for a year or so, maybe two.



I don't know about think the only "trimester limitation" would be if they were using only before they knew they were pregnant. But that would be really hard to enforce.



I do think that selling alcohol and cigarettes to pregnant woman should be illegal... or at least stores shouldn't be punished for choosing to not sell them to obviously pregnant woman. again though, that could end up being a touchy subject.

Mother - posted on 02/22/2012

WOW!! Powerful comment Jennifer. So sorry for what you have endured. I can't say I disagree with anything you've said. I can't see your opinion being judged harshly....you're speaking from experience and hurt. {{huggs}}

Jennifer - posted on 02/22/2012

Not gonna be a popular opionion, I fear, because it is based on my experience with special needs kids, my own adopted kids, and a few other loosers I've known- and my being a pro-lifer- and being mad as hell........



But if it was up to me, pregnant woman who are caught doing drugs should be locked up. And as soon as the baby is born, it should be taken away. For ever. No questions. Even if she got it 'second-hand'. I think she should be charged with child indangerment. I think these women are lower than pond scum and should be treated as such.



I have never witnessed a 'mom' who did drugs during pregnancy make a recovery, at least not long term. If they can't even protect their child while it is so easy, how are they gonna manage a toddler or teen? I see the same moms who caused their kids problems, coming to school to pick them up high, drunk, with abusive bf/gf, you name it!! And in most cases, the 'damage' that caused the mom to use drugs in first place, just becomes more apparent and just as damanging to the child in their rare 'clean' times.



That is what my kids bio is like. She'll clean up, and then she will start calling. To apoligize? No, to stir the pot! She will start all kinds of crap, then we start coming down on her, her 'self-esteem' suffers(what her counsilor told us) and she goes back to drugs.Then it is our fault of course! Seen it time and again with several woman! My brother married a woman who had been through this. I really love her, and so did my whole family. We supported her trying to get her kids back. We were mad as hell that she had to jump through all the hoops. Thank God she did. Right before she got her daughter, she went on a bender. Took my brother 3 months to find her. That was 8 years ago. They were married for another 4 years, but my SIL could not stay clean. Yes, someone else hurt her, badly (my kids bio, too) and I can feel sorry for them, but I will not accept that as an excuse for what they are doing to their own kids! I and my husband have both had tough lives, too, and we don't act like that!



I do understand that my attitude about this comes from my anger, and say what you will, but I won't be making any laws or policies, it's just my thoughts.



As for the baby, in all likely hood, he will be ok. With good care after birth, his chances of becoming a productive citizen are quite good. Expect him to be an extremely cranky baby!! "Colic" is very common. He probably will not sleep well. He may not feed well. Accept that there will be times you will be frazzled and stressed, and NOTHING will help him calm down. Give yourself permission to put him down and walk away at those times. It will not hurt him for you to take a break, and some doctors I know even say they think that holding and moving a baby like this causes them pain or upsets them more. I've seen babies that were like train wrecks come out of it and be fine though! Be aware of milestones, and if he misses two or more, let his doctor know(most babies it is three or more) As long as you are aware, and keep his doctor informed, he will get the help he needs. If he is not going to be normal, there is not much you can do, other than therapy to help him be his personal best. Accept all the good help you can get. The parents I've seen who are the best are the one's who are involved, but know when they need a break. BTW, I use 'he' because boys who need special services outnumber girls three to one. I don't know if that is because boys are more easily damaged, or if something invitro causes more boys, or possibly because girls are easier to handle.

Mother - posted on 02/22/2012

The very fact that woman is being drug tested already speaks VOLUMES!!! While my insides are screaming put her in rehab...I don't think they can forcibly do this. The odds of a drug addict getting prenatal care if they were trying to abort is highly unlikely. I'm hoping if she is getting prenatal care...it shows she cares about the baby and will stop the drugs.