Maggie Downs had been pregnant before, as she describes to narrative.ly, but this was the first time she went into labor.
Maggie’s first pregnancy sadly ended in miscarriage, and although pregnancy is supposed to be an exciting time in a woman’s life, Maggie instead, was filled with worry. Due to her previous miscarriage, however, Maggie was extra careful this time around.
“No alcohol, no deli foods, nothing raw, undercooked or smoked,” Maggie wrote on narrative.ly. “The bulk of my produce was organic, my drinking water purified through a reverse-osmosis system. I used clove oil on a persistent toothache instead of visiting the dentist, because I didn’t want any anesthetic to pass through my body and into the placenta.”
When Maggie finally went into labor, a nurse followed her into the bathroom and said, “Just so you know, you’ve tested positive for methamphetamine.” The mom-to-be bursts into laughter, because there was no way this could be possible. She insists on taking another urine sample, sure that this was some mistake, and positive that the test would come up negative. But, sure enough, Maggie again tested positive for meth.
The nurse starts telling Maggie that a few things are going to happen at this point:
“The baby will be tested for drugs. The hospital social worker will meet with me before I can be discharged. Child Protective Services will be contacted to evaluate my fitness as a parent. And of course, you cannot breastfeed the baby,” the nurse told Maggie.
She immediately ripped the oxygen mask away and asked the doula, “Can they do that?” Her doula responds, “I don’t know.”
The entire 42 weeks Maggie has been pregnant, the only “drugs” she’s put into her system are prenatal vitamins, and the doctor-approve inhaled for her asthma. And, suddenly, it dawned on Maggie. “The inhaler!” she exclaimed. According to drugs.com, there’s a list of drugs that can lead to a false positive for methamphetamine, including:
“Ephedrine, Sudafed, Bayer Sinus Pain Relief, Vicks inhaler nasal spray, asthma medications, and so on.”
Maggie and her husband insisted this was the case, but the nurses wouldn’t listen, and told her to take it to Child Protective Services. So for three weeks when Maggie was supposed to be enjoying time with her newborn, she tried to clear her name and for the hospital and social worker to prove she wasn’t using drugs.
Finally, Maggie and her husband received a phone call from the social worker saying Maggie was indeed not on drugs. After the call, Maggie contemplated what to do next, but instead writes, “My son is asleep against my shoulder, and I don’t want to disrupt him. Instead I walk over to the patio door, pull open the blinds, and for the first time in weeks, let the light in.”
Here is Maggie below with her healthy son Everest.
Can you believe the hospital did this to Maggie? Has anything like this ever happened to you?
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[Featured Image Credit: News12- Maggie Downs]
Pregnant Mom Is Horrified When She Tests Positive For Meth is an article from: LifeDaily