St. Luke's Hospital in the Poconos took my best friend’s new born son due to prescribed medications being seen as drugs

[lcsparacio]

My best friend Mike (Michael O. Smith

 

[lcsparacio]

Not spam - Grace and Mike are great parents who just want their son back. This is a prescribed medication from a doctor. She has a recent pill bottle and they still wouldn’t accept that on top of the medical records.

 

[katrina2017]

@lcsparacio They need to go to their local news and publicly accuse the hospital of trying to steal their baby. Make others fear spending their money there

 

[rhino521]

@lcsparacio Any news?? I hope the start of a new work week brought some resolution to the situation!

 

[lcsparacio]

@rhino521 Update - April 13 2021
Julian is home but it looks like CYS is still involved. One step at a time. Thank you everyone for your support and interest.

Here is an update video:

 

[katrina2017]

@lcsparacio Did she not inform her doctors of all the medications she was on? Did it not come up during her prenatal care?

I am curious why they would assume amphetamines if they had a full list of meds she was on.

 

[lcsparacio]

@katrina2017 Same here - they have the documents from her doctor which is why this is so strange.

 

[katrina2017]

@lcsparacio Its just really weird that no one at the hospital wouldn't know what she was on.

Like when I gave birth they asked me that as I was in labor. If I took any medications and such.

Not saying their story isn't as they say...it just seems strange, that they would disclose everything she was taking, at the prenatal appointments, during hospital registration, and then probably again in labor. But then the hospital decided all of that was BS and she must be a drug addict, and considering her and his employment they don't really fit the profile that these hospital kind of target.

Anyway, they should take it to their local news and say the hospital is trying to snatch their baby from them. Really make this hospital look bad and get bad press. Cause what pregnant women will want to give birth there if they snatch babies. Hit them where it hurts, their MONEY

 

[josephjurg]

@katrina2017 I also find it weird that they tested her at all. I was never drug tested for anything. As far as I'm aware they usually only do that if they suspect something.

 

[katrina2017]

@josephjurg Well in this respect I can believe it depending on where she lives.

In some communities the drug use is so rampant by pregnant women and people in general they just literally drug test everyone who gives birth at the hospital.

But yeah at most places you get flagged to be drug tested. Sometimes it's because of disclosing drug use at any point of your pregnancy to your doctor. Or admitting to using someone else's prescription drugs.

 

[katrina2017]

@lcsparacio Also do you have a news article or anything for this? That link doesn't work for me.

If there are no news things, they need to get on their local news and make a huge stink

 

[rhino521]

@katrina2017 This story felt familiar to me, and I remembered the ProPublica article Take a Valium, Lose your Kid, Go to Jail that came out in 2015. These folks aren’t the only ones this had happened to.

Not only must it be traumatizing to be separated from your baby, on a practical level I can’t imagine what this does to her milk supply and her postpartum recovery. Poor woman, poor family.

 

[katrina2017]

@rhino521 While I very much sympathize with the women in the story....

These women who this happens to typically are giving birth in places where they have blanket drug screenings for all newborns because of the high rate of drug use in the area. So one needs to disclose all the medications one takes when birthing in these hospitals. OBGYNs need to be informing women in these areas about this. It is sad they are getting penalized for whats happening in their community. But it needs to be known so they can disclose everything to avoid these situations.

But this is the fall out of these type of blanket policies. Yes it catches the drug addicts, but it also creates problems for women on legitimate medications. (I am personally against these blanket policies myself)

 

[how2101]

@lcsparacio Try the ADHD community as well.

 

[soldier0fchrist]

@lcsparacio Also, I'd definitely get the police there and I'd cause a scene. I wouldn't leave that hospital without my child

 

[soldier0fchrist]

@lcsparacio I was asked about 3 times what medications I was taking or had taken prior and during my pregnancy. How is this news to them? Do they even have a right to take their child away?