We all remember the day we bring our child into the world.
We trust our medical providers to keep us safe and look forward to bonding with our newborn as we begin a new journey together.
But a seemingly insignificant decision caused a mother and child to be separated after birth – and she wants to warn other expectant moms.
Most moms-to-be do endless research and make preparations so their birth experience and first days home are as calm and special as possible.
This is exactly what Elizabeth Dominguez did to get ready for the arrival of her newborn son, Carter.
But she was shocked when immediately after birth, doctors told her she could not see her son.
Why?
Unbelievably, it was because of what she had eaten before going into labor.
As part of normal medical testing when she was admitted to the hospital in labor, nurses asked for a urine sample.
And immediately after her beautiful little boy was born, she was told she could not see him because she had tested positive for opiates.
She begged doctors to recheck, emphatically stating that she had never – would never – do drugs.
Just a short time later, caseworkers from Child Protective Services came in to interrogate her about potential drug use, even going so far as to ask who she would like them to release her baby to should she temporarily lose custody.
She was shocked and scared.
Elizabeth and her husband racked their brains for any answer to this absurd mistake – and he soon realized what had happened.
The bagel that Elizabeth had eaten was covered in – you guessed it – poppy seeds.
“In some cases, eating a large amount of poppyseed such as the kind found in a bagel has been shown to produce low levels of morphine and codeine in the urine. Potentially those seeds have not been washed and can contain that,” said clinical pharmacist Dr. Michelle Rainka, according to Café Mom.
Even though she and her husband insisted to her doctors that this must be the cause, her newborn was kept from her the entire first day she was in the hospital – no nursing, no skin-to-skin contact, a loss of precious and vital bonding time.
Elizabeth and her son were retested later in the day and both were found to be negative for opiates, but that didn’t stop doctors and CPS workers from following “protocol.”
She and her husband had to go home – without their baby. Carter was held an additional 24 hours to be monitored for signs of “withdrawal.”
“I felt absolutely horrible. I felt like a terrible mother leaving him. I just want everyone to know that this could happen. It’s such a terrible thing and I don’t want it to happen to anyone,” she said, according to Café Mom.
This is beyond ridiculous, and we may wonder how in the world any doctor would not understand that this was a simple misunderstanding.
But Elizabeth is not the only mom this has happened to.
A Maryland mom, also named Elizabeth, went through the same agonizing experience when she received a false positive from a urine test she took while in labor.
Just like Elizabeth Dominguez, Elizabeth Eden pled with doctors to understand what had happened.
“I said, ‘Well, can you test me again? And I ate a poppy seed bagel this morning for breakfast,‘” asked Eden.
“’No, you’ve been reported to the state,’” was the response she received from staff, People reports.
Both moms are telling their story to whoever will listen so that no other family has to endure the horror of having their newborn child ripped from their arms for a simple mistake.
Dr. Rainka is also warning expectant mothers not to eat any foods containing poppy seeds in the last trimester of pregnancy, especially prior to labor, as false positives for opiates can occur.
This is not only a concern for new moms, but also for anyone who has a job that requires frequent drug testing in order to continue employment.
It’s better to be safe than sorry, and although we regret that these mothers and their children had to suffer such a terrible experience, at least we can learn from them.
Both moms were reunited with their sons after they were cleared by follow-up tests, but it will never give them back those crucial first hours that are so important for the health and well-being of mom and baby.
We hope that everyone heeds the warning of these moms and that medical professionals and caseworkers are also aware of this possible situation.
It is tragic that such a small mistake can ruin one of the most important days in the life of both a mother and baby.
Have you ever heard of a false positive drug test occurring after eating poppy seeds? Do you know anyone this has happened to? Leave us your comments.