BreastFeeding and taking drugs

[Dancing Wind]

My daughter has a eight month old month baby that weighs 15 pounds and sick looking. He hits himself in the head and won't take a bottle. Everytime he sees her he screams bloody murder. She breastfed since he was born and only stopped yesterday.  I found out that she has been doing oxycotin, xanax, and crack.  Shes leaving the baby in my care. I need to know what the symptoms and side effects the baby may have from  her breastfeeding and doing drugs are!

[Charlie's girl]

at nine months my son is 19 pounds.  This is big.  15 pounds isn't that small.  Can you try to feed him from a bottle?  Maybe after a while he will take to it.  He needs to.  Just keep trying.  Your daughter needs to just give up the breast feeding and focus on her own well being.  Good luck. I'll pray for you.
s

[Two222]

also kelly mom dot com is the best. has a whole list of meds and their scale of dangerousness.

[CATUF]

Good piece here on med/drug use during breastfeeding: www.femalepatient.com/pdf/pat_0102.pdf

[Two222]

What is sad is that anyone can have a baby. You don't need a permit (I wish you did though). My sister is a lactation consultant, and some mothers would be sitting there smoking while taking classes on breastfeeding.

[JuneSunflower]

I have a question for you, you commented that tox screens were done on babies, if the mother was suspected of using...does that happen a lot, that babies that are breastfed, come in to er and their mother was abusing drugs?  You would think that babies that are breastfed, that their mothers are well educated...

[Two222]

lashamummy is right. I have done much research about medications and breastfeeding as well as spoken to doctors and my brother who is a doctor. I think it is the mother's lifestyle because she is on drugs that is affecting the baby. Crack is a hard hard drug. have you ever seen a crack head lead a decent lifestyle?

[JuneSunflower]

Hi Dancing Wind!  I've lurked here for a long time, but I had to chime in on this, this is my first time posting.  I do hope you take your grandson to the Dr. like everyone on here has suggested.  My main concern, would be the xanax, that is dangerous to quit all of the sudden.  Of course, it would depend on a lot, such as how much your daughter was taking and for how long.  The oxycontin is probably not going to hurt, but everyone is different, and the crack I wouldn't think would be good either.  But since your grandson is no longer getting the xanax from your daughters milk then that could cause him to go into serious withdrawals and havew seizures, so please taker him to the dr.  I wouldn't worry about the weight, my daughter is 22 months and 29 lbs.  I'm pretty sure that 15 lbs is still normal for a 8 month old.  I wish you and your family the best.  Your daughter has put a lot on you, I know it can not be easy.  Keep us updated as to how your grandson does and I hope your daughter gets help.

[lashamummyof2]

The child needs help, obviously, but perhaps a more stable environment will help right away. Many meds are ok to breasfteed on, I am more concerned about the lifestyle, not the drugs appearing in the milk. It is not good to do crack, but many, many meds are safe (depending on how they are bound to proteins in the body), so I think that the child's problem is not only related to drugs in breastmilk, but to other contributing factors. My son is almost 3 and he weighs 30 lbs -- he is very healthy, tall, thick. My newborn 8 week old is 12 lbs. weights vary,but that should give you an idea of where the child's weight should be. He is a bit small, but it doesn't mean he's sick. The sick look, and your gut feeling of how he is unwell mean more than weight. the banging of the head...could be anything, again not always related to drugs, although lurker is correct, they will need to do a tox screen.
You are quite possibly saving this child's life. If the baby screams at the sight of his mother, that is a HUGE concern. I suspect the breastmilk is the least of the problems.
You are doing a great thing. Good luck. Babies are good at bouncing back. The baby needs LOVE and consistency in parental care as well as nourishment. You can feel a baby all you want, but if you don't care for it, it won't thrive.
I will also pray for you...

[lurker]

You need to get him to the doctor as soon as possible so that they can do a toxicology screen.  He's going through withdrawals and is likely malnourished from your daughter's breast milk as I'm assuming she didn't eat well.  The doctors will be able to give him medication to ease any withdrawal symptoms and will also help you get in touch with CPS to get this all on the record.  When I worked in ER, we did tox screens on any baby where we thought mom was using; may be out of his system now but the effects can last a while - if she used while pregnant that will contribute to his development.  He's very lucky to have you to watch over him and make sure he gets what he needs.  Good luck to you.

[mom2rachie]

The weight is low but it's still on the "normal" range so don't be alarmed at that.  There are too many other things to be alarmed at.  

Beach, the baby is 8 months old not 18 months old.  

Two222, 30 pounds for a 6 month old is a bit on the large side.  My daughter is a year old and  weighs 26 pounds and she is in the 97th percentile for weight and at 30 inches she is in the 95 percentile for height.  
30 pounds at 6 months is ridiculously above average.  I just didn't want this woman to think that her 8 month old grandchild should be anywhere near 30 pounds.

I will pray for you.  I'm sure the doctor will be able to help you get this baby back on track as far as nutrition goes and that any health issues can and will be corrected.

[wait2long]

i had a severe case of pneumonia when my 2nd baby was 2 months old...it took the staff about 2 days to try to find a cough syrup that i could take while breastfeeding, everything was too risky, and i thought the one they said was ok to take was also risky, so i never took it...i cant imagine what all those hard core drugs can do..i am so sorry for you ..you are a very caring wonderful person (grandmother) and brave also...it takes a person with guts to really get involved with a situation like this, even when it is your own flesh and blood....i wish you nothing but the best and hope you get all the support you need to help this baby, he needs help and i believe you are the one who must do it...i know it sounds harsh...but this will be good for your daughter in the long run if she makes the right choices to also save herself...

[wait2long]

bring the baby to the hospital right this minute and be completely honest about what has been going on and what types of drugs mom has been taking...this baby needs urgent medical care!!  just do it so the baby will have a fair chance in life, if its not already too late...

[trelle926]

you need to contact the department of family and children services in your area. there are trained counselors and case workers there who can guide you through the process. you need to become the baby's guardian. everyone here has told you to take the baby to the doctor which is exactly what you have to do, even if it's the emergency room. you need to do that today! if your daughter comes home and demands to have the baby, legally it's hers because you don't have any documentation of abuse. the medical staff will report any neglect or abuse that is found. your daughter needs help and from what i've read here, she's not ready to admit that yet. until she is, your hands are tied where she is concerned. the baby is a different story. take him to a medical professional NOW!!! my sister is going through something similar with her grandchild so i know what i'm talking about. i wish you the best of luck. let us know what happens.

[Two222]

The study of medication intake while breastfeeding isn't exactly complete yet. There hasn't been many reports of babies getting addicted to opiates from mothers breastmilkk BUT that is only if the mother IS NOT taking large amounts. The crack however is probably doing damage more. I think the baby is more malnutrition ed because the mother is on drugs and neglecting the baby cause she is high, which is absolutely terrible. The weight of the baby is really really low. My own baby is 6 months old and weighs almost 30 pounds!

go to kelly mom dot com for more info

[beachtowel]

here i go and asking another question that will get me in hot water but I have to ask anyway.....

are you afraid to take this baby into the hospital in the fear that the doctors there will report abuse?

I'm no doctor but 18 months and 15 pounds this baby has to look sickly........and malnurished......along with other side effects due to her mothers drug use........

your daughter is your flesh and blood but this is an innocent child who has never hurt anyone, it is up to your to protect the innocent and save this babies life...........

[beachtowel]

Please get this baby into a doctor 8 months old and 15 lbs thats crazy.............

Nobody here is a MD please take this baby into a doctor and have him evaluated............
If you truly don't want your daughter to be near this baby contack child protective services after you have taken him to the doctor.......they can give you the advice you will need to know...........

[BonnieAnn]

My Goodness. That is so sad. What we do to ourselves is bad enough, but when we hurt innocent children, it is just heartbreaking.

Pls get the baby to the hospital as fast as you can. Don't wait.

You will need to be honest with them in order to get the proper help. The hospital is bound, by law, to report all cases of abuse, and this IS abuse. Your daughter needs a wake-up call. Maybe this will be it. But if you want help for that baby, and I know you do, your daughter will have to be reported and suffer the consequences of her actions.

You don't even need a lawyer. You can petition the courts for custody. They will grant it, especially to the grandparents, in cases of abuse.

ls keep us posted. My prayers are with you and the baby.

[liscamdave]

Wow, this is a tuff one and I am not sure. I would think you would need some professional advice. I can tell you that you need to get the baby looked at by a medical professional. And after that is done, then you will at least have medical records pertaining to the need for the babies emergency care due to his mothers drug use an possbile ingestion. Seek medical and professional help immediately.

Good Luck

[Dancing Wind]

I just  need to know what to expect....I plan on taking him to the doctor. I have him eating and sleeping on a schedule for three days. I just wanted to know what to expect with a baby that became addicted to drugs after he was born...are the symptoms the same as a baby that has been addicted to drugs as a fetus.  And plan on keeping him and away from her until she gets help....If she gets help.  What do I do if she don't get help and comes back five months from now and wants him back? Do I need a lawyer? How do I get the abuse documented without getting my daughter in trouble?

[liscamdave]

Take that child to a doctor. Tell the dr, what drugs your daughter was on. Please, be safe, rather then sorry. And Beach is right, keep that child away from your daughter until she gets the help she needs. Does she want help?

[beachtowel]

Please take this baby into the hospital or your doctor and keep all your medical records in order.....
Grandma it is up to you to save this baby..........

[beachtowel]

my god please help this poor inocent baby and do everything in your power to keep her away from this child until she is clean........