It was horrifying. Just moments after Natalie Rossman endured a long labor, full of complications, a nurse came into her room and told her Child Protective Services would be taking her baby away.
The nurse claimed that a urine test revealed her newborn son had methamphetamine, or "crystal meth," in his system. This would mean that Rossman had used meth during her pregnancy.
The exhausted mother was confused, frightened, and heartbroken.
Rossman knew she was not a drug user. She and her husband began to think quickly. They had to get to the bottom of this before their custody was taken away. They remembered that Rossman had been given a shot of epinephrine during the labor. Rossman wondered if this could show up as a false positive in the drug test.
They asked the hospital supervisor and case worker if this was a possibility. Rossman was correct.
The couple was reunited with their newborn, though she never received an apology from the hospital or nurse. She is sharing her story in case this happens to another mother. Mandatory drug tests are often given to mother and child minutes after delivery.
She hopes that by telling her story, if this happens to another mother, they will by able to connect the dots of the epinephrine false positive to clear their name.
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