From the
Mankato Free Press:
Law enforcement agencies, social workers and health providers have been talking about the damages caused by methamphetamine use for a long time, but it’s the stories about the most innocent users that have caught Kate Cox’s attention.
Cox is an Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital employee who works with meth-using mothers and their newborn babies. Her job includes taking babies who have tested positive for methamphetamine away from their mothers before they leave the hospital.
“It’s heart-wrenching just to know these innocent, sweet peanuts have this drug in their system,” Cox said, describing the acid burns meth babies get when they discharge the drug from their bodies. “The most astounding thing for me is their mothers do not realize that what they’re doing is child abuse.”
Babies are taken from their mothers because of methamphetamine abuse on a monthly basis at the Mankato hospital, Cox said. Doctors and social workers look for obvious signs of use in mothers, such as deteriorating teeth and skin. Tests are also done during prenatal care.
Meconium, which is a baby’s first stool, can be tested for the presence of methamphetamine, too, Cox said. Those tests will show if the mother has used meth within the past three weeks.
Babies of mothers identified as users are taken away by social workers and law enforcement officers. The babies are placed in emergency foster care and aren’t returned until their mothers complete parenting assessments and pass random drug-screening tests.