When moms go into labor, one of the most exciting things for them to look forward to is spending time with their newborns at home after giving birth.
There’s nothing more exciting than those first few days.
Being able to feed them, snuggle them, and cradle them in total peace and bliss is something all moms look forward to.
One mom, however, was shocked when she was separated from her newborn for several days due to a mix-up.
Elizabeth Dominguez, a mom from Tonawanda, New York ended up spending days separated from her newborn son after eating a bagel with poppy seeds and testing positive for opiates on a drug test.
Elizabeth was given a routine sample drug test at the hospital before she gave birth.
The urine test was a fairly standard procedure and she thought nothing of it at the time, until doctors told her she had tested positive for opiates.
The mom was absolutely shocked when she got the news.
She told WKBW:
“I called my husband freaking out saying, ‘How is this possible?’ I don’t do drugs.'”
Her husband asked her what she had to eat that day.
She mentioned the bagel and immediately everything clicked.
According to experts, unwashed poppy seeds that are found on things like the bagel Elizabeth ate can cause a positive drug test result.
“In some cases eating a large amount of poppy seed such as the kind found in a bagel has been shown to produce low levels of morphine and codeine in the urine,” said Dr. Michelle Rainka, in an interview with WKBW.
The hospital was forced to take action according to policy.
The doctors had to call Child Protective Services due to the drug test results.
CPS had to thoroughly investigate Elizabeth.
“CPS shows up in my room, asking me all sorts of questions like, ‘If we are to take your kids and your baby away from you, where would you like them to go?’ ” she said.
Elizabeth was retested after she gave birth and her son was,too.
Both didn’t actually test positive for opiates, but the hospital had to continue to monitor her son, Carter, just in case he showed symptoms of withdrawal.
The mom was separated from her newborn son shortly after giving birth, and Carter had to be monitored for an additional 24 hours by the hospital.
Could you imagine being away from your child for that long after they’re just born?
While she was reunited with Carter, she’s sharing her story to help other moms.
“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.
And since speaking to Elizabeth, WKBW reporters found another mom in the area who also tested positive for opiates because of a poppy seed bagel.
Both Elizabeth and the other mom are urging doctors to warn expecting mothers of the possibility of a false positive on a drug test.
Reports indicate that it was, ultimately, the bagel that caused the false positive.
WKBW reported that although it is rare, the poppy seed bagel was the culprit in the test results.
And, although it’s rare, new moms may want to avoid the bagels altogether.
Maybe go for sesame or egg bagel instead of the poppy seeds.
You never know what could happen!
No one wants to be separated from their newborn, especially because of a bagel.