Breastfeeding Hawke's Bay mother's meth use harmed her baby

Hawke's Bay Hospital, where a baby was admitted with conditions believed to have been caused by a meth-using mum's breastfeeding. Photo / File

A woman who denied the impact her methamphetamine use was having in the breastfeeding of her baby will be sentenced next month on a charge of causing the child suffering or injury.

In a reserved decision released from a judge-alone trial in Hastings District Court, Judge Lawrence Hinton said the woman was genuinely concerned for her baby's wellbeing, but the circumstances were a "significant and serious departure from the everyday requirements and expectations of society in relation to mothers caring for their babies; in this case a mother breastfeeding her baby."

"It is axiomatic that a baby should not be exposed to self-evident distress and suffering which is serious for the baby," he said, remanding the woman with continued name suppression pending sentencing on January 21.

"I was satisfied that on the evidence the overwhelming cause of the introduction of methamphetamine was via breastfeeding," he said.

The child, now aged 4 years, was admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital in Hastings when aged just 3 months old with behavioural concerns.

A urine toxicology test detected methamphetamine, as was also the case just over a week later after the baby taken back to hospital by ambulance suffering stiffness, unresponsiveness and breathing difficulties.

The woman was charged with intentionally engaging in conduct likely to cause suffering or injury, or adverse side effects to the health of the child.

Both the prosecution and defence produced expert witnesses in the trial, describing the methods by which methamphetamine could have been introduced to the child and its impacts.

Defence expert and forensic consultant and toxicologist Sarah Tarrant-Wooding said it was not possible to determine when or how the drug was consumed, but said methamphetamine stayed in breast milk for up to 100 hours.

The breast milk had not been tested, she said, and the ingestion could have been from passive inhalation or inadvertent ingestion from sucking a contaminated item.

But ambulance crew heard the woman saying she used methamphetamine, and wanted help to overcome the addiction.