Woman Gets High on Heroin While in Labor: Police

The pregnant woman had a long history of drug abuse, police said.

A woman in labor shot up heroin and meth, with the help of a friend, just before she gave birth in an ambulance, police said Wednesday.

Felicia Farruggia, 29, was arrested this week by Concord, N.H., police. Also taken into custody was Rhianna Frenette, 37, who allegedly helped the woman inject the drugs with a dirty syringe, according to arrest warrants.

Read: 8-Year-Old's Parents Charged After He Reportedly Overdoses on Heroin

Both are charged with felony reckless conduct. Farruggia is being held in lieu of $15,000 cash bail. Frenette, who is on parole for a previous conviction, is being held on a $25,000 cash bond.

The house where they were staying was a haven for meth and heroin users, authorities said.

“We were so appalled by what these two women did,” Concord Police Lt. Sean Ford told InsideEdition.com Wednesday. "They both have multiple other children and don't have custody of them."

They have not entered pleas.

Farruggia told investigators she began having contractions at home and went into a bathroom, writhing in pain. Frenette injected her with heroin and meth to “take the edge off,” Farruggia told police, according to her arrest warrant.

Frenette told a somewhat different tale, saying Farruggia was screaming in agony and trying to shoot up while in full-blown labor, the document said.

Farruggia was “mutilating herself with the needle,” her friend said, and the syringe broke. Another resident of the house handed over a needle filled with heroin and Frenette injected part of that dose into Farruggia, she said.

Read: Parents Charged in 1-Year-Old Daughter's Fatal Heroin Overdose

Meanwhile, Farruggia’s boyfriend had called 911. He told paramedics that she may have taken a dose of heroin, the affidavit said.

Farruggia gave birth on a gurney while being loaded into an ambulance, police said.

At the hospital, she and the baby tested positive for meth. The mother also tested positive for benzodiazepine, a drug that treats anxiety.

The newborn was placed in the custody of children’s services officials.

The incident took place in September. For the past six months, investigators said they pieced together what happened from interviewing witnesses and obtaining more drug test results.  

Watch: Puppy Found Locked in Car, Barely Breathing, After Overdosing on Heroin