If You Smoked Pot During Pregnany..

[vegemamato]

how did your kids turn out? healthy? more or less artistically inclined? on-track/behind developmentally? would you do it again? do you have regrets?

disclaimer:
I'm not pregnant, and not looking to start a debate (or even a discussion, really) on whether or not women should smoke during pregnancy. I was reading some blogs and just wondering how parents feel that their children (or other kids whose mothers who partook) turned out..

and.... go!

[Smithie]

I turned out great, and I assume that my mom smoked pot during her pregnancy with me, as I cannot imagine her NOT smoking pot I was always developmentally on track, verbally precocious, etc. etc.

I don't smoking anything is particularly great for a fetus, but I am waaaay more comfortable with a little THC crossing the placenta than with most of the drugs we use to treat depression and mental illness (just as an example).

[RunnerDuck]

I didn't ... but my husband's half sister did. Supposedly her doctor even told her, if his pregnant patients were going to do anything, drug or alcohol wise, pot would be his pick.

Can't vouch for that but her kids are totally normal, healthy...

I don't know if I'd actually toke up while pregnant... I thought about it with my son and then was like, eh, I don't NEED this... but I wouldn't recoil in horror at anyone else doing it, either. I'm inclined to think as long as it's not habitual it's not going to do any harm.

[Sol_y_Paz]

My mother smoked cigarettes (tobacco) during several pregnancies. This is not recommended for many reasons.
How did we turn out as adults:
We all grew up healthy physically, did well in school, were very active (sports), all graduated with honors from college. The oldest finished graduate school with a 4.0 (me). Her children all love animals and are very empathic and love their family. None drink or smoke.

But that by no means supports and suggests that people should smoke cigarettes (tobacco) during pregnancy. None of her children smoke tobacco sticks and find the smoke absolutely disgusting to a high degree.

I do not know of any other experience with drugs, legal or illegal and pregnancy. Not a doctor but my own common sense tells me not to include drugs with a developing baby fetus.

[Bookworm?]

I know most people aren't going to fess up even if they did smoke while pregnant as it's such a taboo, but I'm okay coming out.
I did to some degree with all 3 of mine. My 9yo ds was born with bilateral clubfeet which I at first blamed myself for but came to find out it is genetic. He also has some difficulty with reading. Dh had some learing disabilties as a kid and so I don't blame pot for this. He is the one I smoked the least with but was the most nervous about doing it. I always felt bad after like I was doing something wrong to him. I also breastfed him for the shortest time (13mo) He can draw really well and has always been developmentally on track despite spending his first 15 mo in casts.
With the girls I had done a little more research and felt more comfortable with it. One is 6 and the other 3. They are both advanced for thier ages with no delays I am aware of. My 6 yo is very bright, writing and spelling at 3,
able to read before kindy. My 3yo has always been ahead on motor skills, she has a good vocabulary and speaks pretty clearly. All of my kids have different strengths and weaknesses just like any kids. I don't think it helped or hurt one way or the other. They have no serious health problems, are rarely sick and have never been hospitalized.(except for ds surgery on his feet)
I felt it helped me with depression and morning sickness when I was pregnant. I wouldn't say it's something everyone should do but I don't think moderate use should be discouraged. It's definetly better than some of the alternatives.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by Bookworm?

I know most people aren't going to fess up even if they did smoke while pregnant as it's such a taboo, but I'm okay coming out.

I think it's more because no one wants to find someone stalking them online trying to report them to CPS. You never know what people are going to say/do.

[TwinsTwicePlusTwo]

The biggest pot-head I've ever met is my pediatrician's mother. She started smoking up in the late 60s and never stopped. She has two sons, both of whom graduated med school with honors and are all-around wonderful people (did I mention she carried healthy twins to 39 weeks while smoking pot AND cigarettes?) She's a lovely lady who was a good mom and has a great relationship with her grown children.

I smoked pot heavily during my first pregnancy and occasionally during my second. My oldest daughter is completely healthy, highly gifted, and musically talented. My older twins are highly and profoundly gifted, healthy, and athletic.

Life's a crap-shoot, lol.

[beru]

I read an amazing article (I thought it was in Mothering) about a mom who smoked during pregnancy to control nausea. She had had it so severely during her previous pregnancies that her children were sick and underweigt and had to be in the NICU. Finally, she decided to smoke pot for the following pregnancy and it was great at controling her nausea. Her baby was born healthy and full-term. She surmised that the pot was probably healthier for her and the baby than the meds they had had her on in a previous pregnancy. I tend to agree.

I knew a woman who had this condition during her pregnancy and told her to consider pot. She laughed at me like I was joking but I was not. This definitely enforces the idea that medical marijuana needs to be legalized.

[Ornery]

My best friend smoked non stop during her second pregnancy and her son turned out extremely smart but with ADHD. She still wonders to this day if it had anything to do with the ADHD part.

However, I've known many other moms who smoked pot and their kids turned out just fine. If I had hyperemesis during pregnancy, I would probably smoke a bit.

[kriket]

Originally Posted by tayndrewsmama

I think it's more because no one wants to find someone stalking them online trying to report them to CPS. You never know what people are going to say/do.

yep.

Because its illegal means it wrong right? We can chug litres of caffeine but have a smoke and you are unfit for parenting. What are you going to do.

I think ANYTHING in excess in pregnancy is bad.

[NJ*Doula]

There have been a couple of articles recently about studies done on the "crack babies" of the '80s, and their development. Apparently, children born addicted to crack turn out, in the long term, pretty much like other kids. No unusually high numbers of delays or other issues. If crack doesn't harm babies in the long run, I'm guessing that a little pot wouldn't hurt anything.

[RunnerDuck]

Two thoughts -

1. Perhaps people don't believe it *is* bad, even though the experts say it might be.
2. Having something pass through your body and liver and placenta and then go to the baby is a little different than giving it directly to the newborn.

[Getz]

I am 99.9% positive my mom was smoking pot while pregnant with us. (and cigarettes) My sister and I are both pretty smart, graduated college with honors, etc. I do have some memories of her smoking pot in front of us (so we got some second-hand smoke). Maybe that's why my sister and I have weight problems, we were exposed to the munchies from an early age.

[Medusa]

Um...this is slightly faulty logic. I devoured Extra Spicy Thom Yum all through my pregnancy.

Thom Yum with its tofu and lemon grass is a great source of protein and vitamins. The Capsaicin in the hot peppers helped to keep my heart and kidneys functioning well during the added stress of pregnancy. All this is good stuff.

Feeding Extra Spicy Thom Yum to a newborn would be horrible, and very likely dangerous and traumatic.

Feeding a newborn 12oz of stout beer? Bad Idea, you would kill them with alcohol poisoning.

Drinking 12oz of stout beer once a month while pregnant however is actually recommended by plenty of OB's and midwifes.

Pregnant women can safely do lots of things that expose their unborn children to things that could be damaging to a newborn.

Think it through, and try to hold your judgment in check.

[frontierpsych]

I did during my second pregnancy and m/c'ed at 10 weeks. I don't think it was the pot, though. I got pregnant in recovery from an eating disorder, and I don't think my body was ready to support a pregnancy yet at that point.
I don't smoke pot anymore only because DH is military and he can get in trouble for me doing it. It's also not great for your lungs-- if I were to use it again I'd probably find another way.

Brownies, anyone?

[RunnerDuck]

I know for a fact my mother smoked while pregnant with me.

I then turned out to be a kid with asthma, allergies, and ear infections - BUT I suspect that is partly heredity (the allergies) and partly living with smokers as a child. Most likely, the smoking while I was in utero wasn't as harmful as the smoking when I was ex utero.

I have to confess - when I see a pregnant woman smoking - I feel torn between saying "Oh my god, look at that" because it will make ME look/feel like a superior mother since I wouldn't do it (I don't smoke, I can't stand smoke, I won't tolerate smoke anywhere) - and thinking, honestly, it's probably not doing that much, if any, harm.

But smoking once the baby is out, that is something else...

[Aquafina]

I agree. Every time I see threads like this.. I get very upset on a almost visceral level

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I am sure there are mothers that do really need it for morning sickness,I guess I just dont understand it ..........I know my OB said to drink a glass of wine if I need to relax in the evening.....I found it a little strange to suggest that.I am would never do that..I also find it weird to drink coffee or soda while preg.......


I am sure the pot is better then msg,trans fat,HFS in utero though......

I guess out for the weekend with your girlfriends ok......Pregnant or with babe around not ok JMHO

[Aquafina]

Yeah your right I know this thread is about the children.....I am sure that the children grow up beautiful and smart.....I am sure most kids that mothers smoked pot in utero are more healthy then most american kids that were fed a bad american diet while in utero........

[Juvysen]

I read a fair amount of research when I was in college (for a paper) on the effect of pot during pregnancy, and they really have a hard time finding any effects from the THC. The SMOKE on the other hand seems to be the source of the (few) problems. They think it's related to how one smokes, causing them to have less oxygen available for a few moments during the inhale. That said, they really haven't found many problems from that, either. FYI, this research was done at least 10 years ago (I haven't looked recently). I didn't smoke during my pregnancies, though.

[Aquafina]

See she said it perfect its the smoke that I dont like...I would not be offended to see a preg mother eat some pot brownies,might give her heartburn though.....