pot during pregnancy - Page 2

[umsami]

There was a relatively recent study that showed it may effect fetal growth.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60L55L20100122

For the new study, researchers in the Netherlands followed more than 7,000 pregnant women, 3 percent of whom acknowledged smoking marijuana at least during early pregnancy. They found that babies born to marijuana users tended to weigh less and have smaller heads than other infants.

What's more, the study found, the longer a woman had used marijuana during pregnancy, the stronger the impact on birth size -- suggesting that the drug itself was to blame.

[emnic77]

I am a member of both NORML and the Marijuana Policy Project. I am 100% in favor of not only decriminalization but also of legalization. I think marijuana is safer than both alcohol and cigarettes, especially in pregnancy. I have an extended family member that grows (legally in his state) for personal medical use.

All that said, I would not smoke or otherwise partake during pregnancy. I also don't take medication during pregnancy, and check out all herbs with my midwife. HOWEVER, if I were experiencing severe nausea to the point that I was looking at having to take medication, I would absolutely choose to self medicate with marijuana over taking a prescription drug - provided I knew *exactly* who grew it and in what growing conditions (and with a relative growing legally for medicinal use, I would have that option).

[dinahx]

Combustion affects oxygen, which affects fetal size. Not that fetal size is a problem for most of us! : Isnt that offered as a reason for our skyrocketing C section rate? Anyway, I don't see how it suggests 'that the drug is to blame', it suggests that the more clogged your lungs are (again from combustion) the less oxygen your baby gets.

[dinahx]

And I feel compelled to point out here that Zofran & Phenergan are used entirely and completely off label. So the research is not there. And this thread seems woefully ignorant of the medication patterns of most pregnant women: Everyone I know pops 'approved' meds with carcinogens and poor research a plenty: Tylenol PM chased with Benadryl & Mucinex anyone? Read the ingredients there??? Parabens? fD&C dyes? Are these proven safe in pregnancy?

Re: social worker comments, obviously the laws vary from state to state and I have had doctors, nurses, and social workers all affirm in my relatively conservative state, that use of Cannabis alone is absolutely treated Very differently than hard drug use. To say otherwise is to overstate the legal risk, IMO, and I won't even get into the hypocricy of removing a child for cannabis but not for nicotine.

[matey]

Agh, I had a small son my first time around. I really cant risk fetal growth development. My husband was ready to take me out to garage to smoke until we read that! I think, no matter what people would tell me about it being ok, I would still feel uncomfortable with smoking marijuana during pregnancy.

[maybe4babies]

The sad truth is that it depends on what kidn of resources you have, too. If you have enough money for a good lawyer and you're a married woman with a high income you're not as likely to undergo the same scruitny as a poor single mother and that's just the way it is. Too risky for most of us.

[purplepaisleymama]

I have not smoked mj during pregnancy but if I were not frightened of losing custody of my kids for doing so I would in a heartbeat. I have severe hg, I lose between 10 and 20 pounds during the first 3 months of pregnancy. I am taking zofran, it has side effects that for me necessitate taking more medication to remedy. I have been this ill throughout all of my pregnancies, I know what is coming, it is not pleasant and I will suffer. I have been hospitalized in the past during a few of my pregnancies and the medications that they have given me have caused horrible reactions, my throat was bleeding from vomiting so often. I know that I would much rather have pot relieve my nausea and vomiting than have the horribly debilitating side effects of the drugs. The only thing that stops me is that I do not want to risk my family.

I will spend the next three months sicker than most people are with the stomach flu, taking care of five kids every day. I will drag myself around vomiting between 20 and 40 times a day even with the medication. I will lose weight that would be better put to use supporting my body with growing a baby. I will experience severe headaches from being dehydrated, constipation that makes me sicker than I would have ever imagined. I will most likely have to direct my children to help with most of my daily activities to even complete my day as I am unable to stand at times without vomiting. I love my children and will love this baby with all of my being but I find it extremely hard to believe that the side effects of pot (from known origins and ingested in the safest way possible) would be more detrimental than the effects my body will endure from the malnutrition and unknown long term effects of prescription medication prescribed off label.

It would seem that the medical establishment has accepted that marijuana has been proven to be beneficial for some circumstances. That marijuana is not safe for use during pregnancy seems to be a very interesting thought when vaccines that are contraindicated (listed as such by their manufacturer) in pregnancy are routinely given to women during pregnancy every day. We do not know the the true effect of almost anything on the developing fetus, we are not able to test most of these theories as it is considered unethical to test humans during reproduction. I am not suggesting that I would be comfortable with submitting to testing, I would just rather the medical establishment be more open to the fact that they are not sure of the effects of medication on the developing fetus and cannot guarantee that what they have prescribed today is not going to cause more damage than marijuana consumption would.

just my .02 though
~laura

[emnic77]

Originally Posted by purplepaisleymama

It would seem that the medical establishment has accepted that marijuana has been proven to be beneficial for some circumstances. That marijuana is not safe for use during pregnancy seems to be a very interesting thought when vaccines that are contraindicated (listed as such by their manufacturer) in pregnancy are routinely given to women during pregnancy every day. We do not know the the true effect of almost anything on the developing fetus, we are not able to test most of these theories as it is considered unethical to test humans during reproduction. I am not suggesting that I would be comfortable with submitting to testing, I would just rather the medical establishment be more open to the fact that they are not sure of the effects of medication on the developing fetus and cannot guarantee that what they have prescribed today is not going to cause more damage than marijuana consumption would.

well, to be fair, the marijuana laws have absolutely nothing to do with safety and absolutely everything to do with money.

My mother had severe hg with my youngest sister and was going to be hospitalized with a central line. She smoked weed instead, and turned around instantly and began putting on weight and stopped being so sick. It was immediate and profound.

[jezebelle]

A) I have never seen anyone have their children removed from their custody because of a first time, misdemeanor drug charge. In fact, I've never even seen a person arrested for possession be drug *tested.* Where is the information that "they will" take your children away coming from?

B) Everyone seems to have the same understanding of how long the drug "stays in your system." What exactly are we talking about here? Urine test? Blood test? Hair test?

There seem to be a lot of assumptions going on in this thread, and not a lot of evidence. I don't smoke while I am pregnant, and I wasn't smoking before I got pregnant, but I am a big fan of this article.

http://www.mothering.com/pregnancy-b...ring-pregnancy