Marijuana & Cigarettes during pregnancy?

[Amberrr]

PLEASE nobody be rude. :/
Okay I'm 13 weeks pregnant & i smoke weed through out the day, it settles my stomach & keeps my appetite up some... an article on here said that weed has really no bad effects on babies... I would ask my doctor, but i havent been able to see one yet due to my insurance crappin out on me... i did get to ask my doctor the effects of cigarettes, he said as long as it isnt a pack a day or something it shouldnt hurt any thing...idk... babies are born on much worse ... but i want to be sure ...

[RachaelsMommy]

Honestly, I would try to quit the cigarettes. There's just too much risk (low birth weight, prematurity, etc) if you ask me. "There are babies born with worse" just doesn't cut it. Just consider it the first of many sacrifices you will make as a mother. Once your baby is born, smoking will increase the risk of SIDS, asthma and other things.

As for the weed, I probably wouldn't ask the doctor about it, because you don't want them reporting you.  Just my .

[Imakcerka]

try to quit the cigs.  The weed... I know nothing about the effects.  Just better to try and have a healthy baby and if that means cutting out all the crap then do it.  Why not?

[Amberrr]

In the beginning when i first found out i was prego, i quit cigs.... it made me extreamly depressed, and made me stress more, my doctor said that the stress is worse than a few cigs... i've had HORRIBLE stress(to the point of getting physically sick) even before i was prego, so that plus the hormonal stuff my body is going through was unbearable, a cig helped... i really want my baby to be healthy, so maybe if i cut back on cigs(i don't even smoke half a pack a day) and vaporize my weed, maybe that'd be better for my baby?

[MovnMama]

Quit the cigarettes for sure - short term bummer, long term gain.  And I'm a former smoker - so I know what it's like to quit. Just do it. 

Found this for you http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1273539/autumn-winter-cannabis-mamas-and-mj-lovers

[LivingSky]

Consider it this way - anything you smoke, your baby is smoking as well. But, your lungs are way, way more developed than your baby's are, and can handle it a lot better.

That said, I totally get that quitting is HARD.

But as someone else mentioned, smoking around the baby significantly increases the risk of SIDS. It sounds like you want what's best for your baby, so you'll pretty much have to stop once baby arrives. Both of you will be better off in the long run if you quit now, rather than waiting for baby to arrive and trying to quit then. For the depression, can you get in to see a councellor or psychologist? You might even be able to find one who can help you quit the cigs and pot as well.

Good luck! And congratulations on your pregnancy

[babygirlie]

 I personally would quit all and put my child first. Eat something every few hours whether you feel like it or not. I had morning sickness my entire pregnancy except 1 month. I gained 7 pounds only. I never felt the need to up my appetite. I still had a premature baby which meant she had to have a machine breathe for her. It was horrible. there was no breast feeding no bonding.. it was awful and now she has developmental delays that are fairly severe. You don't know what's happening in there or if your baby is super strength or not. I did everything right. I am almost positive had I had a bad habit like smoking she might very well have died.

my dh had to use an inhaler 24/7 because his father smoked (and it was outside most of the time). The doctor said my dh had the lungs of an 80 year old. A few months after moving out and with me he stopped needing the inhaler which he was extremely dependent on... life and death dependent his entire life. I haven't seen him use it in over a decade. Makes me angry his father harmed him so much out of selfish habits.

Pot can have MORE carcinogens than ciggs. (There's studies) I understand quitting anything is hard but this isn't your life anymore. Your body is now the home of someone far more important than you've ever met before. They deserve the best.

And no I'm not anti cigs/pot whatever.. but I do believe a child deserves a life.. a REAL life without pain and suffering. A chance. As someone who has been sick all their life it might be hard to empathize and you  might role your eyes but life is very fragile and prescious coming from someone who never got a real chance to live.

[MrsSlocombe]

My friend's doctor told her that marijuana wasn't that bad.  She used it to control nausea.  The biggest danger I see to marijuana is that it's illegal, so you could be separated from your child by someone who wants to call you an unfit mother and take custody, or by being arrested.

Interesting that you were told that a few cigarettes were okay.  My friend only smokes pot, and I don't smoke anything, so we never looked into this.  I know I was told not even to have a tiny bit of caffeine, even though I see pregnant women drinking tea and decaf coffee (which still contains caffeine) all the time.  I am following the doctor's advice...for now.

[llwr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amberrr 

it shouldnt hurt any thing...idk... babies are born on much worse ...

The lack of obvious harm and optimal development are vastly different.  I saw a study (sorry I don't remember where) that showed a noticible difference in the IQ of 8 yos who had been breastfed vs those who had not.  Obviously, there are many factors involved, but although many mothers use formula succesfully and without harm, we can't say it's best.   In that line of thought, the lack of fetal alcohol syndrome doesn't mean that alcohol didn't hurt that baby. 

As a mother, it is your responsibility to do what is best for your baby both in and out of the womb. 

I don't personally see how anyone could say that marijuana and cigarettes during pregnancy are best.  There are many sacrifices you have to make as a mother.  I'm trying to say this nicely :)  Once you have a baby, it's not about you anymore. 

If giving them up causes you stress, then you deal with the stress.  Caring for a child is very stressful, and I would encourage you to find some healthier strategies for dealing with it before your child is born.  Caring for a sick child is even more stressful.  Insurance usually covers counseling/therapy now, and if yours doesn't, there are also free programs available.  Try pregnancy resource centers and churches to start with.  If you and your dr. think it's necessary, there are anti-depressants/anti-anxiety drugs that are considered safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 

Please consider giving your baby the great gift of a healthy start and a healthy mama. 

[philomom]

Please give up both. Your baby deserves the best start in life.. without added stuff that may harm him or her. Find ways to de-stress and eat very well. Do mild exercise. Read good books.

Good luck.

[Onemoreontheway]

I'm 13 weeks also :) When I quit smoking I found about.com smoking cessation board full of helpful, caring people to help. I also found Alan Carr's book "The easy way to stop smoking" SO IMPORTANT in dealing with the psychological aspects of quitting (depression etc). You aren't sacrificing anything when you quit - YOU ARE FREE! It is so true. His book is available online for free. I highly suggest those two things.

As for the marijuana - vaping would be a better choice. Do you know who grows your herb? Do you know what pesticides/grow formula they use? Just how much crap are you putting in to your body? If you can't guarantee its organic, you could be smoking fish fertilizer for all you know.

I don't smoke marijuana (not opposed) but I would make sure I have a safe way to ingest (vape or tincture) and organic herb.

You may not truly realize it (seriously) but you have a baby you are growing in you. If something goes wrong, you do not want 'what if' concerning cigs especially running through your head. Go to about.com's forums for quitting smoking. Best of luck ((HUGS))

[BroodyWoodsgal]

I'm sorry but honey, you need to find a way to quit smoking cigarettes. I don't know what doctor told you that continuing to smoke at ALL was advisable but it's not a doctor I would trust. Cigarettes are so bad in so many ways and it's like any other toxin...you don't know how much is "too much" and you don't know if your baby is particularly predisposed to certain reactions or not. Some people smoke and their kids are "just fine"....some people smoke and spontaneously go into labor long before their baby is ready to come into the world. If you were one of those women, would you be able to live with the possibility of permanent physical/emotional/mental impact on your child as a result of prematurity? Because it can happen.

I wish I could tell you that the risks are so small...but I can't say that. The data is hard to read because there are so many factors that come into play (poverty, living conditions, diaet, access to prenatal care, etc) and I can't think of a universe where I would feel comfortable with that level of risk.

As for the weed smoking....marijuana has been used for many many centuries, all over the world by pregnant women to help with loads of things from insomnia to morning sickness and appetite problems. I personally know MANY very "normal" responsible, healthy people who have used marijuana during pregnancy to cope with devastating morning sickness.

Here's the thing, these women did not smoke the MJ, they vaporized it so that they were not getting anything but pure thc vapor (inhaling smoke just isn't great for you) and they also sourced completely organically grown, pesticide and additive free MJ to use.

I would highly recommend clean, vaporized weed as a completely safe measure for battling morning sickness and lack of appetite during pregnancy. I would absolutely, under no circumstances, suggest that any pregnant lady EVER smoke weed of unknown origins, that she couldn't guarantee was free from some of the INSANELY toxic substances people use on MJ in high output grow operations that are strictly focused on hi yield as opposed to quality. Most everything you can come across for reasonable money, from "some dude" on the street is going to be suspect. The pest problems in hi yield operations are battled with extremely toxic stuff and it's not anything I would ever suggest a pregnant lady inhale. They spray very nasty things.

So....to summarize:

1. Seriously stop smoking butts.

2. Do NOT tell your doctor you are smoking MJ

3. Do NOT continue to smoke MJ unless you are smoking something homegrown by someone you can trust to use only organic fertilizers and pest control products. You seriously do NOT want to be inhaling some of the hardcore (ABSOLUTE carcinogens) chemicals that are used in hi yield, street shwag operations.

4. Get a vaporizer.

Good luck mama. Stress is so hard to manage sometimes during pregnancy. I'm experiencing a particularly stressful pregnancy due to out of control hormones right now......but mama, there are some things you just DO for your baby. You eat the best you can, you avoid toxic things to the best of your ability and, (said SO gently) you endure what you must to keep your kid safe. If your baby were outside your belly, would you be blowing smoke in her face and say "yeah, but I'm so stressed out" - no, that we seem absurd...please see how absurd it sounds while your baby is still inside of you. Some babies are fine when exposed. Some babies are not. Some babies are not fine and it has nothing to do with what they were exposed to during pregnancy...but do you think the mother who says "oh, s/he's gonna be fine" and continues to puff away and then gives birth to a baby with problems is ever going to be able to convince herself that it wasn't something she did? Please, I'm not trying to beat you up...I'm trying to help you see....if something were to happen, even if you just went into labor prematurely and your baby had to be in the NICU or have tubes put in her or whatever else...you would blame yourself, feel depressed and so stressed out. Please do whatever you have to to quit smoking....

No one is judging you and no one is sitting here thinking it's not a huge deal to quit smoking. Everyone knows how hard that is going to be....but you are a mother, that is what we do. We do the hard things that we must do to put our kids first. Managing your stress is A priority....but keeping your baby safe is your NUMBER ONE priority. Managing your stress is protecting your baby. Stopping smoking is also protecting you baby.....so, all signs are pointing toward: Finding a safer way to manage your stress.

I'm sorry for how rough things are going right now, I know the stress you are feeling probably feels really huge....but what;s huger than that, is making choices that will/could come to negatively or positively impact your child for the rest of his/her life. Seriously consider that. You are making choices not only for a fetus...a newborn...a five year old...but for a 15 year old...a forty year old...what happens when one day, your kid -now a grown man- comes to you and is like "Mom, I just feel like I can't be everything I want to be, like I am falling short all of the time and won't ever be an attractive mate to someone, etc etc, because of my attention problems/hearing problems/fill in the blank" - and you are looking at this human being, thinking about when you went into labor prematurely and how he had such a hard time in the NICU because his weight was so low and how he has struggled all his life with, pretty mild, but still constant problems that effected his self esteem and made things rough for him...what are you going to think or feel? How are you going to cope with feeling like you are to blame?? (even if no one can for sure say that you are!). Is it going to feel like a good enough excuse to say "well, I was really stressed out!" - no, it won't.

Take care of yourself. If you said anything else "I can't stop eating candy" or "I can't do anything but sit around all day" or whatever else...I wouldn't take it as seriously...in my mind, aside from vaccination, there is nothing you can do during pregnancy that makes my stomach turn like smoking. It's just SO bad and has SO many risk factors involved....you just don't know how YOUR baby is going to react on a phyical/chemical level.

[hildare]

i am not anti-weed.  i don't smoke while pregnant or breastfeeding.

as far as cigarette smoking goes, though, there is solid, conclusive evidence that it's not good, and you need to try to stop as soon as you can, mama. 

i would also advise another physician.  that is not good medical reasoning that you describe.  smoking can cause so much damage, much of it from oxygen deprivation. 

also, besides the bad advice you received, you need to be getting prenatal care.  is your insurance going to work out or can you apply for state benefits?  the income limits for pregnancy medicaid are actually pretty high, and it's fairly easy to apply for and receive. 

i'm not a paranoid mama.  i think a beer or two while pregnant is fine, but cigarettes just aren't.

here are some links about harm of smoking if you need motivation and/or proof all from medical schools:

http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/08/10474/smoking-during-pregnancy-linked-persistent-asthma-childhood

http://med.stanford.edu/medicalreview/smrp14-16.pdf

http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthlibrary/related/doc.php?type=6&id=654120

[Just1More]

Please try to become as healthy as possible. 

Perhaps this isn't about cigs and MJ.  Perhaps this is about you stressed out.  Perhaps this is about you being physically, mentally, or spiritually unhealthy.

Perhaps you need to take the focus on the outward stuff and go inward.  Get your feet solid under you, exercise, get a hobby.  Be postive and proactive...instead of addicted. 

You don't need cigs or MJ, you need strength. 

Learn to be strong.  You CAN do it.  You can do it for you baby, and you can do it for YOU.

[BaileyB]

I would say start cutting back slowly. I think it will be easier to quit once you can feel the baby move. It's like a little reminder. Good luck. I like to live by that you have to do the best you can with the knowledge that you have at the time. Then you can't have regrets.