Smoking weed and breastfeeding???? - Page 4

[vatechmom]

tiffani - GREAT POST! Thanks for sharing. I, too am very happy to see that this discussion is going so well - and so informative! :

[polka hop]

Thank you for bumping this thread up! I missed it the first time around, and it's a fascinating discussion.

[sunmountain]

speaking of funding...
did you know the Jamaican study was funded and run by the March of Dimes?

not sure if the link was provided, but here it is...
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/...can-babies.htm

there's plenty of links to follow on the bottom of that page as well, if you are interested.

and wow...I forgot about this thread! I'm so glad we have that subscribe option lol!

[sunmountain]

I found this paragraph most interesting... (edited so so I could adhere to the "Law of 100 words quoted" here)

...the neonates of mothers who used marijuana showed better physiological stability at 1 month and required less examiner facilitation to reach an organized state and become available for social stimulation... The heavily exposed neonates were more socially responsive and were more autonomically stable at 30 days than their matched counterparts. The quality of their alertness was higher; their motor and autonomic systems were more robust; they were less irritable; they were less likely to demonstrate any imbalance of tone; they needed less examiner facilitation to become organized; they had better self-regulation; and were judged to be more rewarding for caregivers than the neonates of nonusing mothers at 1 month of age.

[Skim]

Mamas, thank you so much for such an informative thread.

I tell you, I have suspected the relative safety of marijuana use while pg or bf. When thoroughly considering this issue in the past, without knowing about the jamaican moms study, I wondered about those mamas and their babes. I thought, surely THEY do it, and their babies are OK; it must not be the demon everyone else seems to think.

And sure enough, I come here and see there was a study of those same moms. I love the surprising things that appear here on MDC.

Ibuprofen, on the other hand...

[NorCal Mama]

: for now...

[wasabi]

Originally Posted by SarahGuinn

Also, I'm always disheartened when I hear women either being told or discussing amongst themselves all the nono's while bfing. I believe that my body can filter majority of the badness and that most of the things I've been made scared of are not as bad as I'm told because women are constantly given reasons why bfing is hard and you can't live the life you want while doing so. You may as well feed the baby formula, etc.

It's not as scary as "they" make it out to be.

Yes ITA! I always try to emphasize that a BFing mother can basically eat or drink anything she normally would in moderation.

[carolynrosa]

Originally Posted by dancingbear

I am just wondering, I know mom's who have breastfed and occasionally smoke pot. I have done some research and am confused. It seems that it is transmitted a little and could do harm in third trimester or first 6 months...but for older kids it seem that there are no ill effects. One book cited a study where there were no differences in cogtnitive function, growth or motor function in kids who were exposed. But when I asked an advice nurse at our local hospital she said it was child abuse and causes arrested development, she'd call child protective services and so on? Any opinions?
-Dancingbear

I have known many normal, sane people who smoke weed occassionally, while pregnant and while BF. There is a stigma, and I wouldn't tell anyone about it, but I don't think there's any harm done.
For heaven's sake, my ob prescribed my Vicodin for headaches the other day. To me, that is a much more serious drug that a bit of weed. Smoking pot is a bad a smoking anything else- the smoke ain't that great, and some other chemicals may not be healthy. So limit yourself.
I have done the research as well on weed, and it's fine as long as it is in moderation and your child is always in good care. Common sense, and all that.
Anyway, hope that helps.

[wannabe]

Personally, I would be concerned because THC is stored in fat, and takes a LONG time, like months, to get out of your system. Hence any exposure, even if we don't know of any ill effects, is going to be long term.

There also may be issues with inhalation of smoke that sticks to the mother's clothes, if it's being smoked.

[Sherra]

Purposes of my post, I have not read all the posts here so if you think I'm speaking to you, not so . This is just my general feeling on the subject whenever it comes up.

People can quote whatever studies they wish. One thing I do know is several people I have been friends with in my life..who did pot quite a bit, could not think very fluently and they told me they wished they had not. They had a hard time completing thoughts and having a fluent conversation. I do know one person who did pot also quite a bit that is ok in the thinking and conversation department. So no one can tell me it is ok in everyone because I know different.


My question would be..why? Why risk it? Makes no sense to me. I figure I didn't go through the pain of childbirth to risk harming her what I could control. I am thankful neither of my parents smoked anything when I was born. They smoked prior to my birth but decided that they wanted to make a home that was void of that stuff. This was before the huge push to stop smoking too. They just logically knew it was not safe - they didn't need a study to back them up.


Sherra

[catnip]

I've never used marajuana, but I am totally pro-legalization. I think it is a powerful and sacred medicinal plant and thank the Goddess that I have never been sick or hurt enough to need it.
Just a quick aside on the forms of ingestion. My father died an ugly and painful death from bone cancer. One of the drugs that he considered for relief was pot. We did alot of research on ways to administer it, and talked to several individuals who used it medicinally. Those I spoke to agreed that the best means of administration were inhalation. INgested, you have less control over the dose. When smoking, it takes effect quickly and you can decide if you need more, administered orally, you have to wait longer for it to take effect, and have less of a fine control over the dose.
HE decided not to try it. I am very sad that the legality of use kept him from trying something that might have eased that horrible pain.

[Sherra]

To me, it's a different scenerio when medical use enters in as opposed to wondering if it is affecting baby in the breastmilk using it for recreational.


Sherra

[darkstar]

sunmountain...I could not have said it better. . You are a master of knowledge.

Also no one has stated that our own Mothering Magazine had a front page about mj and pregnancy.

Sure doesnt cause low birth weight, as mine were 9.5 and 10.5 pounds at birth.


darkstar

[CRISSY]

From what I understand and have read there is no substantial effects to the unborn or through the bf. I think its through your own beliefs, standards ,and morals wether you should do it or not.(personally I choose not to morally) But I do know a couple of moms that do and have done while pregnant and bf. I don't see any effects on there children. It makes me angry though to see how alcohol and smoking cigarettes is ok. When there is substantial evidence of harmful effects in doing so while pregnant ,or bf to the unborn or child Let alone the harmful effects to you that have been proven from doing such (legal drugs). Its a shame that our society feels it's ok to do one and not the other. It all comes down to politics.
(I also want to add my father is real sick with cancer and is dealing with kemo. In the past six mths he has lost 29 lbs,they have put him on nomorous drugs to pull up his appitite (nothing is working) I know if ct. allowed medical pot he would be on it. (politics)

[gratefulbambina]

Originally Posted by CRISSY

(I also want to add my father is real sick with cancer and is dealing with kemo. In the past six mths he has lost 29 lbs,they have put him on nomorous drugs to pull up his appitite (nothing is working) I know if ct. allowed medical pot he would be on it. (politics)

I would get him street marijuana

[ruby slippers]

disappointed

It would be great if our bodies could filter out "bad stuff" to protect our babies, but unfortunately not. Not smoking anything during pregnancy and breastfeeding is wise. It is not such a long time (pregnancy and lactation) and then one can go back to their usual lifestyle if that is desired. I think if you went to a regular MD and he/she said "I advise you smoke some pot tonight as you breastfeed your baby - he's the studies to prove it is okay' there'd be on outcry.

[becca011906]

Ok haven't read this whole thread at all, but i just don't understand why you would buy pot off the street or where ever you get i from... if you grow it then yeah you know it's prolly not got anything eles in it, but if you don't and are buying it from this person, who got it from this person who once put some other drug into it then why would you even chance it!!! It is ILLEGAL so why would you do it? the point is it hasn't been that well studied at all and most of the med on the market have been... I'm not saying i'm a saint and never done this before b/c i'd be lying, but i just don't think it's worth the risk of losing my kids/husband/family b/c of some dumb thing b/c yeah all it takes is one time for you to be arrested for someting and your family is gone, if you make one mistake and the pot is laced with something you would be indangering yourself and you child (if they around you or if you are BF them). I just don't get why you would do something illegal just b/c you don't thik it should be illieagl. that's not your call... and you could get caught.

[Kristine]

Originally Posted by babydoll

I don't think you should drink while nursing, pregnant, or for that matter while you have a child in your care. I have read that an occasional glass of wine is ok, but I don't still don't indulge. I put my children's health ahead of my own "indulgences."

Very well said!

Anybody who chooses to take drugs of any kind while pregnant or nursing is a horribly selfish person. I don't care what the excuse for taking it happens to be, it is WRONG. You can try to justify it any way you want, but it still doesn't change the facts. If you are knowingly transmitting chemicals to a child who has no say in the matter, you don't deserve to keep your child.

Regarding the supposed Rastafarian study -- I would be highly curious to see just how rigorous this study was, how the study was done, who did the study and what their credentials were, what the scope of it was, how many people were tested, what exactly the data was compared with, etc. It sounds more than a little flawed to me if the results came back the way that they did. I'm sure everybody knows how results can be skewed to be in a person (or society's) favour. Remember, cigarettes didn't used to cause cancer.

[lincolnsmom]

I'd quickly like to suggest a book, Women and Cannabis, which is a great resource for pg women or bfing mothers. In fact, there is also info for those struggling with infertility. I found the studies in it very useful, and I especially enjoyed the essay about the historical uses specific to women's health. Sorry I'm not more specific, nak.

[Kristine]

Originally Posted by Sherra

To me, it's a different scenerio when medical use enters in as opposed to wondering if it is affecting baby in the breastmilk using it for recreational.


Sherra

Thank you.

This is a very important point. If women choose to get high, fine. However, how difficult is it to at least wait until you have given birth and are through nursing your child? Is it REALLY that difficult to just wait a few years? If it is, I would say that you have some problems.

I too think that marijuana should be legalized. I also believe that if somebody is dying or extremely ill they should have legal access to it. I believe that if people choose to get high rather than drink a glass of wine, so be it. What I DO object to are people who choose to damage other people's bodies while using whatever the drug of their choice happens to be. Especially a baby, who has no say in the matter whatsoever.

People who like to take drugs will probably ignore what I have just said about hurting their babies. I'm fairly certain that a myriad of excuses will be offered up, such as morning sickness and all the rest. But do you know what? Most women suffer from these afflictions and are able to overcome them without harming their child in the process. This is what being a mother is all about. Putting your child's needs ahead of your own at all times.

If you cannot wait until you are done giving birth or nursing your child to get high, you have some serious issues. And having known plenty of pot smokers throughout the years, I can say with the utmost sincerity that of all the people I have ever known, they spend more time than anybody else trying to think of excuses for their actions.

Some of the people posting on here make Courtney Love -- who I've spent a long, long time talking with -- seem like a role-model mother. And in comparison, she is.