Pot and Pregnancy

tntveit · October 2015

I've been trying to find reputable research referring to marijuana and pregnancy but haven't had any luck. If anyone knows any good peer-reviewed studies please post a link. I have a feeling there isn't much out there but its worth a shot. Thanks in advance.

redheadbride15 · October 2015

You won't find a reliable source because it's impossible to do a study to look at this. Best not to do it though. At the very least you can get in trouble with the law/child services folks.

JaymeeLH · October 2015

Everything @redheadbride15 said. At best it's illegal, at worst it could do damage to your developing child. Just don't do it while you're pregnant/breastfeeding.

kbradley1473 · October 2015

I googled this so many times, just if you do decide to smoke pot keep it natural as possible marijuana In pregnancy shows nothing bad will come of it, it'll help you eat if anything and sleep nothing wrong

danalynn86 · October 2015

Due to cannabis being classified as a schedule 1 drug in the US there are woefully few peer reviewed scientific studies that have been done in the United States. Any studies that have been done are self reported, and often don't remove other factors like smoking, alcohol, socio-economic level, etc.

There is one study that was done in Jamaica, where the use of Cannabis, even by pregnant women is much more socially acceptable. This single study of ~60 women and their children showed no difference between children whose mother used Cannabis while pregnant vs. children whose mother's didn't use Cannabis while pregnant. Here's a link to the abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1957518

Now, this is not to tell you that using Cannabis during pregnancy is safe. There is no definitive proof one way or the other, and since we don't know, don't use Cannabis without putting a lot of thought into it while pregnant. However I am a firm believer that some women with morning sickness that is so severe they are contemplating traditional drugs should also think about whether a small amount of (not smoked, never smoke anything, ever, if you can help it) Cannabis could help them.

JaymeeLH · October 2015

danalynn86 said:

Due to cannabis being classified as a schedule 1 drug in the US there are woefully few peer reviewed scientific studies that have been done in the United States. Any studies that have been done are self reported, and often don't remove other factors like smoking, alcohol, socio-economic level, etc.

There is one study that was done in Jamaica, where the use of Cannabis, even by pregnant women is much more socially acceptable. This single study of ~60 women and their children showed no difference between children whose mother used Cannabis while pregnant vs. children whose mother's didn't use Cannabis while pregnant. Here's a link to the abstract: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1957518

Now, this is not to tell you that using Cannabis during pregnancy is safe. There is no definitive proof one way or the other, and since we don't know, don't use Cannabis without putting a lot of thought into it while pregnant. However I am a firm believer that some women with morning sickness that is so severe they are contemplating traditional drugs should also think about whether a small amount of (not smoked, never smoke anything, ever, if you can help it) Cannabis could help them.

I see what you're saying about use in cases of HG, but I wouldn't take the risk for recreational use. For me a sample size of 60 just isn't big enough to feel like there are conclusive results.

tntveit · October 2015

Thank you ladies

danalynn86 · October 2015

I totally agree with choosing not to use Cannabis recreationally during pregnancy. A sample size of 60 is tiny, a single study even if it had a huge sample size is not enough information! Why would you chance it? That's crazy town banana pants to me. I was only sharing the quality information that I have found regarding Cannabis use and pregnancy. Then adding a healthy caution and my own opinion. All without fear mongering that's not actually based in any science. That's all.

BirdsofParadise86 · October 2015

I'm going to be blunt. I don't think it's wise to use pot while pregnant. Of course there won't be very many studies because that would be considered unethical. Why would you take that chance on an innocent life?

aloha5736 · October 2015

...this is just so sad IMO. Sorry! Smoking in general is ill advised due to low birth weight outcomes as one reason not too. what makes marijuana any different? Secondly marijuana gives you a "high" to a 100lb plus person. What do you think it does to a 7lb baby? This is just my opinion. There have been studies shown that babies from mothers who smoke Marijuana daily, actually showed delayed and startled reflexes at birth. Yes, it's the better "recreational drug" of the many out there, but in no means is it safe.

Bear14+ · October 2015

aloha5736 said:
...this is just so sad IMO. Sorry! Smoking in general is ill advised due to low birth weight outcomes as one reason not too. what makes marijuana any different? Secondly marijuana gives you a "high" to a 100lb plus person. What do you think it does to a 7lb baby? This is just my opinion. There have been studies shown that babies from mothers who smoke Marijuana daily, actually showed delayed and startled reflexes at birth. Yes, it's the better "recreational drug" of the many out there, but in no means is it safe.

This exactly. No, just no. Especially right now, your baby's brain is forming and all of their internal organs. Why would anyone want to expose their developing child to that?

danalynn86 · October 2015

aloha5736 said:

...this is just so sad IMO. Sorry! Smoking in general is ill advised due to low birth weight outcomes as one reason not too. what makes marijuana any different? Secondly marijuana gives you a "high" to a 100lb plus person. What do you think it does to a 7lb baby? This is just my opinion. There have been studies shown that babies from mothers who smoke Marijuana daily, actually showed delayed and startled reflexes at birth. Yes, it's the better "recreational drug" of the many out there, but in no means is it safe.

That's the kind of scare mongering stuff I referenced. You can have your opinion, but it's not science. Most of the studies done in the US and the rest of the world don't take into account the kind of social stigma associated with Cannabis consumption in our society. This means that the mothers who are ingesting Cannabis are more high-risk than normal to begin with. That's why most studies on Cannabis in general are totally flawed. I'm not saying it's a great thing to do while pregnant. I'm not even saying it's safe, I simply think people's bias makes it really hard to get actual, real information out there in regard to the risk/reward of using something like Cannabis in general(not even necessarily during pregnancy). Why not choose to put out real, verifiable information; rather than belittling people and throwing out random things you've decided you "know" about Cannabis use?

Due to the obviously heated nature of this topic I won't be commenting in this thread anymore, as I'm new here and I don't want to get into a weird flame war over something I'm not all that invested in. I just *really* dislike the belittling/rude nature of some of these comments.

Vinny424 · October 2015

Rude? She's talking about drugs while pregnant. It's not like we're debating gender vs. sex.

JaymeeLH · October 2015

The point is all she did was ask for links to legitimate research, she didn't say she is or is going to smoke or get high while pregnant. No need to flame her at this point.

aloha5736 · October 2015

Well...wasn't going to go there. Maybe I'm not citing my references, but from personal experience I cite them from. I'm a nurse, I worked OB before I went to the ICU, that is where I cite MY opinions from. I assessed little babies from moms from who ingested all sorts of drugs, one of them being marijuana. I wasn't trying to be rude, I was trying to EDUCATE you on the adverse effects I see myself in my job. Sadly saying almost daily. So sorry about my "random" facts, I should have cited the source, myself.

sthomas1222 · October 2015

I agree with @danalynn86. The judgmental nature is what keeps people from seeking help in whatever form they need it. Just check your language, tone is missing from the Internet as we all know. No harm comes from taking a supportive stance, which doesn't mean you condone the actions...

aloha5736 · October 2015

Thanks and good luck! Sorry if I offended anyone. I was reluctant to even say anything, as for fear it would come off anything other than informational from my own professional opinion. There's no supportive/judgemental stance, I don't care either way what you do with your child. That's for you to decide, not me.

sorarose · October 2015

Is this real life?

PrimRoseMama · October 2015

#lurker

Cannabis has not been proven safe for a developing fetus. Its best if you just abstain. There are other natural methods that work very well to control nausea/vomiting (ginger root is one of them) if you are reluctant to try modern medicine. However, many of the nausea aids have been used with no ill effects.

The way I see it, its an illegal substance in the US. Some states allow it for medical reasons, so I am not sure how that works if your child or you tests positive in those states. However, in my state its illegal and CPS gets involved if baby tests positive for any addictive substance or drug at birth. They will test you as well when you come in to triage for Labor and Delivery. So be mindful of that when/if you decide to toke it up during your pregnancy.

Also, if you must ingest the bud-- see if you can't find an alternative to smoking it. Edibles are an option, but its hard to judge the effect of them as quickly. So be wary if you choose that route, but its better than smoking anything (oxygen deprivation etc.)

I still say its best to just not do it at all. Its not a gamble I'm willing to take and I'm pretty relaxed about most Pregnancy "rules".

goldie987 · October 2015

Totally agree with PP. While I agree that the social stigma hinders research, when it comes down to it, its a schedule 1 drug that hasn't been tested for safety at all, let alone for safety during pregnancy.

Vinny424 · October 2015

JaymeeLH said:
The point is all she did was ask for links to legitimate research, she didn't say she is or is going to smoke or get high while pregnant. No need to flame her at this point.

She hasn't given any reason for me not to assume the worst. Saying "I have HG and am looking for a natural alternative can you help me with xyz" would get a lot more sympathy and understanding.

berky84 · October 2015

I agree this should be a safe space to ask questions of all kinds and I appreciate the OP bringing this up. That said, I don't believe it is safe to smoke/use weed while pregnant - even if, due to ethical reasons, there is virtually no research on it.

little_bren · October 2015

Better safe than sorry!

VikingGirl12 · October 2015

Maybe this is why my OB has started doing routine drug tests for all preg women :-/

Please don't do drugs while there's a little helpless human growing inside you...

nlwz123 · October 2015

This is the way I look at it--even if it's legal in the state you live in, my guess would be it's NOT legal for an infant to smoke. Would you let your newborn smoke pot? Probably not, but you are growing that baby inside of you. At the very least put the ganj on hold until you deliver.

saladflambe · October 2015

khochanadel · October 2015

I personally wonder about secondhand pot smoke while pregnant. All research says rock concerts are totally safe for baby, but we all know what happens at them. I went to 3 my first week after fet and hubby joked about "baby's first contact high".

I'd love to tell everyone around me to knock it off because I'm pregnant but that's a little unrealistic. Pot has never been my vice of choice but I've always stood by letting others do what they want. Is minimal Secondhand contact dangerous for baby?

CourtJack · October 2015

I literally just googled "marijuana and pregnancy" and a few articles came up including this one:

In a prospective study the relationship of marijuana use during pregnancy to infant birth weight and length of gestation was examined in 583 women who delivered single live infants. Eighty-four women used marijuana to varying degrees during pregnancy. Marijuana, alcohol, smoking, and nutritional habits were estimated by repeated interviews. Compared to nonuse, an average use of marijuana six or more times per week during pregnancy was associated with a statistically significant reduction of 0.8 weeks in the length of gestation after consideration of the effects of nicotine, alcohol, parity, mother's prepregnancy weight, and the sex of the infant. With similar adjustments no reduction in birth weight was noted. Among the heavy marijuana users the effect on gestation length was dose dependent.

Supported by a National Health and Welfare grant (P. A. F.).

: Reprint requests: Dr. P. A. Fried, Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 5B6.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937884801039

CourtJack · October 2015

And this:

It is difficult to be certain about the specific effects of marijuana on pregnancy and the developing fetus, in part because those who use it often use other drugs as well, including tobacco, alcohol, as well as the influence of social and genetic factors¹³, and ethical and practical problems in conducting prospective longitudinal studies. We don't know enough yet to be certain about all of the possible risks. We do know that THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, crosses the placental barrier and is secreted into breastmilk of nursing mothers⁸. This raises important concerns about the potential impact of maternal marijuana use on the developing child, so to be safe, it is strongly recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding mothers do not use marijuana. - See more at: https://learnaboutmarijuanawa.org/factsheets/reproduction.htm#sthash.R1m2PPhF.dpuf

So, I'm thinking it's safe to say based on these articles that there's potential for risk to your baby and it's best to abstain.

lakincoz · October 2015

I know two girls from high school who continued to smoke pot while pregnant. They both say after the fact it was their biggest regret.
While chance it? If it effects the baby its you that has to live with that.

Jmo5000 · October 2015

So many people judge freely what they don't understand. Marijuana is a natural herb that grows naturally, is a very healing substance that is known to heal many different things. There is a far less risk in consumption of marijuana then there is a associated with plenty of things which people take for granted and do all the time in our society. For example unnecessary medical intervention, Epidurals, low quality formula feeding, consumption of high fructose corn syrup and consumption of chemicals like aspartame (in things like Diet Coke), fish and meats full of antibiotics and low-quality... in my mind all of these things pose a higher risk to your baby than marijuana . And yet since since society normalizes all these things people just think it's fine, and since society demonizes marijuana, people are very quick to judge it. Because people don't think for themselves. The only real study that has ever been conducted involving marijuana and pregnancy in Jamaica resulted that there was no adverse effect, and if anything, a slightly positive effect to babies of parents who smoke marijuana . I have personally known several people who have smoked cannabis in a therapeutic ways during their pregnancy, and I can honestly tell you that their children are more advanced for their age, more beautiful, and at a higher level of educational understanding than their peers. It's kind of astounding from my observation . Although I am not saying it would be my choice during pregnancy, I know for a fact that it is not necessarily a bad choice if used in a therapeutic and moderate way.

sorarose · October 2015

Jmo5000 said:

So many people judge freely what they don't understand. Marijuana is a natural herb that grows naturally, is a very healing substance that is known to heal many different things. There is a far less risk in consumption of marijuana then there is a associated with plenty of things which people take for granted and do all the time in our society. For example unnecessary medical intervention, Epidurals, low quality formula feeding, consumption of high fructose corn syrup and consumption of chemicals like aspartame (in things like Diet Coke), fish and meats full of antibiotics and low-quality... in my mind all of these things pose a higher risk to your baby than marijuana . And yet since since society normalizes all these things people just think it's fine, and since society demonizes marijuana, people are very quick to judge it. Because people don't think for themselves. The only real study that has ever been conducted involving marijuana and pregnancy in Jamaica resulted that there was no adverse effect, and if anything, a slightly positive effect to babies of parents who smoke marijuana . I have personally known several people who have smoked cannabis in a therapeutic ways during their pregnancy, and I can honestly tell you that their children are more advanced for their age, more beautiful, and at a higher level of educational understanding than their peers. It's kind of astounding from my observation . Although I am not saying it would be my choice during pregnancy, I know for a fact that it is not necessarily a bad choice if used in a therapeutic and moderate way.

Lots of things are natural, but doesn't make them a good idea. Your observational evidence doesn't mean it is safe; there are people who smoke and drink alcohol who have healthy babies, but it's still completely ill-advised.

goldie987 · October 2015

Jmo5000 said:
So many people judge freely what they don't understand. Marijuana is a natural herb that grows naturally, is a very healing substance that is known to heal many different things. There is a far less risk in consumption of marijuana then there is a associated with plenty of things which people take for granted and do all the time in our society. For example unnecessary medical intervention, Epidurals, low quality formula feeding, consumption of high fructose corn syrup and consumption of chemicals like aspartame (in things like Diet Coke), fish and meats full of antibiotics and low-quality... in my mind all of these things pose a higher risk to your baby than marijuana . And yet since since society normalizes all these things people just think it's fine, and since society demonizes marijuana, people are very quick to judge it. Because people don't think for themselves. The only real study that has ever been conducted involving marijuana and pregnancy in Jamaica resulted that there was no adverse effect, and if anything, a slightly positive effect to babies of parents who smoke marijuana . I have personally known several people who have smoked cannabis in a therapeutic ways during their pregnancy, and I can honestly tell you that their children are more advanced for their age, more beautiful, and at a higher level of educational understanding than their peers. It's kind of astounding from my observation . Although I am not saying it would be my choice during pregnancy, I know for a fact that it is not necessarily a bad choice if used in a therapeutic and moderate way.

Anecdotes aren't evidence. That's why no studies say things like "well, my cousin had a baby who was totally okay after xyz, so I think it's safe". When it comes down to it, it is recommended that women decrease or stop consuming chemistry altering substances like alcohol and caffeine during pregnancy, so pot should be abstsined from as well. The things you mentioned have been extensively studied and shown to be safe. Pushing something as safe with a single study done with a small sample size while disregarding practices that have been shown to be safe is irresponsible.

FWIW, there have been a few studies that have shown that pot should remain on the schedule one list due to addictive properties as well as the chance of permanent damage to the brain. Studies can show whatever they want to show if you word things the right way and publish in the right journals.

Bear14+ · October 2015

I

Jmo5000 said:
So many people judge freely what they don't understand. Marijuana is a natural herb that grows naturally, is a very healing substance that is known to heal many different things. There is a far less risk in consumption of marijuana then there is a associated with plenty of things which people take for granted and do all the time in our society. For example unnecessary medical intervention, Epidurals, low quality formula feeding, consumption of high fructose corn syrup and consumption of chemicals like aspartame (in things like Diet Coke), fish and meats full of antibiotics and low-quality... in my mind all of these things pose a higher risk to your baby than marijuana . And yet since since society normalizes all these things people just think it's fine, and since society demonizes marijuana, people are very quick to judge it. Because people don't think for themselves. The only real study that has ever been conducted involving marijuana and pregnancy in Jamaica resulted that there was no adverse effect, and if anything, a slightly positive effect to babies of parents who smoke marijuana . I have personally known several people who have smoked cannabis in a therapeutic ways during their pregnancy, and I can honestly tell you that their children are more advanced for their age, more beautiful, and at a higher level of educational understanding than their peers. It's kind of astounding from my observation . Although I am not saying it would be my choice during pregnancy, I know for a fact that it is not necessarily a bad choice if used in a therapeutic and moderate way.

So basically, smoking marijuana during pregnancy will give me an advanced & beautiful child? Sign me up!

CourtJack · October 2015

Bear14+ said:

I
So many people judge freely what they don't understand. Marijuana is a natural herb that grows naturally, is a very healing substance that is known to heal many different things. There is a far less risk in consumption of marijuana then there is a associated with plenty of things which people take for granted and do all the time in our society. For example unnecessary medical intervention, Epidurals, low quality formula feeding, consumption of high fructose corn syrup and consumption of chemicals like aspartame (in things like Diet Coke), fish and meats full of antibiotics and low-quality... in my mind all of these things pose a higher risk to your baby than marijuana . And yet since since society normalizes all these things people just think it's fine, and since society demonizes marijuana, people are very quick to judge it. Because people don't think for themselves. The only real study that has ever been conducted involving marijuana and pregnancy in Jamaica resulted that there was no adverse effect, and if anything, a slightly positive effect to babies of parents who smoke marijuana . I have personally known several people who have smoked cannabis in a therapeutic ways during their pregnancy, and I can honestly tell you that their children are more advanced for their age, more beautiful, and at a higher level of educational understanding than their peers. It's kind of astounding from my observation . Although I am not saying it would be my choice during pregnancy, I know for a fact that it is not necessarily a bad choice if used in a therapeutic and moderate way.
So basically, smoking marijuana during pregnancy will give me an advanced & beautiful child? Sign me up!

I was just thinking the same thing! Hello!? I want a beautiful baby. Pass the mary jane!

GinnyJ2012 · October 2015

@Jmo5000

How the F is marijuana suppose to alter a child's genetic make up to make them more beautiful? That makes no sense.

Edited to fix quote failure

hockeyfan42 · October 2015

GinnyJ2012 said:

@Jmo5000 How the F is marijuana suppose to alter a child's genetic make up to make them more beautiful? That makes no sense. Edited to fix quote failure

cuz totes science, you guise!

sorarose · October 2015

totsabounding · October 2015

Lilwatz · October 2015

PP might be on to something. My formula fed, epiduraled, non-organic and antibiotic filled, likely GMOed meatball eating one year old is pretty ugly...

sorarose · October 2015

Lilwatz said:

PP might be on to something. My formula fed, epiduraled, non-organic and antibiotic filled, likely GMOed meatball eating one year old is pretty ugly...

Same exact boat. I won't post because he is just WAY too ugly, but pretty sure that my epidural caused the dimples.

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