Smoking pot and breast feeding

i don't see a big problem being high around kids, when you get high you aren't like some unnaturally careless person...if it affects you great enough to endanger a child's life, you probably shouldn't be smoking regardless.

first hand - i know many people with parents that smoke/smoked when they were young and they have all their fingers, toes and both their eyes, nothin bad happened


as far as breastfeeding, i don't see how it could cause some hardcore adverse effect, but i don't think anyone should be smokin everyday or anythin

 

I would call that irresponsible parenting.

As to freeinalaska's comment, sure you are free to smoke whatever you like, and i can't stop you (although the law can, weed is, after all, illegal), but I still stand by my comment. I've seen far too many children in London born to drug and alcohol using parents who have only gone down the same path later in life, and that is not what I want for my children. And for breastfeeding and pregnancy, even though I may not see eye-to-eye with this to you and PurpByThePound, i wouldn't personally take the risk on it. Regardless of that, second hand smoke (as is the case with any type of smoking) around a newborn is a risk factor for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. That alone should make people think twice.

 

The main concern is weed in the milk stream, and considering that everything the mother eats, drinks, or takes in her is in her breast milk in small or large amounts, it is a real concern. For that reason alone, alcoholics and cocaine and heroin addicts are told NOT to breastfeed to prevent their child becoming addicted and/or having adverse effects from these substances.

 

okay so I'm taking a risk here as I don't have the original report at hand but here it goes: about 5 years ago I saw a news report stating a study on Rastafarian mothers in Jamaica and their children. At first I thought that it was going to report something like- the kids were developmentally delayed, but actually it was the opposite. On average the children were "above average". I was like : that's a surprise. But then I thought about it some more, what is the environment like for these kids? What is the smoking of reefer pertaining to?

I know plenty of hippy kids(having been/am one myself) growing up on the communes and we all smoked pot in general. And we are all a mixed bag of folks today.

I (can't smoke pot now) but when I did, I never felt off in my head, but actual more connected to everything around me.

I've met folks who have gone through the gambit of ADHD therapies and whatnots for their kid and happened to turn to reefer to help there kid slow down and be connected to environment. Go figure.

Sometimes I do believe that there are medicinal attributes to this plant. The one thing that bugs me about smoking reefer though, and this might surprise you, is the damage of the heat from the smoking of the stuffand what it does to your bronchi and lungs. I think it might lead to asthma for children, if they smoke.

O but this is about breast milk. oops.

 

Many mothers are against vaccination because it could hurt their child, but won't quit the drug habit for the childs well being. Go figure.

 

Ah...this is the topic I was searching for years ago when I found hipforums hee hee.

Please do not compare alcohol, heroin, or cocaine to weed...that is just ignorance. As we know, MJ is used medicinally even in our country. I have known midwives that have recommended smoking for morning sickness or even during labor to ease the pain. Doctors are very quick to prescribe antidepressents and anti anxiety medications to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers (I know quite a few that are on these). These mothers are not considered irresponsible even though both types of meds alter your personality.

Anyway, I have two children that were breastfed while I smoked weed regularly. They are both perfect and I really think that is why they are so smart LOL. My son was walking at 9 months old, knew his alphabet, numbers and write words by 2, just finished Kinder and reads at a 2nd grade level, and can multiply and divide. He is by far the smartest kid I know. He is also very athletic and active. My daughter is 2-1/2 and perfect! She is different for sure, loves to dance and will talk your ear off.

Does it make me an irresponsible parent? I don't think so. My kids do not even know what a beer is and by I was their age, I was already fetching them from the fridge for my dad and thought people getting drunk every weekend was normal. My husband and I both have masters degrees, live in suburbia, and have kids that are active and have lots of friends. So we toke at night when the kids are asleep, why would that make someone a horrible parent and how is it different than someone that drinks a glass of wine at night, takes their antidepressant or sleeping pill???

I researched the hell out of this topic before deciding to smoke while nursing (I do not smoke pregnant, my choice..I would not judge someone for that either). One thing that I found by several sources is that breastmilk from smoking mothers (not thc but tobacco) is still recommended over formula!! So what does that say?

 

Judbug - thank you for sharing that. It's takes balls to be real about a topic that can easily lead to flaming (such as this one).

I did want to share this. I've read nearly the whole report as this convo sparked my interest (pun intended).

Anyway - this study goes over prenatal exposure and breastfeeding exposure. I was shocked at the results. There are very few differences between marijuana exposed and nonexposed babies inutero and even those children exposed and not exposed via breastmilk up to the first year. And the differences are things that will make you laugh, like the gender rate...it seems more males are born to marijuana users LOL

Anyway - if you've got time it was a fairly easy read and quite enlightening. http://www.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/Monograph59/Monograph59.pdf#page=52

 

With respect, if you read my comment I did not compare the two, I merely said that the flow of these substances in the milk adversely affect the child, and people fear that weed can do the same.

Actually, I would consider them irresponsible. The doctors even more so. Many prescription drugs have been found to cause deformities to unborn babies. It is best not to take the risk IMO.

It's no different. And to be honest I wouldn't drink that glass of wine either while breastfeeding for the affects alcohol could have on my baby.

Not much, I found several sources saying exactly the opposite.

 

Agreed! :cheers2:

 

I don't have any links to post or arguing to do, but here's my experience.
I quit while I was pregant and didn't smoke until he was about 3 months old. He's 14 months now and still breastfeeds - I'll admit I'm a daily smoker.. and not just 'once daily' or anything. My midwife and the ppublic health nurses here know I smoke and haven't said anything bad about it, only recommended that we not smoke anything in the house, which we don't. He's just fine, I can't claim his height and weight is in the "75th percentile" or any crap, he's tall and skinny for his age (like most of the kids in my family) and he's developed just fine. Does everything a normal 14 month old should be doing and then some - can't most parents say that about their kids?
Maybe it's because this province/town is extremely liberal, but I know older people whose parents smoked pot while they were pregnant/breastfeeding and they turned out just fine. They did the same and their kids are older than me and turned out just fine. Some of them smoke pot, a lot of them don't, and I don't think their parents decisions influenced that in many ways at all really.
It's my OPINION (again, I'm not looking to argue and I don't have any links to post because I'm not trying to sound more intelligent than I am) that for the most part, parents' decisions don't have all that much influence on hir children in the long run. Sure, kids do a lot of what they see their parents do. But I don't think seeing their parents smoke pot is going to land them in a crack house at 17 - if they grew up in crack houses, that's another story.

 

That's true. I've seen children grow up with pot using parents, yeah a lot of them have gone on to smoke themselves, some haven't. Crack houses, unfortunately are different, I haven't seen any child born to junkie parents who haven't ended that way themselves. A very famous example in the UK is Davina McCall, presenter of Big Brother, who's mother was a drug addict (she revealed that when she was 8, her mother showed her the "magic cigarettes" she'd smoke but Davina already knew what they really were). Davina herself ended up a junkie and even now she's clean still goes to Narcotics Anonymous.
Sorry to go a little off topic!

 

I have done what I consider extensive research about pregnancy and could find very few actual studies. I think the gov is afraid to invest money into it because of what results might actually yield... and also I have read about mom's being afraid of losing their babies for pot smoking (it was in the USA) so no one admits it to their professionals so there is no way for them to complete studies.

My best friend studied a Drugs and Society course in Uni and her and I searched for info on the subject. In her course text book, there was only a small little excerpt and it basically repeated what was said in this thread about there being no significant differences and if anything, the children were performing ahead of age by age one. The only negative was that the parents reported worse sleeping habits of these children.

I have always wondered what would be the "Correct thing" to do if the woman has a medicinal marijuana license and is pregnant. Just food for thought.

 

I was living in Florida when I had my son. I did discuss it with my midwife - one day (after my second or third appointment) she walked in and said "You know you're coming up positive for THC..." I said yes, I smoked a lot before I got pregnant, etc. She asked when I quit, I told her and she said "Okay, you need three clean tests before the baby's born or they'll test both of you in the hospital" I told her no problem and didn't smoke for the rest of my pregnancy.
Fortunately, she was super cool about it. Nobody else ever bothered to say anything so it's a good thing she did. She said she's never seen any proof that THC harms babies but it's an illegal "drug" and they do take kids away over it... then she rolled her eyes and said it was ridiculous. The only thing they can claim (and prove) to harm the baby is the smoke, but they don't take babies away from moms that smoke cigarettes while they're pregnant and you don't have to smoke pot to have THC in your system.

 

I understand that other Countries have done extensive studies on Marijuana. Israel for one. I'm not sure what those studies are in regards to mother/child, but it's a direction for anyone out there that wants to find out.

 

I don't smoke pot now, and have not since I was 6 months pregnant. But, I am assuming that a preborn baby's brain is less developed than postborn, and either way, they get stoned, too. My son is 15 months and well advanced, 6 months, actually. I think that the dangers of smoking it have more to do with the actual smoke, ie. carbon monoxide, than with anything else.

I smoked heavy in my pregnancy due to a problem with extreme morning sickness, and although I know the question was about breastfeeding, I think they would be similar results.

 

we do know the long term effects of smokin while breastfeeding and smoking while pregnant, also. There is none! lol. Baby continues to be as completely normal as if you'd never smoked pot in your life. I guess i shouldn't eat garlic with my pizza! Have we forgotten it's just a plant outside? I'm sure our kids will eat a clover one day. lol. It's an herb! I'm not gonna quit eating tomatoes. I see as the same thing, honestly. Because our government says it's the big bad wolf, I really don't see how pot could even be put CLOSE to the same category as like crack or meth. Definitely quit smokin some nasty A cigarettes, but smoke the ganja all day.

but it's everyone's personal opinion, it's your baby. do what YOU think is right. and you know what's wrong and what's not, we all do. so go with your gut. [=

 

But, if you're going to use marijuana while pregnant, please eat it or drink it rather than smoke it.

 

Throw all the studies on the fire, seriously people, stop being pedantic and just use your head.

I don't think anybody should be smoking drugs whist breast feeding. I read this:

'The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC (tetrahydro-cannabinol), is fat-soluble and does enter breast milk and the baby - often due to the size of the infant, in higher blood concentrations than the mother. However, there is no firm evidence that cannabis or THC can stunt, impair or damage a baby or their growth.'

So, although they claim there is no evidence of damage, THC enters your child. Any mum who wants to pump that sort of stuff into an infant is a very stupid mum. Studies, from what I can see, do not firmly point to any definite answers because no one has really looked it this query in huge amounts of detail.

 

I'd be more concerned that someone is going to see the baby has thc in its system and then take him from you and charge you with endangering the welfare of a minor. Then your kids chances of growing up to be addicted to something increases because he had to go through the foster system

 

I comp. agree here, I smoked while I breastfeed, after the baby was in bed as well, and all my sons doctors tell me how smart, perfect, happy, and healthy he is, Hes only 11 months old and hes known his colors since he was 10 months old he said his first word "Daddy" at 2 months. Every child is different and develops differently