Can Marijuana cause birth defects?

I don't really see how you can be for attachment parenting and healthy parenting such as breastfeeding for really long times (2 years and up) and still advocate smoking ANYTHING while pregnant. The two seem to cancel each other out.

Smoking cigarettes is known as being bad for a baby, so why wouldn't pot be the same way?

I know every woman's body is different but why risk it? I mean even with me- my mom didn't drink, smoke, or even have caffiene the entire time she was pregnant with me and still almost miscarried me and I was over a month early. I ended up fine with the complete opposite of learning disorders (the doctors thought there was a possibility that I would be learning impaired.. HAH) but I still credit her extremely healthy lifestyle at the time for me surviving the rough pregnancy.

I don't really think children should have to go through their parents smoking at ANY stage of their pregnancy, infancy, or childhood. It's not healthy for their little lungs, noses, or ears. My parents smoked until I was 12 and I'm still suffering from the effects of it 5 years later- allergies and horrible colds/hayfever that aren't characteristic of my family that have been pointed to the 2nd hand smoke I inhaled. I still get physically sick around any kind of smoke. Doing anything with the slightest chance of jeopardising your baby is too much of a risk.

 

WORD, LADIES. (she means ALCOHOL, it is advisable to drink water and juice ect )

No one here is "Advocating" pot smoking in pregnancy (I am certainly not.) I go with the research, and the research shows no permanant problems, or even short term ones (a few babies got a little jittery after birth, but these mamas tested positive for other drugs) with MJ usage.

No one is ADVOCATING, just TELLING THE TRUTH.

I don't use MJ when pregnant, but it is NOT as bad as cigarettes. Nicotine is MUCH more toxic than THC. The amount of weed used is much smaller than cigs most people smoke, and although I would NEVER "advocate" smoking weed in pregnancy, I have to TELL THE TRUTH about the real research, and that is that there are few to no negative side effects.

But you are right, it isn't a good idea to have a baby, in the womb or out of it around ANY type of smoke.

Which is why I never used the stuff while I was pregnant or breastfeeding.

 

"I don't use MJ when pregnant, but it is NOT as bad as cigarettes. Nicotine is MUCH more toxic than THC. The amount of weed used is much smaller than cigs most people smoke, and although I would NEVER "advocate" smoking weed in pregnancy, I have to TELL THE TRUTH about the real research, and that is that there are few to no negative side effects.
But you are right, it isn't a good idea to have a baby, in the womb or out of it around ANY type of smoke."


Now, I was afraid to smoke pot, ended up doing it a little for sickness only (it was that or suppositories chock full of unatural chemicals)..haha that's the first time I'm admitting that...but I had bad sickness almost the whole time...the doctor gave me the prescription witout me asking and usually they only do it if you ask them to specifically. But anyway I didn't really ever get high, to use it as medicine you don't have to get "high", in fact if you're just smoking for no reason and have a stomach ache you will probably have to smoke a little more than usual to get as high as normal... But anyway now we go outside to smaoke anything, cause it's true you shouldn't have tiny baby lungs around smoke

 

Okay Maggie. Yes please drink water, juice, maybe milk things like that. But NO ALCOHOL. Bad, bad, bad, toxic results.

I also agree with Maggie, no one is advising that you smoke. We're only stating the facts as to the results of smoking. It is good for morning sickness. It can help insomnia, but you are still exposing the baby to the other bad things found in smoke. There are dangers, but nothing like the dangers in alcohol and other drugs. Frequently not as dangerous as the drugs your doctor may give you without blinking.

I've seen hundreds of these little babies withdrawing from heroin, cocaine, pcp, and other drugs. I've also worked with many babies that have lifelong problems from alcohol.

Kathi

 

Let me ask those ladies who are totally against it (except for Silver Clover because I don't respect her opinion even a little bit) but the real moms who are totally against the smoking part, what do you think about injesting it? The effects of THC have proven that it does not harm the baby, but the smoke does. What is your take on a pregnant woman who uses ganja butter or makes tea?

 

IMO, THC, in any form shouldn't be used recreationally and casually while you are pregnant. I know some mamas who have had to use it for nausea, but I think recreationals should be reserved for nonpregnant times. It is only 40 weeks, at most.

This goes for pharmaceuticals as well, if you NEED them, that is one thing, but one should think before putting anything in your body while you are pregnant that you don't totally NEED.

JMO.

 

I'm going to be such a crappy parent. I hate being sick or in pain in anyway and I always turn to the fastest solution. I'm really going to have to make some changes and sacrifices when I decide to plan my pregnancy.

 

It doesn't mean you can't treat illness or pain. Just to be more careful about casual use of things which may or may not get to the baby.

Yes, lifestyle COMPLETELY changes when you decide to become pregnant. But getting high or not is the least of it. Your entire life is given to an other person, one who is dependent on you for survival. It is wonderful and scary. But beautiful. Babies....

 

In my opinion, MJ can be used when needed during pregnancy. It has not been shown to cause any problems for the baby. There are problems when you smoke anything. Therefore I would not recommend that you smoke it while pregnant.

Kathi

 

yummm, kynd rice crispy treats - with lots of chocolate chips... lol!!!

seriously, my doc didn't have a problem with it at all, and he's head ob/gyn at one of the best women & children's hospitals in the country.

 

Headymoechick wrote:

"I'm going to be such a crappy parent. I hate being sick or in pain in anyway and I always turn to the fastest solution. I'm really going to have to make some changes and sacrifices when I decide to plan my pregnancy."

I thought that too, but honestly when you have your little baby it's instinct and it's not hard to sacrifice for him or her. I didn't even want the baby when I was pregnant but I still felt like he deserved for me to take care of myself and all...after all I didn't ask for him but I caused it, he didn't ask to be born and is innocent. Once I had the baby there was no mixed feelings! You do things because you love them, so it's not so bad as it sounds like it would be...you actually want to set aside time to just be with your baby, and then you'll acidentally spend a couple more hours with him or her And you won't feel like you wasted any time, even if the dish is full and the laundry not done

 

Getting high should be a "choice". A mother should not force her unborn baby to get high- period. Even if it's proven that it doesn't cause "bith defects", it has to have some effect on early emotional development.

 

what do you tell the women who cannot quit drugs during pregnancy?
i suppose you could threaten to take away their baby but to someone who is just using marijuana? i think that would be tough to try and do that.

 

if a conservative doctor finds out you smoke MJ, they can call Child Protective Services and for that alone, I know around here, you can lose your child.

 

Let me tell you about my cousin who did smoke pot while pregnant with her first child. Her son was born with a condition. I can't off hand think of what it is called but basically the skin over his abdomen did not finish developing so his organs were exposed.
Sorry I would never tack a chance with something like that! No way!!

 

A single instance of a situation, as an isolated acecdote, is NO proof. Anecdotes are basically worthless, when one looks at LARGE numbers of data.

As for not taking a chance, that is your choice, as it is all of ours, when you get pregnant.

I wouldn't use weed while pregnant, but some mothers do have medical reason to do so.

 

blackhoodedcrow, i highly doubt if that was caused by smoking pot - but i would be very interested in learning more.

headymochick, if you are on assistance (here anyways) the docs have to tell - and yup they'll take your baby away. they make you sign a confidetiality waiver - because BY LAW, a doctor/patient relationship is confidential unless you waive your rights. but they get you, cuz if you don't sign the waiver while on assistance, they can refuse you medical care.

 

I don't care if your doubt it. It was caused by acsessive pot smoking. Thing like this may be rare but they do happen. Why take chances. I have to laught. When people say "Pot is natural it can't be harmful" Lots of things that are natural are down right poisonus!!! But anyway. It's the truth. But then Again I have nothing to prove to you. But again I do have to laught at people who say Mothers are wrong for not breast feeding but advicate pot smoking!

 

When parents abuse alcohol or drugs, the consequences can be devastating for their children. Children of alcoholic or drug-dependent parents can suffer neglect, developmental hindrances, and emotional and physical abuse. However, people who abuse substances can also damage the health of their unborn children. For example, a woman who smokes marijuana during pregnancy can put the fetus at risk for a host of dangerous problems, such as low birthweight, developmental difficulties, and even drug addiction. Similarly, a woman who drinks alcohol while pregnant—perhaps before she even realizes she's pregnant—can cause heart defects, growth retardation, and serious neurological injury to the fetus (commonly known as fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS).

Much research has shown that alcohol and drug use on the part of men and women can impair fertility and/or lead to birth defects in their children. Despite these known risks, a National Institute on Drug Abuse study on alcohol and other drug use among pregnant women found that 5.5 percent of the study participants used illicit drugs while pregnant, 18.8 percent used alcohol, and 20.4 percent used tobacco.[1] These figures are even higher for teen mothers. In another study, one-third of mothers between the ages of 12 and 18 used marijuana before their pregnancies, and of those, over half used it at some time during their pregnancies.[2] With statistics like these, it's important that teens understand the additional risks of alcohol and drug use, particularly if they are sexually active.

Specifically, how does marijuana affect the fetus? Like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana use has been linked to low birth weight and premature babies. One study showed that marijuana use by the mother is associated with slow embryo growth and spontaneous abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. Other studies have shown that marijuana causes FAS-like symptoms in newborns, such as abnormally shaped heads, small size, and nervous-system difficulties. Research also suggests that the fetuses of teen mothers, as opposed to those of adult mothers, may be especially vulnerable to the damage marijuana causes, especially during the first trimester (when the teen may not even know she's pregnant).[2] Symptoms such as excessive trembling and withdrawal-like irritability in newborns have also been associated with heavy marijuana use by the mother.

In addition, THC, the active component in marijuana, can be passed from mother to infant through breastfeeding.[1] This chemical is more concentrated in the mother's breastmilk than it is in her blood, and use of marijuana by breastfeeding mothers has been linked to motor development problems in newborns.

In general, it is important to remember that the fetus can be exposed to anything that enters the mother's body. THC can pass freely through the placenta. If marijuana poses a health risk to the mother's body, it also poses a potential risk to the fetus she carries in her body.

 

NO ONE here is "advocating" pot smoking during pregnancy. Just using facts. MJ does NOT cause "FAS symptoms" that "study" was so flawed, and was funded by Partnership for a Drug Free America, and has been proven absolute BS years ago. ALCOHOL can cause FAS, THC does not. But stating fact, is FAR from "Advocating" usage of a substance in pregnancy. (Which none of us are doing.)

Are you a genetic researcher who had access to the medical records of this womyn, and the child, as well as having access to research facilities, and an MD or a PHD in genetics and Pharmacology? You "know?"

YOU have no way of "KNOWING" that your freind's baby's deformity was caused by marijuana. I've reviewed all the research, there has been NO link between those types of birth defects and THC exposure.

It is sad, but there is simply no link. MOST birth defects are not related to anything the mother did.