Pot, Boobs and Babies!!

[mountain_mama]

Hey there mammas!
I have a question about smoking pot and breastfeeding. I have heard it slows down milk production but can not find the study to back up that claim. I am also worried about what kind of effect it could have on my babys development. Ive read the study about Jamacian women who smoke daily and how thier babies actually develop moter development skills on average ahead of babies in the U.S but researchers thought that had more to do with daily massages than with marijuana usuage.
I like to smoke pot for medical reasons but have been holding back because of breastfeeding(stopped smoking when I discovered I was pregnant). I did smoke once because of all the post hormones flying around but I felt so guilty afterwards because I did not pump and dump. I know many people have strong emotions when it comes to what you should or should not do while breastfeeding and I know research on this subject is slime but I would love to hear from all of you out there on what your stance is and if you have any other research you would be able to add.

Peace

whhooops i meant slim not slime :D

[delta9]

As far as smoking during pregnancy, no reason to feel guilty:
18) Don't children born to pot-smoking mothers suffer from ``Fetal Marijuana Syndrome?'' If a fetal cannabis syndrome exists, cases are so rare that it cannot be demonstrated. Many mothers use marijuana during pregnancy -- it controls the nausea called `morning sickness' and many say it actually increases the appetite and reduces stress. This is especially important in less developed countries, where modern medical care is not as easily available, but even so, the benefits of responsible marijuana use may outweigh the risks even under modern medicine.

Studies conducted in Jamiaca have shown that mothers who smoke marijuana have healthier children, but this may be due to the extra income generated by marijuana dealing and other factors. It has been a common ploy in the War on Drugs to claim that marijuana, and especially cocaine, causes birth defects or behavior problems like alcohol does. This scares caring mothers into thinking drugs are `evil.' The claims are not based on valid scientific research -- many of them do not even consider the life-style or living conditions of the mothers before pointing at drugs with the blame.

Obviously, pregnant mothers should not smoke as much pot as they possibly can. If marijuana is abused, it may hurt the health of both mother and child. Delta-9-THC does cross the placenta and enter the fetus. Oddly, though, the marijuana metabolite, 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-THC does not, and the fetus does not break delta-9-THC down into 11-nor like the mother's body does, so unborn children are not exposed to 11-nor. The third trimester is the time when the child is most vulnerable. Parents should bear these facts in mind when they make decisions about using cannabis.

As far as smoking while breast feeding (amazing, I got a porn hit in the top 5 results researching this for you, the fetishes some people have) little is actually known about it because 1) marijauna research is mostly illegal and 2) research on women is also mostly illegal... So there's really not much information to go on. Sifting through all the propaganda, the most objective information I found (which said exactly the same thing the others did, but concisely and without all the scare-trappings) was here (http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=302&id=1768#7) quoted below:
# Marijuana (or cannabis) passes in moderate amounts into the milk, although there is usually not enough for the infant to show behavioural changes at the time.
# However marijuana does affect the baby’s brain and is stored in the baby's fat for some weeks.
# Because of the possibility of long-term effects on the developing brain it is strongly recommended that breastfeeding mothers do not smoke marijuana.
# Marijuana may also decrease the mother's milk supply

I would say, you can likely get away with smoking once a month at the most and probably not damage your child at all (might even help 'em, in my opinion, but I'm a crazy marijuana advocate) as they say it takes two to three weeks for what little THC does get to the baby to leave. So, as long as you let it actually pass out of their system and then give them a break on it, I really don't believe it would harm them that much; like you said, jamaican mothers are smoking almost every day. Of course, abstinence is the safest course, with ANY substance while breastfeeding, simply because there isn't enough research to say for sure one way or the other (show me one study that says one thing, I can show you another study biased the other way).

[mountain_mama]

WoW!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate all of the information :)

[granolamomma]

delta has some really good info. I think you just kind of have to weigh the risks like everything else. i smoke occasionally, but i feel like it is safer than a cigarettes, liquor, or even Rx drugs. You just have to decide if its worth the risk I guess. :)