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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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...to smoke cannabis while breastfeeding

338 replies

SemiCharmedWife · 09/06/2011 09:19

I don't know where to begin.

Actually I do, I'm not a troll, I'm not a regular poster who has namechanged, I'm a lurker who reads the reviews and reads the forums when the baby is having a day of eating and I am stuck to the sofa. This is probably a one-shot username and as it is, I am a little worried someone will trace my IP because what I'm doing is illegal and probably a bit wrong, but I can't be bothered with the SWIM (Someone Who Isn't Me) games. Please be aware I am not taking this lightly, but I don't know who else to come clean to.

I realise by saying 'I'm not a troll', 95% of people will nod and think 'that's what a troll would say'.

I'm procrastinating.

I still smoke weed while breastfeeding DD (4 months) and I was still toking while pregnant. I found out I was pregnant when I was over 20 weeks gone last autumn - if it had been all nicely planned, I tell myself I would have given up. I had an easy pregnancy, a natural labour and DD was a week overdue and perfectly healthy. I am aware that I potentially have dodged a bullet and I would have been devastated if there had been something wrong with her. I think I'm an average mum. I love her (although it wasn't instant, she makes me melt now when she smiles and laughs), I am patient 97% of the time, most housework gets done and I take her out of the house every other day at least.

But I never managed to stop smoking cannabis.

I was going to stop at the new year, then I was going to stop when the baby was born, then I was only going to smoke when the baby was in bed and we tried... but right now, we're smoking as soon as DH gets in from work, then maybe after dinner then almost definitely before bed. One of us stays with DD and we take turns if she's being grumpy, otherwise we go outside and keep an eye on her if she's downstairs/take the monitor if she's in bed. I don't get so stoned that I couldn't react if there was an emergency, I just relax and chat with DH.

Are there any studies that say whether the downsides of smoking weed outweight the downsides of formula? I'm reluctant to give up breastfeeding because it's working for us and I wouldn't be able to pick it back up again, but I can't help but think I am drugging my DD sometimes. Are there actually plenty of mums who still smoke and it's a big, well-kept secret? Am I worrying too much and me and DH will grow out of it (I make us sound like teenagers, we're both mid-20s)? It has to be said that while I would quite like to stop sometimes, my DH will apply pressure to spend money on weed, is very pro-smoking and doesn't think I'm doing/have done anything wrong and even voiced the opinion that I had such an easy pregnancy because I was smoking (not in spite of!). What will the police/SS actually do if someone reports me? Do I deserve to have my baby taken away from me?

I don't know what I'm expecting by posting this, but I'm too scared to be honest with the Health Visitor or the Doctor and I'm even lying to most of my friends (who knew I smoked but presumed I gave up when I was pregnant/had DD). Maybe I need to have my arse kicked and my face rubbed into cold hard facts that prove what I am doing is DISGUSTING and WRONG. Maybe people will surprise me and admit a lot of parents (especially with littl'uns who don't understand) still smoke cannabis, my DH is right and I should just stop worrying. Maybe people will empathise and have ideas on how to say no while DH is outside the back door smoking.

And let the judging commence.

OP posts:
bigmamapeach · 16/11/2016 17:37

Cannabis compounds accumulate in the fat in your milk over time, with chronic use (you say every day), the levels will be building up as the chemicals are fat soluble. There are not many studies as mums will not admit to use but thought to make babies lethargic and slow their motor development among other things. Use will also impair your ability to care for baby even if you formula feed. Co sleeping would be very very unsafe. SIDS risk where parents are using recreational drugs is vastly increased if they co sleep. There will be studies, I quickly found this one bit there will be others. This is not safe. Please get help to mitigate harm to your baby.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472960/

kali110 · 16/11/2016 18:12

Wtf is going onConfused

YelloDraw · 16/11/2016 18:16

You have 2x things to kick - the nicotine and the weed.
Can you try and vape rather than smoke weed? Will deliver the nicotine hit and hopefully make quitting weed easier. But if you DH is 'pro-weed' it will be fucking hard.

I am not anti drugs.
I don't see managed use as THAT much worse than having a glass of wine and actually think alcohol is pretty dangerous.
But I am anti-dependency and it sounds like you both ARE dependent and you will find it hard to be as good a parent as you shoudl be if you are dependent on weed.

WaitrosePigeon · 16/11/2016 18:17

Fucking zombie bastard

YelloDraw · 16/11/2016 18:18

Cannabis compounds accumulate in the fat in your milk over time, with chronic use (you say every day), the levels will be building up as the chemicals are fat soluble. There are not many studies as mums will not admit to use but thought to make babies lethargic and slow their motor development among other things. Use will also impair your ability to care for baby even if you formula feed. Co sleeping would be very very unsafe. SIDS risk where parents are using recreational drugs is vastly increased if they co sleep. There will be studies, I quickly found this one bit there will be others. This is not safe. Please get help to mitigate harm to your baby.

Sounds like you ARE damaging the baby...

YelloDraw · 16/11/2016 18:18

Oh zombie. I didn't get the warning!!!

Maz2444466 · 16/11/2016 18:24

Formula feed.

Magrijade · 03/12/2016 10:37

Absolutely no proof of harm being done or not being done with cannabis intake, so I don't know where all these scientists have emerged from?!! Lol...

CaraAspen · 03/12/2016 12:09

For God's sake - no. Do you really have to ask?
Oh - and I wonder why you changed your name.

CaraAspen · 03/12/2016 12:10

Just seen the date. Wonder how the baby is now at the age of 5?

SemiCharmedWife · 07/05/2017 20:30

Do people really want an update or do they want to hear that I got some sort of justice in real life rather than just being a bit mobbed on the Internet?

Firstly, the plural of anecdote is not evIdence.

DD is 6 now and fine. She walked and spoke early, potty trained late and went through a phase of running out of classrooms. DS walked even earlier (9 months), spoke late and is scarily intelligent, recognising all the numbers up to 100 by 3 etc

He doesn't get it from his pothead mother ;)

I gave up cigarettes for a year in my second pregnancy, gave up weed for six months at some point before then to prove that I could and am apparently borderline, not bipolar.

So all is well that ends well, for some reason I never became a regular mumsnetter, but I do entertain myself by saying "I hear they're all a nest of vipers there." when the subject comes up.

OP posts:
SumThucker · 07/05/2017 20:36

Holy thread revival Batman!

UnbornMortificado · 07/05/2017 20:42

Semi I'm not about to lecture you on an old thread. I'm an ex-addict unlike weed the drugs I was on managed to put me in a coma and subsequently a mental hospital.

Weed can really fuck with your MH my DH blames his paranoia schizophrenia on his teenage usage. I used to self manage my anxiety with alcohol and it did help short term but fucked me up in the long term.

I'm pleased to hear your children are doing well and hope if you ever need some help in the future you manage to get some ok and it works out for you.

user1489179512 · 07/05/2017 20:43

Wrong on all levels. Your poor poor baby.

user1489179512 · 07/05/2017 20:44

Zombie argh

UnbornMortificado · 07/05/2017 20:44

Oh and if you ever feel you need it there is a brilliant addiction support thread on the addiction board.

No judgement or nastiness.

stoplickingthetelly · 07/05/2017 21:01

I have no words😦 . Please stop and seek professional help.

BigGrannyPants · 07/05/2017 21:09

Everything you've said sounds like you are justifying smoking weed any way you can do that you can keep doing it. The behaviour of an addict. Your DH is just as bad for egging you on so that he can keep up hid drug habit. You are both selfish and you are not putting your child first.

Part of me hopes you do get found out because then you will either get the assistance you need and/or your daughter will go to someone who knows that children's health and safety needs to be prioritised over smoking illegal drugs.

You need to stop kidding yourself on, you know fine well your GP will help you with medication to control your symptoms, telling yourself that the best thing to do is to smoke weed is just a load of shit and you know it.

What if something happened and your DD needed urgent medical care, are you confident you could operate to the same standard, make the right decisions, act quickly enough to help her? I doubt it.

My oldest is 6, one new year, my family sat in and watched the rubbish TV. I had 2 glasses of fizz, nothing fancy and I was sober, he tripped and fell down the stairs and had to be taken to hospital and none of us could drive him there, that is the one and only time that has ever happened and I am still kicking myself 3.5 years on. Thankfully an ambulance came and took us to hospital and he was ok.

I nearly lost one of my twins to meningitis at 7 weeks old, their lives are so delicate and precious and you are willing to pump that shit in to your DD through her only source of food.

Get a grip of yourself and bin your DH if he can't stop. If he doesn't stop, you will never stop.

jojo2916 · 07/05/2017 21:17

At conception is the worst time to have certain high grade cannabis in your system as some studies have shown congenital defects, a higher risk of disability in the baby and you have been lucky, however smoking in general is of course bad for the baby, of course it's better for you both to stop but your body has an amazing filter to make sure only the best stuff gets through to your breast milk although there will still be minute traces it will still have a better class of nutrients than formula although if you are worried do some research or get help to give up, the tobacco is likely to be harmful alone so of course if you can give up its better but breast milk is still fantastic even with traces of alcohol or other drugs like cannabis.

XanderDay · 12/10/2017 08:20

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

CoyoteCafe · 12/10/2017 08:28

Zoombie thread

TanteRose · 12/10/2017 08:40

and don't click on any links Hmm

lostinthewoods123 · 12/10/2017 11:04

Will PM you, please PM back x

Fattychan123 · 12/10/2017 11:10

The fact your partner PRESSURES you to spend money on drugs is not healthy in itself.

Your a pair of addicts, why did you think it was a good idea to have a baby?

FlissMumsnet · 12/10/2017 13:10

This is indeed a Zombie thread, thanks for reporting folks

Brew