Marijuana in pregnancy

[Maggie1234]

I'm currently 25 weeks pregnant.

I've been very healthy during my pregnancy - I don't smoke, don't take drugs, have just the odd glass of wine, exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet.

I'm going to a New Year party on the weekend.

All my friends will be drinking, and some will be smoking dope.

I'd love to have a few puffs on a joint. Considering I'll be sober (and that I'm quite a lightweight when it comes to dope) just a couple of drags would be enough. Plus my friends use 'herbal tobacco' so there's no nicotine.

I've skim read a few academic articles about it, but most studies seem to be based on women who smoked marijuana regularly in their pregnancy - which completely doesn't apply to me.

I'm just wondering what your thoughts are on this?

I'd prefer to hear from people in the medical field or who can direct me towards research rather than receive anecdotal reassurance (eg. "my sister smoked dope all the time and her kid is fine") or vague disapproval (eg. "I would never do anything to harm my baby")

Just genuinely curious about this! Thanks :)

If there was no vagueness about the disapproval would that be ok?

Why would you? For one night? It's not as if there won't be other occasions in the future when you're not pg.

And I'm not a particularly prurient type, fwiw.

Extract from babyzone.com, written by a pediatrician:

How harmful is "occasional" marijuana smoke during pregnancy? How does it affect the baby?
A: That is a tough question to answer with accuracy. The harm that any drug can do to an unborn baby (I'm assuming that is what you mean) depends upon the circumstances: how much of the drug you use, when during the pregnancy you smoke, etc.

I could not find any direct studies on marijuana in pregnancy, so I looked into what is known about the drug Marinol. Marinol contains the same active ingredient as that in marijuana and is used as an appetite stimulant in some cancer and AIDS patients.

When large doses were given to mice, there was an increased rate of miscarriage and weight gain, but no specific deformities in the babies were seen.

We do know that the active ingredient (THC) concentrates in human milk and that there can be dangerous interactions between THC and other drugs when taken at the same time.

So, it is a 'draw your own conclusions' situation to some extent, but is it really a chance worth taking?

Dr. Karen Sadler

Marijuana crosses the placenta and will reduce oxygen to the foetus. Even herbal tobacco contains toxins, though less than regular tobacco.

There is a risk with any drug use of premature labour. I imagine this risk is low with a single use of an illicit drug but if you had any significant events in your pregnancy after using marijuana I imagine the guilt would be unimaginable.

I really can't understand why anyone would want to use illicit drugs when pregnant, can you not just wait until you're not pregnant any more? I wouldn't want to risk compromising my pregnancy for the sake of a few drags that would give me a momentary rush.

I doubt a few drags on a joint would do any harm, to be honest. After all, that's nothing compared to the painkillers used in childbirth.

Well I have no links to research I'm afraid. But just using common sense - it gets you high (even just on a couple of puffs, by your own admission), how could it possibly harm the baby...

Would you be happy if your born child smoked marijuana? I don't see a difference.
You could do the baby no harm at all.
Or you could.
It's up to you really.

Faverolles - absolutely, you're welcome to disapprove! I would be interested to read scientific evidence that shows smoking marijuana once during pregnancy has adverse effects.

Thanks all - I am genuinely interested in your responses.

I think you're unlikely to find research on single-episode drug use during pregnancy as it has little value and sample sizes would be so small.

IME very few women have single episode drug use, whether alcohol, illicit drugs or tobacco. And it would be very hard to link a single episode with any adverse effects.

I don't have any scientific evidence, but personally feel that you have the rest of your (non-pregnant) life to do things like this.
While you have a tiny growing baby inside you, depending on you for everything, I would avoid anything unless I was 100% confidant that it would have no affect whatsoever on the baby.

I have held back here, because when it comes to drugs, I'm very black and White about it. But this isn't the time or the place :)

well it crosses the placenta doesn't it, so I imagine the baby in utero would be having a few hits on a joint along with you..sorry but why would anyone do this?

I wouldn't. I think it's wrong to impose a mind altering drug on an unborn foetus which has no choice in the matter. You are only pregnant for such a short time. You can smoke all you want when your baby has been born. It is your responsibility to protect your baby from potential harm.

Why would you want to smoke dope for this one evening? Get real!

Is this a well known poster on MN?

Thanks everyone, I genuinely am interested in your thoughts.

I wouldn't intentionally harm my baby - no way. If there is evidence that it would harm the baby, then I wouldn't do it.

Faverolles thanks for clarifying your position and I appreciate your restraint. We can agree to disagree and I appreciate your perspective.

You will never receive anything other than anecdotes on this because I am pretty damn sure that no clinical trials have ever been carried out on 25 week pregnant women having a couple of tokes of a spliff (complete with herbal tobacco or otherwise).

So I guess I'll just have to give you my disapproval (and it isn't vague)

Is there evidence that smoking dope benefits the baby Maggie1234.

I don't think you're for real anyway so this is for you

Well it's probably not the world's greatest idea, but realistically I doubt a puff or two would really do any harm.

Don't be stupid. Would you be happy with someone blowing weed smoke into your newborn baby's face? Cannabis isn't even safe for YOU. If it's not your stuff, you have no idea what's in it.

You're probably not going to find any studies concluding that one-off cannabis use in pregnancy causes harm, because it's scientifically unverifiable, but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous. But based on the common sense perspective that cannabis isn't good for anyone, and anything you have passes to your baby through the placenta, then it cannot be anything other than a potential danger to the baby.

I don't buy into the whole 'would you give your newborn vodka, fags, a spliff' thing at all. It is a totally different argument, but if you equate having a few drags on a spliff to having a glass of wine for example, then there is probably little harm done. What I am intrigued/impressed about is that you chose the MN pregnancy topic as a forum for discussion.

You do realise that a Christmas glass of Baileys is ummed and arred about here don't you?

Me too korma

BTW korma and all the others who say 'you are pregnant for such a short time' obv haven't heard of recurrent MC. I would have spent aprox 15 months on the wagon to no avail had I abstained throughout all of my failed pregnancies................

Funnys - the effect of an occasional glass of alcohol during pregnancy is well researched and documented.
I don't think the same can be said for illegal drugs.

The answers on this thread are far more mixed and restrained than they would be on, say, aibu. And it's hardly a question you can go to your midwife or dr with.

Fair enough Funny.

I have three kids and bf'ed, averaging about 12 months each. That equates to more than 5 years on the wagon. And no spliffs.

Same here Mollys. :)