Marijuana for Morning Sickness? Think Again.

Dangerous Trend of Marijuana as Cure-All Puts Babies at Risk

On marijuana blogs and discussion boards you will find women debating the use of marijuana for morning sickness. Dope is being touted as a antidote to all that ails the pregnant woman: morning sickness, nausea, menstrual cramps. Many unsuspecting women will think marijuana is a more natural way to deal with the normal symptoms of pregnancy. In this blog, I hope to share some important links so women will get fair warning of the risks.

In Colorado, recently, a hospital has started counseling women not to breastfeed while smoking pot. This is out of concern for the contamination of their breast milk with THC, the psychoactive component of the drug. Could it be that more women in that state are smoking marijuana for morning sickness, getting dependent on the drug, and then not able to cease once the baby is born? Here is a March of Dimes Warning about Marijuana and Pregnancy.

Marijuana mommies are telling others that they used marijuana for morning sickness, and that using pharma drugs would be worse. But are there better options? I checked with a Weston A. Price Foundation (westonaprice.org) nutrition activist friend of mine who has given birth 9 times about how WAPF recommends handling morning sickness. “Lots of high quality protein, such as grass fed meat, and juice from fermented foods and sauerkraut,” she responded.

Low Birth Weight and Pre-Term Birth are Big Risks with Marijuana

THC is a fat soluble substance, and breast milk is naturally high in fat because it is vital nutrition for the growing infant. Fat is critical for brain development, and studies find THC interferes with brain development. Here is a review of the science, Smoking Marijuana is Dangerous in Pregnancy written by Pam McColl, a doula who is on the board of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Canada.

This article on WhattoExpect.com says marijuana smoking mothers are 77 % more likely to have an underweight baby.

Researchers of low birth weight babies among Australian Aborigines refer to a British study that found health problems later in life are often associated with smaller babies. Hypertension, stroke, coronary disease and type 2 diabetes are possible risks later in life for those who are born underweight.

Marijuana proponents often use the argument that “what we do with our bodies is our own business.” However, when it comes to pregnant women, they are administering this psycho-active drug to another person. WGAL TV recently did a news report about Colorado seeing an Increase in Babies Being Born with Marijuana in their System.

Besides decreased birth weight, the other harms to children (as they grow) observed by scientific researchers, cited in Pam McColl’s article, were in these areas:

brain maturity

cognitive abilities

executive functioning

short term memory

verbal outcomes

attention problems

hyperactivity

impulsivity

abstract visual skills

visual reasoning

abstract reasoning

goal setting

planning

Before you use Marijuana for Morning Sickness…

Arizona is the first state to recognize that marijuana and pregnancy don’t mix. Here is a news story from February 2016 which talks about legislators working on passing a law that would require marijuana dispensaries to warn expectant mothers.

Researchers in Australia warn that like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana can have negative effects. And, this includes prospective fathers, also.  They found pre-term birth is a risk for female pot smokers.  But men are not off the hook, these Aussie researchers say that for males, cannabis can  damage their sperm resulting in possible birth defects, and increased risk of childhood cancer. Here is the article, Do We Need a Health Warning about Cannabis and Pregnancy?

Often cited by the proponents of marijuana for morning sickness is a study done in Jamaica. A blogger who writes at MommaBirth.com, who is staunchly against any drugs during pregnancy refutes that study Smoking Marijuana While Pregnant: Why the Jamaican Study Doesn’t Matter. And, I highly recommend you read her reasons why not to be a “stoner with child”: Smoking Marijuana While Pregnant.

Kimberly Hartke blogs about health and wellness on hartkeisonline.com Follow her blog in facebook.com/hartkeisonline