Women who smoke marijuana might be wondering if they are allowed to smoke marijuana while they are pregnant. Read on to find out more.
Many are still baffled of what is the effect of smoking marijuana during pregnancy. Does it affect the baby? If it does, in what way? Is it really safe? All of these questions and many more are in people’s minds these days. Especially women who are smoking marijuana. If you are a regular smoker, it will be hard to stop from smoking There might even be instances that you know you just can’t smoke but you just have to because you feel the need to do so. Imagine a woman, a regular marijuana smoker, gets pregnant.
What are the facts about smoking marijuana during pregnancy?
An American Academy of Pediatrics report in 2013 listed marijuana among the most common drugs involved in prenatal exposure that may pose important health risks, including possible behavior and attention problems in childhood. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says animal studies have suggested that smoking marijuana in pregnancy may harm brain development. These studies prove that marijuana smoking is not good for women who are pregnant.
It has been found that THC (delta-9-hydro cannabinol), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, is known to be transported from the mother to the developing fetus through the placenta. This means that the fetus is affected by any amount of marijuana taken by the pregnant mother, placing it at a greater risk of complications during pregnancy. The effect of the passive inhalation of marijuana as a result of breathing in the smoke of others is not quantified, but it is recommended that it should be avoided.
Also, it has been found that during pregnancy, smoking marijuana can affect the growth and development of the baby inside the womb. Any form of smoking can disrupt the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, which can result in restrictions in the growth of the fetus (including overall length, foot length, head size and body weight), and in rare cases premature birth, miscarriage and stillbirth.
Effect of smoking marijuana to babies after childbirth
Research suggests that, at ages three to four years, children of mothers who used marijuana while pregnant have poorer verbal, memory and reasoning ability; poorer motor skills and shorter length of play; and are more likely to be fearful, impulsive, inattentive, hyperactive and delinquent. These difficulties appear to persist to age 10 years, when they may be accompanied by increased depression and anxiety, along with reading and spelling problems and general underachievement at school. Such deficits may also continue into adolescence and early adulthood, along with an increased risk for initiation of tobacco and marijuana use. Other studies have found that in the first six months of life, babies who have been exposed to marijuana in utero are also at greater risk of developing asthma, chest infections, and other breathing problems such as wheezing.
With these studies and findings in mind, you now know the effects of smoking marijuana during pregnancy. It is up to you now if you want to have a healthy baby or continue smoking marijuana. But it is highly recommended that smoking marijuana should be avoided while still pregnant.
