Marijuana (cannabis or weed) is the most common used illegal drug. In general, marijuana is considered by many to be a “harmless” or “soft drug,” but there are risks associated with its use. One of these risks is a mother exposing her baby to breast milk after she has smoked or eaten marijuana. Research from random breast milk screenings rather than controlled studies (for ethical reasons) shows concern regarding marijuana’s possible effects on a baby’s nervous system development, and endocannabinoid-related functions such as anxiety regulation and emotional learning.
Is Smoking Weed While Breastfeeding Safe?
1. Duration of Marijuana in the Body
When mothers smoke marijuana and breastfeed, the active ingredient in marijuana –tetrahydrocannabinol or THC – stays in the mother’s body for four to six weeks and it is passed on and found in the urine of breastfeeding babies. Since THC is fat soluble, it can stay in the fat tissue of chronic users for one to six months.
2. Harm on the Baby
Babies exposed to marijuana breast milk may appear to be sluggish and not suck well. Since important brain growth occurs in the first months of an infant’s life, marijuana contaminated breast milk can alter or hinder a baby’s brain and nervous system development. Babies are also more vulnerable to illness, colds, and infections; and for this reason alone, it should be apparent to not allow contaminants and harmful substances to enter breast milk.
3. Mom Not Able to Take Care of the Baby
Furthermore, marijuana use can diminish the abilities of a mother to take care of her newborn. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises nursing mothers not to use marijuana while breastfeeding. However, in some states medical marijuana is used to treat anxiety and other medical conditions. Mothers who breastfeed newborns in those states should consult with a physician to find a safe alternative if they use marijuana.
More Harmful Effects of Smoking Weed While Breastfeeding
More medical studies need to be done to determine marijuana’s effects on breast milk, but below are some of the areas studies have indicated contain risk factors.
1. SIDS
Marijuana should not be smoked around infants because they can inhale the smoke (both second- hand and third-hand) and it increases their risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
2. Hyperactivity
Some studies claim breast milk exposed to marijuana can lead to hyperactivity and others show significant risks for infants to develop Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, other studies show reduced activity or no effect at all on babies.
3. Mental Functions
Attention spans, flexibility in thinking, and “working memory” can be affected by breast milk exposed to marijuana. Working memory stores and manages the information to carry out complex mental tasks like learning, understanding, and reasoning. Using marijuana while you breastfeed can increase the risk of impaired brain and nervous system development.
4. Emotional Regulation
Exposure to breast milk by marijuana is known to cause changes in the emotional reactivity of children. Emotional reactivity means the tendency of a child to experience frequent and intense emotional arousal as well as how often it happens and how easy it is to get the child excited.
5. Risk of Drug Use Later
Animal studies suggest that early exposure to marijuana increases the reinforcing effects of drugs. Reinforcement is the way behaviors increase or decrease according to whether people associate it with a good experience or a bad experience. Although more studies and research are needed to confirm the reinforcing effect, it has been proven that substance use and abuse is influenced by hereditary and genetics. If you smoke marijuana and expose your baby to it through breast milk, it may increase the risk that your baby will go on to use marijuana or other drugs later in his or her life.
What If You Already Stared Smoking Weed While Breastfeeding?
Mothers who use marijuana are encouraged to continue breastfeeding, but minimize infant exposure to marijuana smoke and to stop or reduce their marijuana use. The best thing a mother can do to protect her baby from the potentially harmful effects of marijuana is to quit smoking it – or any other substance – around an infant.