No amount of marijuana is safe during pregnancy. Containing nearly 500 chemicals that can pass through a woman’s placenta to her baby during pregnancy, cannabis can be incredibly harmful to a baby’s health.
The rate of marijuana use among Americans has been on the increase the past few years, pregnant women included. And while we know the effects of marijuana for teens can be dangerous, its effects on pregnant women and their babies are even more upsetting.
The effects of drinking alcohol while pregnant are fairly well publicized – you’ve probably heard about fetal alcohol syndrome. However, recent research has shown that babies whose mothers used marijuana while pregnant are at risk for some of the very same symptoms that accompany fetal alcohol syndrome.
Possible complications from marijuana use include…
- Low birth weight – Marijuana use can cause your baby to have stunted development in the womb, resulting in a smaller and less developed baby. Smaller babies have trouble staying warm, can have lower oxygen levels, have trouble feeding, and are more at-risk for infections.
- Preterm birth – Marijauna use – similar to tobacco use – can result in premature birth of a baby. Preterm babies are babies that have been born before 37 weeks of gestation and haven’t been able to fully develop. Preterm birth can have many different risks and can affect the entire future life of the baby.
- Stillbirth – Marijuana use can potentially lead to stillbirth, or the death of the baby in the womb. Studies show that mothers who use marijuana were twice as likely to deliver stillborn as mothers who did not use marijuana.
It’s already important to look after your own health, but when you’re pregnant it’s extra important to take care of yourself. Drug use of any kind can cause complications in pregnancy. Keep your baby’s future close to your heart and make sure that your pregnancy is drug-free.
