Any websites or information, PLEASE!?

Question

I have a friend, Who is 9 months pregnant, And has used marijuana off and on throughout her whole pregnancy, I have tried and tried to get her to stop, But she says that she's looked online and has found that nothing 'bad' can happen to the baby from using it, I was wondering, If hospitals do routine drug screens on newborn babies, I'm afraid that they will, And her child will be taken from her, She's a wonderful mother, Other than this fact, Was wondering if maybe anyone had any websites or any personal experience they could share, So that I may pass it along.

And please, Don't say crude, hateful things, They're not needed.

I by no means agree with what she does, BUT, She's an adult and I can't force her to do anything. As for me saying, well asking for no crude/hateful comments, I realize this is a very touchy subject and will offend and anger A LOT of people, I just meant that out of the way comments [ Not comments like the ones that have been given so far] but just flat out mean things being typed were not needed, As I totally understand and agree with the fact that, She should be thinking about the well being and the health of her unborn child instead of her own pleasure, And I've voiced this to her numerous times with no change in behavior!

Answer 1

Marijuana and Pregnancy


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Pregnancy. Marijuana. Bad.
Ok, here's some details. Getting pregnant is going to be harder in the first place. Usually, male partners abuse the same substances that their female counterparts do. In men, marijuana decreases testosterone, sperm count, and potency. Needless to say, not a winning combination for conception. Women who smoke marijuana have increased risk of abnormalities in ovulation and therefore more infertility. This risk is enhanced when the use is within one year before attempting conception. This risk did not change with frequency or length of use. So, that means that even occasional use of small amounts of marijuana can decrease women's fertility.

But many women overcome those hurdles. Then, they go on to have higher rates of spontaneous abortion, pregnancy complications, and problems with labor and delivery. Birth defects are associated with marijuana use. Fathers' use lead to higher rates of certain heart abnormalities. Mothers' use is associated with mutant lymphocytes--deranged immune cell factors--which could later lead to higher rates of childhood cancers.

But wait--there's more. Their newborns can experience mild withdrawal and some nervous system effects. And the toxic effects of pre-natal marijuana exposure is the gift that keeps on giving. Effects are often not readily apparent in newborns. Still, psychologists who have studied these babies have found neurological delays. Likewise, few negative effects are apparent between the ages of 1 and 3. But a woman shouldn't be fooled if she has heard of a study where the very young kids show no ill effects. Pre-natal marijuana exposure effects what are called "higher cognitive functions" which don't express themselves until later. At four years old, decreases in verbal ability and memory can be found in those kid exposed to pre-natal marijuana use. At ages 5 and 6, more problems with attention span are found. Needless to say, none of this sets the kid up for a great experience in grade school. At ages 9-12, the same problems persist and compound. Pre-natally exposed to marijuana kids have lower impulse control, don't do as well on certain types of analysis and reasoning tasks, and have lower reading and language skills.

So best advice--quit. Ideally, a woman and her partner should quit long before they try for conception. Should a woman find herself pregnant while still using, she should seek out a treatment program immediately. Quitting any substance abused is difficult, but pregnancy is the strongest motivator for women. There are treatment programs geared towards women, and some even geared towards pregnant women.

Answer 2

I[m sorry but she is NOT a wonderful mother if she smokes pot while pregnant! Not saying that to be mean but it's the truth.
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{quote from site}
....they go on to have higher rates of spontaneous abortion, pregnancy complications, and problems with labor and delivery. Birth defects are associated with marijuana use. Fathers' use lead to higher rates of certain heart abnormalities. Mothers' use is associated with mutant lymphocytes--deranged immune cell factors--which could later lead to higher rates of childhood cancers.

But wait--there's more. Their newborns can experience mild withdrawal and some nervous system effects. And the toxic effects of pre-natal marijuana exposure is the gift that keeps on giving. Effects are often not readily apparent in newborns. Still, psychologists who have studied these babies have found neurological delays. Likewise, few negative effects are apparent between the ages of 1 and 3. But a woman shouldn't be fooled if she has heard of a study where the very young kids show no ill effects. Pre-natal marijuana exposure effects what are called "higher cognitive functions" which don't express themselves until later. At four years old, decreases in verbal ability and memory can be found in those kid exposed to pre-natal marijuana use. At ages 5 and 6, more problems with attention span are found. Needless to say, none of this sets the kid up for a great experience in grade school. At ages 9-12, the same problems persist and compound. Pre-natally exposed to marijuana kids have lower impulse control, don't do as well on certain types of analysis and reasoning tasks, and have lower reading and language skills.

Answer 3

They do drug screens if the baby is showing signs they were prenatally exposed to drugs. Drug exposed babies go through withdrawls and these babies are tested immediately. Consent from the parent is not needed for this, otherwise all the druggies would say no of course. I work with drug addicted babies and have had many kids taken away at birth due to pot use while pregnant. It can take over a year to get the baby back because you have to go through drug rehab and parenting classes. Every time you smoke pot you are killing your brain cells, so of course it affects the unborn baby.

Answer 4

honestly there is the trueth...she doesnt need to have that baby if she is still smoking pot. If she cant be responsible enough to clean her act up for her child then they should take the baby from her. It is rediculous to think that pot couldnt hurt the baby. She doesnt need a website she needs a doc. not only to check on the health of her baby but to check her mental health as well. You DONT do things like that! And seriously you cant ask a question like this without getting some harsh remarks from mothers and fathers or even decent people who have some common sense to know that is wrong!

Answer 5

The trouble with using the internet to gather information on Global warming is that this is one of those subjects that seems to attract a lot of conflicting information. Some of this "information" seems to have been written with a hidden agenda. You should be very careful. I personally recommend the real climate site (link below). This site is run by climate scientists and stays well clear of politics. It can get a bit technical at time, but it also has some good none technical summaries of various issues.

Answer 6

not to be mean, but if she is smoking pot with children in her life she's not a fit parent. You cannot love you children and prefer to alter your consiousness with drugs. You just cant do both.

She's looking for answers online that suit her convictions, she wants to be able to smoke pot because she has no love to care for the well being of her child, only concern for her own feelings and enjoyment.

No mother would willing take an illegal product, or even a medical drug, without first consulting a doctor or objectively learning the effects to the unborn baby.

Its not rude or mean, its just common sense. She doesnt deserve to have children she cannot care for first, and herself last. Its not about her, its about the child who has no vioce or ability to choose whats best for it.

I should hope that they do testing and take the child until the mother can get help and be better suited to parent. But generally no, they do not test for drugs unless they have just cause.

Answer 7

They usually do not drug test on babies unless there is a reson, but she would have had to have sign a consent to DT. See if she can contact may a Christian organization dealing with pregnany and babies they keep things confindental, also planned parenting maybe about to point you in some ind of direction.

Answer 8

yeah, they do do the drugs screen. They tell you when you come in to give birth its a routine thing.
When I was in labor I came in and I actually had to sign a form acknowledging that I knew that they were going to do it. ( i never did any drugs during the pregnancy).
I'm not too sure what they will do to your friend. They may call social services or they may not. youre friend should fess up to the dr's though.

Answer 9

I can't believe you wrote "she's a wonderful mother"!!!!!

No, she's not!!! "Wonderful mothers" don't knowingly and willfully subject their fetuses to illegal, harmful street drugs throughout their entire pregnancies. Wonderful mothers make sacrifices to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Wonderful mothers don't abuse substances. Are you daft?

Besides, its too late to give her information about avoiding exposing her fetus to harmful substances. She is 9 months along.

I hope the baby doesn't suffer too much. Too bad it had such a selfish, childish Mom.

Answer 10

It can cause lower birth weight and mild birth defects to your baby