In this short article, we will answer the question “When to stop smoking weed while pregnant?”, will discuss the effects that can appear when quitting smoking and also the effects of weed smoking during pregnancy on the foetus, the baby, and later in life.
When to stop smoking weed while pregnant?
Weed users should cease using the drug three months before trying to get pregnant or as soon as they find out they are pregnant (assuming that they want to keep the baby and carry on the pregnancy).
What are the effects of quitting smoking weed for women who are pregnant or have just given birth?
When a woman decides to stop using cannabis before, during, or after pregnancy, the medical professional must get her ready for the potential appearance of withdrawal syndrome symptoms like:
- weakness,
- hypersomnia,
- psychomotor retardation,
- anxiety,
- restlessness,
- depression,
- insomnia.
Symptoms often start 24 hours after cessation and get worse between 2 and 3 days afterwards.
In addition to potentiating the effects of anaesthetics on the cardiovascular system and acting as a central nervous system depressant, acute cannabis usage during pregnancy might cause sympathetic discharge, tachycardia, conjunctival congestion, and anxiety.
Given the rise in female cannabis usage, there is a higher likelihood that medical professionals will encounter pregnancies using this drug and the resulting harm to the mother, the foetus, and the baby’s development.
Some medical teams aren’t equipped to handle this problem, though. According to a French study, specialists must be trained in the early detection of cannabis usage and its repercussions on the mother, foetus, and child.
Only 50% of gynaecologists, obstetricians, doulas, and general practitioners asked pregnant women about their drug use, and the majority felt inadequately informed about the risks of this consumption during the time.
The professionals present at the time of childbirth had a better understanding of the risks of this consumption.
What are the effects of weed smoking during pregnancy on the foetus, the baby, and later in life?
Cannabis usage has been linked to altered foetal development. The length of exposure, dose, method of administration, consumption of other drugs, as well as other social and genetic factors, are all taken into consideration when determining the risk of effects.
The greatest challenge in this situation is foetal growth restriction. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive substance in weed, crosses the placental barrier due to its high lipid solubility and stunts foetal growth.
This causes a delaying the development of the nervous system leading to neurobehavioral disorders, congenital malformations, and damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
The newborn’s behaviour changes as a result of the fetus’s neurological development being compromised, and the following symptoms can be seen:
- increased restlessness,
- inattention, stress,
- less sensitivity to external stimuli,
- increased crying,
- increased difficulty being calmed during crying crises,
- disturbed sleep,
- difficulty waking up,
- increased tremors,
- sudden movements.
Parents may not notice these symptoms since they can be mild, but medical professionals should look into them and take the appropriate steps to treat them.
In children of mothers who used cannabis while pregnant, the risk of autism increases, according to a recent Canadian study from 2020 done at the University of Ottawa.
Given that the environment and other biological elements have an impact on how the brain develops, there is hope for repairing these early damages in the child’s future.
As a result, how these infants are reared is also very important, especially in terms of love, stimulation, attention, and care. Why therefore take chances? As a result, cannabis usage during pregnancy is disregarded and undervalued.
Because brain development is impacted by biological and environmental factors, the major psychoactive component of marijuana, THC, has the potential to cause developmental damage to develop foetuses.
This suggests developmental delays that may be either temporary or permanent.
In any case, to avoid potential, even irreparable, harm to the developed child, health practitioners need to be better equipped for the appropriate approach to potentially pregnant women who continue to smoke marijuana during pregnancy.
Conclusion:
In this short article, we answered the question “When to stop smoking weed while pregnant?”, and discussed the effects that can appear when quitting smoking and also the effects of weed smoking during pregnancy on the foetus, the baby, and later in life.
References:
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/04/9705802/smoking-weed-while-pregnant
