How do Smoking, Alcohol, or Marijuana Impact a Nursing Baby?

I know someone who smokes marijuana, cigarettes and drinks alcohol and is breast feeding - can this hurt her baby?

Answer:

Secondhand and contact smoke are certainly going to impact a baby. However, breastfeeding provides many immunities for a baby. If a mother cannot stop smoking cigarettes, it's better for her baby to be breastfed.

There is evidence that babies who receive breastmilk from a mother who smokes marijuana may have slight developmental delays in motor development, but most studies show there are no notable differences between babies whose nursing mothers smoked marijuana and those who did not.

Mothers who smoke marijuana are less likely to be attentive to their baby's needs overall, however, so if it's possible for a mother to stop she should.

Alcohol and breastfeeding is a hotly debated topic. It's generally thought that small amount of alcohol are OK - it's generally best to drink just after nursing the baby and when there will be an extended period before the next nursing session.

Heavy drinking is not good for mother or for baby.

See Kellymom on smoking and breastfeeding as well as marijuana and breastfeeding.

See La Leche League's information on alcohol and breastfeeding for more information.

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How do Smoking, Alcohol, or Marijuana Impact a Nursing Baby?

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Jul 29, 2010
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A little disappointed
by: Anonymous

Kristen,

As a regular reader of your newsletter and a proud supporter of your page and what you stand for I say with the utmost respect that I'm a little disappointed you said mothers who smoke marijuana are less likely to be attentive to their babies' needs.

As a mother who has researched the topic of smoking marijuana while breastfeeding I'd first like to point out that you are correct in saying they can't make a link between developmental delays and mothers who smoke marijuana (as much as they would like to since they've been saying marijuana is so very bad for us for years they'd hate to have to renege on that). In fact, some studies have actually showed that babies of mothers who smoked marijuana during pregnancy and breastfeeding were actually more socially and cognitively developed and required less facilitation in tests than other babies. They were developmentally advanced. One large very well performed study done in Jamaica comes to mind.

I'm getting off topic, though. I'm offended and surprised that you would provide non-factual information such as your generalized statement that mothers who smoke marijuana are less attentive to their babies' needs. My husband and I smoke marijuana (usually one joint a day while our baby is sleeping) and we are very dedicated to our child and advocate attachment parenting (and did so before we even knew what that was or had a label for it). We provide excellent care to our son and respond to his needs immediately all the time as do our friends who also enjoy smoking marijuana recreationally sometimes (the same way most parents who enjoy a drink of alcohol on occasion do, too).

I feel a more accurate statement would be that parents who have drug, alcohol or other addiction *problems* can tend to be less attentive to their children's needs because their addiction will be placed before their children.

Smoking marijuana isn't like they make it out to be in Cheech and Chong movies. You'd be surprised how many good, attentive, loving, attached, responsible parents smoke marijuana and provide their children with better care than many people who don't imbibe in anything do.

Jul 29, 2010
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Clarify and Apologize
by: Kristen

Fair enough. I quoted that bit almost verbatim from the Kellymom article, however, I didn't look into the studies that she detailed her conclusions from.

Having never seen Cheech and Chong I don't know exactly what smoking marijuana is made out to be in those films.

Voicing personal opinion perhaps not being prudent, I feel that a lot of money is wasted in trying to condemn marijuana - and that there are better ways to use that money.

I agree with you that someone who has an addiction may have issues, but I'm not sure that I think that smoking a joint is much different than drinking a glass of wine - both may be a little hard on the body but both seem relatively harmless in the grand scheme of things.

I've read quite a bit on marijuana use during pregnancy and while trying to conceive and haven't seen a lot of evidence that either is horrible for baby.

I personally wouldn't really want to smoke (anything) around my baby since it is hard on the lungs. But I agree that smoking a joint doesn't necessarily make a mother (or father) a bad parent (or an inattentive one). I also apologize for the blanket statement made without verifying it comes from any conclusive studies.

Jul 29, 2010
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a gov resource
by: Anonymous

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/f?./temp/~P9FX3Q:1

This is the official US government data on the marijuana. I've known mothers that smoked marijuana during pregnancy and nursing had perfectly healthy children. I would definitely disagree with those children suffering from any mental or motor delays.

One has severe anxiety but it should be noted that the mother wasn't pro-attachment and also heavily drank alcohol during pregnancy and she never nursed that child.

Aug 12, 2010
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Thank you
by: Anonymous

I just wanted to say that I appreciate your clarification. I also wanted to add that if you haven't ever seen a Cheech and Chong movie, you should :P (after the kids are in bed, that is). Though some might consider it an utter waste of time, they are actually quite funny and I never consider a good laugh a waste of time.

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