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Pregnancy and giving birth can be as challenging as they are fulfilling to so many women. When you are nurturing someone inside your body, it comes at the cost of letting go of many of the things you enjoyed before pregnancy. Alcohol, weed, and specific food items are a strict no as that can prove risky for your and the baby's health.

If you were an avid cannabis user or occasionally smoked before pregnancy, there would be a natural desire to resume using cannabis after giving birth. While you can resume most of your pre-pregnancy routine after delivery, the case of cannabis consumption is highly delicate, especially as you are breastfeeding.

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Cannabis during lactation

With the legalization of medical cannabis at the U.S federal level, there has been a significant increase in the percentage of lactating cannabis-using women. The legalization of cannabis tends to create an assurance about its safety.

Yes, cannabis is on the rise when it comes to the health and wellness industry today. It has multiple medicinal benefits and is undoubtedly the most popular recreational product. You will get to know it’s medical benefits once you try the best CBD tincture oil for pain. But does it render the same benefits to you and your baby while lactation? The verdict is an overwhelming no. Let's find out why!

Cannabis concentration in breast milk

Breastfeeding is a natural process that creates the first steps to mother-child bonding. It is the optimal form of nutrition for the newborn and helps to strengthen the baby's immune system.

Now whether you consume cannabis through smoking, vaping, or ingesting, its byproducts can pass on to breast milk. The cannabis concentration in breast milk varies according to the amount of dosing and intervals taken between doses. Studies detect that both cannabidiol(CBD) and psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are present in breast milk.

According to a study of 8 breastfeeding women, the average THC content in breast milk is 2.5%(from 0.4%-8.7%) of the maternal dose. It means the average absolute cannabis dosing for a breastfeeding infant is 8 micrograms per kilogram each day.

Breast milk is high in fat content. Cannabis compounds are fat-soluble with low molecular weight. So breast milk fat stores significant proportions of cannabis. Lactation passes the cannabinoids in the milk to the infant, resulting in potential changes in the child's neurological system.

How long does cannabis remain in breast milk?

There is no valid data on how long cannabis contents remain in breast milk. Because of the lipophilic or fat-soluble properties of cannabis like THC, the contents may persist in the breast milk long after the psychoactive and relaxing effects fade. The high fat of breast milk might trap THC and its metabolites from 6 days to more than 6 weeks. So unlike alcohol, cannabis and its byproducts do not leave your system for an extended period during lactation.

According to Bertrand's study, the amount of cannabis in breast milk decreased by 3% per hour. The concentration of THC in breast milk is almost 8 times the level found in the mother's blood.

How does cannabis affect your baby during lactation?

Again, there is no conclusive evidence for the effects of cannabis exposure on a nursing infant. The surveys and statistics are inconsistent, unclear, and contradictory. Medical experts have concerns about how THC, CBD, and other cannabis compounds affect the neurobiological processes of the baby. Aside from that, cannabis contains harmful chemicals, and CBD has contaminants like pesticides, heavy metals, and bacteria. When the mother consumes cannabis, these toxic products pass on to the child through breast milk.

THC also affects the quality and quantity of breast milk. It inhibits the production of prolactin and blocks other hormones responsible for the supply of quality milk. It might result in the babies becoming sedated or develop poor sucking. In the long-term, it could delay their growth and create mental disabilities.

Statistics

It might result in critical alterations in the child's physical and neurological growth. Various data shows significant trends.

●       One study assessed 136 breastfeeding infants at one year of age. Among them, 68 infants exposed to cannabis through breast milk during their first month showed decreased motor development.

●       In another study, there were no differences in motor and mental developments in 27 nursing infants exposed to cannabis compared to 35 unexposed infants.

●       In a few other studies, the exposed infants showed deficits in cognitive and behavioral functions after one year of breastfeeding.

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Should you use cannabis during lactation?

Indeed there is insufficient and opposing data on the potential risks of cannabis exposure on a breastfeeding infant. While there is plenty of scientific research on the harmful effects of using marijuana or cannabis during pregnancy, it is not so with the case of lactating cannabis users.

Despite the lack of unified scientific evidence, it is clear that cannabis consumption during breastfeeding does not benefit either the baby or the mother in any way. Few studies show how it hampers the infant's growth development, so it is not rocket science that cannabis exposure is nowhere safe for your baby.

Even when you refrain from breastfeeding or use the formula for your child, using cannabis is not a great idea. Second-hand exposure to cannabis smoking can cause ear and respiratory infections for your child. A few surveys reveal that consuming cannabis impairs parenting abilities and leads to panic attacks or delayed response by the mother.

What do the clinical experts say?

Health institutions and welfare organizations discourage the use of cannabis in lactating women. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists(ACOG) recommends breastfeeding mothers should refrain from cannabis consumption as the potential adverse effects are still unknown. Similarly, the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) discourages maternal cannabis use as it does not serve any safety or benefits.

Also, keep in mind that many marijuana products are unregulated by the U.S Food and Drugs Administration(FDA). Marijuana-produced CBD is illegal at the federal level. So compromised qualities of cheap cannabis can be even more dangerous for you and your child.

Still, the contradictory data often fail to convince the consumers of the potential risks associated with cannabis during lactation.

Conclusion

The bottom line is: you must try to abstain from using cannabis during lactation. There is a scarcity of studies on the adverse effects, but there is no scientific backing either. The few statistics show the dangers of exposed cannabis, so you'll want to protect your child from any harm.

Even if you use cannabis for medical reasons( anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia), you could switch to alternative treatments that do not affect breastfeeding. Remember your child's health and safety always come first.

Photo by Cleyder Duque from Pexels