Can the smell of weed harm a newborn baby?
I’m sure you’ve heard that pregnant mothers smoking weed can harm a newborn baby. But what about the smell of weed? Is the smell harmful to a newborn baby? If you’re a parent, you should know the truth about this.
The rate of consumption of weed has increased for pregnant mothers. The literature which involves issues concerning cannabis and pregnancy has increased but with many gaps of unanswered questions.
The smoke from cigarettes and weed is dangerous to newborns and babies. This lead to health problems such as bronchiolitis and heart diseases. Studies show that the second-hand person inhaling the smoke gets more affected than the consumer.
Bronchiolitis is a respiratory infection in allergic babies then asthma with 30%. These respiratory diseases infect newborn babies due to the smell of cannabis and cigarettes.
Smoking weed can cause several behavioral problems in young children, including agitation, decreased appetite, and even seizures. Marijuana can be addictive and can harm a baby’s developing brain.
However, some argue that smoking weed is beneficial to human health. It’s a relaxation mechanism and relieves stress which is important to adults. People believe that weed does not have any effects on adults and children.
The Meaning of Marijuana/weed?
Marijuana is the most used illicit drug considered a soft. It consists of dried leaves and smoked for a pleasant effect or pain reduction.
Marijuana originates from a plant known as Cannabis Sativa.
It has over 600 chemicals and is consumed by smoking, vaping, eating, and topical lotions.
Risks of using marijuana during pregnancy
Cannabis use during pregnancy has significantly increased in the last 2 decades.
It has grown from 72.5% from 1999 to 2008 and 62% from 2002 to 2014.
Research by National Survey on Drug Use and Health shows that the daily consumption of cannabis has increased among pregnant and non-pregnant women aged from 12 to 44 years.
Besides, the use of marijuana by pregnant women has its risks and strengths.
The risk of cannabis can affect cannabinoid receptor cells. The cells are found in the body and play a significant role in an individual’s mood pain and memory.
With the use of marijuana, signaling pathways can be developed in the brain and can affect the personality, emotions, and the way you think.
Researchers have found that in cannabinoid cells there is a link between maternal use of marijuana during pregnancy and how the receptor cells function.
This changes the development of a baby.
Mothers who smoke cannabis throughout pregnancy have babies with lower birth weights and reduced dopamine receptor levels.
These children move on to present difficulties in verbal reasoning as well as impaired short time memory.
Children are at a high risk of having anxiety, impulsivity, depression, inattention, and hyperactivity.
As they continue to develop into adolescence they experience a reduction in reasoning skills and an increase in depressive symptoms as well as antisocial behaviors.
At the last stage of development as adults, they will show their Visio-spatial memory abilities.
They will be more likely to show signs of drug-seeking behaviors.
Research shows a potential relationship between marijuana exposure and a child’s intelligence.
In mothers who smoke during the first trimester, the babies have a deficit in the ability to understand concepts and logically express them through words.
Smoking during the second and the third trimesters results in a lack of understanding of mathematics and an inability to apply mathematical concepts to the real world.
Apart from that second-trimester cannabis use includes a reduction in cognitive functioning and short-term memory. This effect reduces the child’s IQ by the time they turned 6 years old.
Benefits of using weed during a pregnancy
Marijuana consumption is legal in most developing countries leading to an increase in use in the United States.
Many mothers argue that the use of cannabis act as a method of managing physical issues such as morning sickness, nausea, weight gain, pain, and sleep.
They also say that cannabis helps them manage stress anxiety as well as trauma during pregnancy.
The process of parenting is not easy thus most women smoke weed to help them in their parenting struggles such as depression, the physical toll of parenting, and communicating on a child’s level.
However, there is a lot of research going on whether there are some benefits of using marijuana for pregnant women.
Conclusion
Smoking weed while pregnant puts both you and your newborn at risk. Weed and cigarettes contain dangerous chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar. They also increase the risk of pregnancy complications.
Cannabis affects fetal and brain development. It might not affect the baby at a tender age but as they develop into adults.
Studies have shown conflicting arguments related to the issue. Cannabis use on the developing brain of a child has negative effects later in their lives.
Let me know what you think about this article and if you have a question or suggestion don’t forget to comment in the comment section below.
