Marijuana Tea’s Harmful Effects On Your Baby
Should pregnant women drink marijuana tea to help with their morning sickness and other ailments?
The Doctors weigh in on a recent headline-making mother from Cleveland who lost custody of her newborn because she ingested the tea to help with nausea and sciatic nerve pain.
Family medicine physician Dr. Rachael Ross, who experienced hyperemesis (severe morning sickness and vomiting during pregnancy), says she grappled with the idea of taking a medication for nausea suggested by her doctor due to her fear of any possible effects on her baby.
Watch: Medical Marijuana for Kids?
“I just really wanted to stick it out and be a trooper because I didn’t want to take anything that could potentially mess with the baby, or mess with her brain... the idea that I would drink some marijuana tea, even though in some countries they do this… is ridiculous,” she shares. “I would never do that because I know what it does to a developing brain. We have too many teenagers who smoke it and their brains haven’t developed and it’s interfering with their neurocognitive function. The idea that I would do that to my unborn child is crazy.”
Adding to Dr. Ross’ thoughts, OB/GYN Dr. Jennifer Ashton warns of the possible issues related to cannabis use during pregnancy, which include:
Premature births
Low birth weights
Small for gestational age infants
Cognitive effects in the future
Behavioral problems
Watch: Effects of Marijuana in Babies
“This is a problem, not just during pregnancy, but down the road,” Dr. Ashton explains.
ER physician Dr. Travis Stork cautions expecting moms to consult with their doctor about any questionable thing they ingest, saying, “Everything has a possible side effect. Before you put anything in your body as pregnant woman, you should get that cleared with your doctor because you should never put your child at risk.”
Watch: Disturbing Video of a Toddler Smoking Marijuana?
According to research, marijuana is used by anywhere from 3 to 30 percent of pregnant women.
