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Subject:
From:
Leslie Ayre-Jaschke / Eric Jaschke <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 4 Jul 1996 08:33:41 -0600
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After posting my messages about marijuana use during pregnancy and
lactation, I found 2 studies I'd received from the Nursing Mothers
Association of Australia Lactation Resource Centre and which I hadn't yet
read. They don't address the issue of marijuana use during lactation, but I
thought they had some information that would be of interest because the
effects of prenatal exposure could impact on lactation.

"A Longitudinal Study of Prenatal Marijuana Use: Effects on Sleep and
Arousal at Age 3 Years," Dahl, Ronald E. et al Arch Pediatri Adolesc Med
Vol. 149, Feb. 1995 p 145-150.
"Conclusions: Prenatal marijuana exposure was associated with disturbed
nocturnal sleep at age 3 years."

Upon a cursory reading, this study looks well-controlled. The children were
brought into a sleep lab and wired up for 3 nights. The first night results
weren't used to allow for the children to adapt to the strange situation.
Interestingly, though, it doesn't look as though the parents were asked
about co-sleeping. If the marijuana-users group had a larger number of
children in it who were used to sleeping with parents, this could lead to a
greater number of sleep disturbances.

Anyway, some of the findings:
"The group with prenatal marijuana exposure showed significantly lower sleep
efficiency, more awake time after sleep onset, and more frequent arousals
after sleep onset...

"...the correlation between first trimester marijuana exposure and summary
sleep variables was also examined. Marijuana exposure in the first trimester
showed a significant negative correlation with sleep efficiency... and a
positive correlation with the number of arousals... There were no
significant correlations between these sleep variables and estimates of
marijuana exposure later in the pregnancy or with current maternal marijuana
use."

From these results, it seems to me that babies whose mothers used marijuana
during the first trimester may need to be breastfed just for their safety
because they could be at greater risk for abuse. Breastfeeding could allow
these mothers to more easily cope with their easily aroused babies.

Another study:"Alcohol, Marijuana, and Tobacco: Effects of Prenatal Exposure
on Offspring Growth and Morphology at Age Six," Day, Nancy L. et al. Alcohol
Clin Exp Res Vol. 18, No. 4, 1994, pp 786-794.
Abstract: "Little is known about the long-term effects of prenatal exposure
to alcohol. There are even fewer reports on the longitudinal effects of
exposure to either marijuana or tobacco during pregnancy. This study is on
the 6 year follow-up of 668 children enrolled in the Maternal Health
Practices and Child Development Project [Pittsburgh USA]. Mothers were
interviewed at the 4th and 7th months of pregancy,and mothers and children
were evaluated at delivery, 8, and 18 months, and 3 and 6 years postpartum.
At 6 years of age, children wo were exposed to alcohol prenatally were
significantly smaller in weight, height, head circumference,and palpebral
fissure width. These effects on size were mediated by the effect of prenatal
alcohol exposure on the offspring at 8 months. Prenatal alcohol exposure was
also significantly associated wiht maternal reports of the child's appetite
at 6 years. There were no effects of prenatal marijuana or tobacco exposure
on growth when the children were age 6. There were also no significant
relationships between prenatal exposure to alcohol, marijuana, or tobacco
and the rate of morphologic anomalies, including the features of the fetal
alcohol syndrome."

An interesting tidbit from this article: "The mother's report that the
infant was difficult to feed was predicted by 1st trimester alcohol exposure."

"After controlling for all of the covariants previously mentioned, including
alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, there was no effect of marijuana use
during pregnancy or of current use on any of the growth parameters or on the
appetite of the child at 6 years of age. There was also no association
between minor morphologic abnormalities and prenatal marijuana use. These
results are consistent wiht previous reports from this project... It is
notable that the students that have found persistent growth deficits
[related to prenatal alcohol exposure] have been of low income populations,
whereas those that have not found persistent effects have studied more
advantaged subjects. This could imply that prenatal exposure causes a
vulnerability, but if the children are raised in optimal conditions, they
may be able to make up the deficit."

Presumably, breastfeeding would be included in "optimal conditions."

Sorry this is so long--hope it is of interest to some of you, at least.
Leslie Ayre-Jaschke
Peace River, Alberta, Canada

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