Hello all,
I have permission to post: mother of one is adopting newborn next week.  
Birthmother has expressed willingness/interest in expressing some colostrum/milk  
for newborn before adoptive moms take baby home. Birthmother has been smoking  
marijuana during pregnancy, and adoptive mom does not have access to 
information  about how much. She knows the birthmother has been advised to stop or at  
least cut down, but has no idea how this was received. I shared Hale's info  
with her that marijuana is L5, meaning contraindicated, during breastfeeding 
as  well as the study he mentions which showed no adverse effects longterm in 
one  group of babies. Her question is this: if the baby is already exposed, and 
the  exposure through colostrum/milk after birth will be brief, would it 
still be  beneficial in terms of immunities and other important start-up 
functions, to  give the baby the expressed stuff with traces of the marijuana in it. 
She is  aware this is a subject which is unique in the sense of the adoptive 
aspects of  it and having no control over the smoking during pregnancy. We did 
talk about  how the smoking may inhibit the milk being expressed anyway, but she 
wants to be  ready since they are adopting the baby next Thursday. I searched 
the archives  for any info about marijuana and all seem to be concerning the 
mother who is  going to be continuing to breastfeed and smoke, and/or do not 
involve birthing a  baby already exposed to the cannabis.
Any new comments would be appreciated. My impression is that the adoptive  
mother feels the short additional exposure continuing after the birth against  
the potential gains from baby getting colostrum/milk means she would encourage  
the birthmother to express. This seems reasonable to me, but if I'm missing  
something, I'm happy to hear it.
Judy  

Judy LeVan  Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL, Brooklyn, NY, USA


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