How does smoking weed affect the fetus?

Question

Hello doctor,

I just found out I was pregnant a couple of weeks ago. I smoke weed. I am slowly trying to stop. I have about seven months left of my pregnancy. If I was to cut way back and stop completely at five months of my pregnancy would I and the baby be clean when I deliver?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

We need to worry about what the baby is facing now and not about what will happen after you stop. All the components of smoke, the bad air (carbon dioxide), tar, the chemicals in the smoke, which may vary with what you are smoking are all powerful vasoconstrictors. I mean they narrow the blood vessels, so they reduce the blood flow to the baby. If we could go back I would have advised you to stop it the moment you got pregnant. Better latethan never. Everyday baby is growing, so the requirement of blood flow is increasing as the baby's vital organs are growing and getting blood for that. So if the flow is compromised even a day, we do not know if any damage has occurred. This may not be visible on any scan, but it would be safe to immediately stop smoking and start having lots of highly nutritious food with lots of sugars, juices. Do yoga or breathing exercises, in short, improve the supply of nutrition and oxygen to the baby as these two are the secrets of a healthy and active baby. Hope I have made it clear. Baby will not have any of it in its body, but the damage caused by the smoke will be seen in the baby's body. For your baby's sake do try to stop it today or as soon as possible.