We connect with two board certified medical professionals to discuss this new alarming study
On this week’s episode of Blunt Blowin’ Mama we analyze a new study on cannabis use in pregnancy that was published to the PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) on November 15th, 2021. This study proposes that cannabis use in pregnancy causes higher levels of cortisol in the children born, resulting more instances of anxiety, stress, and depression.
Now, you know we tried to go straight to the source and reached out to the study’s publisher Yasmin Hurd but got no response. So we brought on our own experts to unpack the study’s findings and provide real, transparent, and unbiased insights from two board certified medical professionals. We connect with two RN’s and ask them a variety of questions about the study and their considerations with their own expertise in their fields. This episode is so informative and really teaches us that we hold the power to educate ourselves on the effects of cannabis.
Cannanurse Kait, RN-BSN
Nurse Adjuan Edgerson, RN
Some interested findings that we discuss are the biases that exist within the study. One interesting point that Cannanurse Kait brought up was the unusually small control group, and the fact that all the women in the study resided in new york and were predominantly low income black and brown folks. We also go over the timing of the study. This study was created from a larger study done decades ago, the most recently published study was in 2009 before legalization in New York therefore bringing to question the quality and purity of the cannabis that was being consumed.
An additional detail that is important to highlight is that this study was conducted during Super Storm Sandy, so the pregnant mothers who were self reporting, were experiencing very high amounts of stress due to their environment. This causes us to wonder what other factors were being considered with this study, there were clearly many other environmental factors that could have contributed to these babies being born with higher cortisol levels.
Both nurses emphasized the importance of consideration to family history as well as history of trauma or emotional strain the pregnant mothers could have been experiencing completely unrelated to their cannabis consumption. The author of the study mentions that she wants moms to feel empowered when considering all of their options with managing their pregnancy symptoms and to feel confident with having conversations with their doctor about their cannabis use, she likened it to conversations happening around alcohol use in pregnancy which left us wondering just how bias this study could be.
In this episode:
- We go over the biases that studies can have regarding cannabis use
- the nurses shares their advice for expectant mothers who want to use cannabis for medical reasons
- We chat about the problematic elements of the way mainstream media has shared this study’s findings
- Nurse Kait shares her takeaways from the study and the different opportunities for improvement she sees in the way the researcher around cannabis and pregnancy is being reported
- Nurse Adjuan shares her own family’s history with mental and emotional health and pinpoints why it’s important that the data in these studies become more consistent and forthright.
Ultimately the consensus from our medical expert guests are that as a mom-to-be, you should have the autonomy to choose what is best for your emotional and physical well being. Pregnancy is hard and can really put you through it from unmanageable morning sickness to anxiety. Doctors have prescribed loads of pharmaceuticals to expectant mothers that carry risks of their own. It should be up to the patient to decide what risks they are willing to take even when it comes to cannabis use.
Y’all definitely need to check out this episode if you want to feel empowered and more informed, the gems are endless
Want to learn about how to incorporate cannabis into your lifestyle as a pregnant or breastfeeding parent?
Then the BBM Breastfeeding And Cannabis Workshop and the Pregnancy And Cannabis Workshop is just for you! Shonitria spoke with expert panels on these important topics to answer frequently asked questions so that parents could make informed decisions about the plant during these important times in their lives. Weed is an option and these workshops will leave you with the confidence to make the decision that’s best for you when it comes to the plant.
Follow Adjuan Edgerson: @nurse_unrxed
Follow Cannanurse Kait: @cannanursekait
Check out the BBM Clothingline: bluntblowinmamamerch
