I don't smoke pot anymore-- it fucked with my moods to much. My theripist told me about studies they did with folks who are bi-polar, and they found that it throws these folks into mood cycles quicker than they normally occured.
I found this to be true of myself before I smoked pot. It is a drug. It does affect your brain. I honestly think that smoking it when I was younger-- 14/15 years old did affect my brain chemistry somehow. Everything you put into your body, affects your body.
I'm not saying you shouldn't smoke pot, but I am saying be aware that it does have longer affects than the high you get. Be careful, understand that you are not in the same fraim of mind that you are when you are sober.
A couple of things:
first off, I would be very careful about what is posted on line. Feds have been knowen (in the states) to trace things that people have said on-line to their IRL selfs.
Second: If someone wants to post about something that they aren't comfortable sharing under their real name, anonomous_mama is always avalable-- just pm the mod_squad or one of the modsquaders and let us know you want the password-- no questions asked.
Okay. I didn't know I had that option. Thank you.
I'm not too worried, myself, about posting publicly, because thwe majority of the time I have nothing. So I'm not afraid... Plus, Canada decriminalized it, did they not? That would mean a slap on the wrist for me. I don't know how things work in the States.
im maybe wierd, because ive never really wanted to since laerin was known about. maybe 2 or 3 times. but i never really enjoyed it in the first place. i threw up everytimes i smoked. One of my very close friends has some in the garage when her kids are napping, or when she can sneak away. it actually makes her a better mother i think. she has more patience afterards, and she has more imagination in her kids' play. she doesnt freak so easy.
i agree....drinking is legal and how many "stoned driver kills 6 kids" headlines do we see? if nothing else, i remember driving a hell of a lot better.
So true. I'm more patient and creative as well. And I drive better and actually go the speed limit. It pisses me off that people can drink, but not smoke. Smoking is safer in my opinion.
I don't smoke pot anymore-- it fucked with my moods to much. My theripist told me about studies they did with folks who are bi-polar, and they found that it throws these folks into mood cycles quicker than they normally occured.
I found this to be true of myself before I smoked pot. It is a drug. It does affect your brain. I honestly think that smoking it when I was younger-- 14/15 years old did affect my brain chemistry somehow. Everything you put into your body, affects your body.
I'm not saying you shouldn't smoke pot, but I am saying be aware that it does have longer affects than the high you get. Be careful, understand that you are not in the same fraim of mind that you are when you are sober.
I agree. You're not in the same frame if mind... but to me, I'm a better person. I'm more peaceful and laid back and funny and calm... I'm so many GOOD things that I'm not when I'm sober. :( Kind of sad, huh?
bluemystique-in regard to your last post, maybe you should talk to a doc or therapist about mental health issues if you feel you cannot be that way without smoking...??
I agree with Latil 100%. Babies of mothers who smoke pot during breastfeeding (and pregnancy) turn out just as happy and healthy as babies whose mothers don't.
"Dreher's research is interesting and relevant because it challenges the prevailing notion that all drug use during pregnancy is bad for children. Ironically, some of Dreher's findings suggest that ganja use by mothers during pregnancy, and by their children after birth, might actually be good for children."
"Other studies have purported to find similar problems, but Dreher notes that such studies suffer from the same problems that most marijuana studies suffer from. These problems include incorrect assumptions of cause and effect, failure to account for use of other drugs (such as tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine), and unequal comparisons between users from differing socioeconomic groups and lifestyles."
"Women told Dreher that ganja relieved depression and feelings of fear and hopelessness; they also commonly reported that ganja helped relieve the physical discomforts associated with pregnancy. They used it to combat the nausea and vomiting typically found in the first trimester. They enjoyed ganja's ability to enhance appetite. Ganja was also used to combat fatigue, which was especially important to the women who had to work and/or take care of children during pregnancy. Several women said they used ganja to help relieve aches and pains, and to help them sleep better and relax"
"No statistically significant differences in developmental abilities were found, except that the 30-day test showed that children of ganja-using mothers were superior to children of non-ganja mothers in two ways. These children had better organization and modulation of sleeping and waking, and they were less prone to stress-related anxiety."
"The release of these study results was considered politically incorrect by anti-marijuana factions in government and academia, because they so directly contradicted the oft-repeated assertion that prenatal marijuana use hurts children and that marijuana users were poor mothers. Dreher's studies found the opposite: ganja mothers were often better mothers than their non-ganja using counterparts. Their households were often cleaner, better-funded and more fun than those where cannabis was shunned!"
If you want more info, read the article. I think it is really good.
i am going to have to say that a highly biased organization/website like cannabisculture (i think that was the name) is not going to top the merits of medical journals (which rebex and i were looking at together online when she posted her info) and breastfeeding magazines. especially when it's one study (dreher in the article) done by a woman who is a phd, NOT AN MD.
it appears as though the results are, at best, mixed. i don't personally feel comfortable advocating pot-smoking while breastfeeding, but what i've read here tells me that even if a mom smokes pot while she nurses, it's still safer than giving the baby formula, so do as you will, i suppose.
parenting is all about weighing benefits, costs, risks, all of that. if it's a choice between some bad anxiety, insomnia, mental illness issues, depression, physical issues, etc., or an infant's exposure to marijuana through your milk, i'd rather you just smoke the damn pot. we can't all afford dr visits or prescription costs.
so i guess i am advocating in a way then, huh? just be aware of what you are doing.
am i the only one who feels cheated that i don't really enjoy smoking pot? a couple hits and it's HELLO PARANOIA, did i just see a shifty eyed man lurking outside my window, jesus christ is this a tumor, OMG what if dylan stops breathing while i'm going pee and fuck dude, was that the cops?
am i the only one who feels cheated that i don't really enjoy smoking pot? a couple hits and it's HELLO PARANOIA, did i just see a shifty eyed man lurking outside my window, jesus christ is this a tumor, OMG what if dylan stops breathing while i'm going pee and fuck dude, was that the cops?
I used to smoke pot, but not much. I did it maybe 6 times..and it just got boring to me..and yes i got paranoid. All my friends talk about how much fun they have on it and im just like "what..?" haha so I feel ya!!
That's right, Julie. It's all about making informed choices.
I don't agree that just because Dreher is not an MD means her study is not as valid. I think a phd in anthropology is perfectly credible for a study like the one she did.
Latil - I think you and I have a lot in common. I love Burn One Down and American Gods!!
am i the only one who feels cheated that i don't really enjoy smoking pot? a couple hits and it's HELLO PARANOIA, did i just see a shifty eyed man lurking outside my window, jesus christ is this a tumor, OMG what if dylan stops breathing while i'm going pee and fuck dude, was that the cops?
bluemystique-in regard to your last post, maybe you should talk to a doc or therapist about mental health issues if you feel you cannot be that way without smoking...??
I talked to my doc about it and he prescribed me Paxil. I was on it for a month and suffered horrible side effects. As soon as I quit them, my friend offered me a joint... and since then I've been hooked. I prefer it to Paxil anyday. I do need to go back to the doc and explain all this to him, though. I want to make an appt soon. I feel so irritable when I'm not high. I'm constantly stressed and emotional and angry... and it's not only hurting me... it's hurting the people around me.
I talked to my doc about it and he prescribed me Paxil. I was on it for a month and suffered horrible side effects. As soon as I quit them, my friend offered me a joint... and since then I've been hooked. I prefer it to Paxil anyday. I do need to go back to the doc and explain all this to him, though. I want to make an appt soon. I feel so irritable when I'm not high. I'm constantly stressed and emotional and angry... and it's not only hurting me... it's hurting the people around me.
I also had horrible side effects to the class of anti-depressants known as SSRIs. I was violent when on them and irrational. (This was before I had Maddox) Effexor was effective for me... Also Omega 3 and omega 6 are supposed to help with depression. I think Maja knows about this and I know a friend IRL who does so if you want info- LMK!!!
"bluemystique-in regard to your last post, maybe you should talk to a doc or therapist about mental health issues if you feel you cannot be that way without smoking...??"
but a lot of people can't afford therapy, and a doctor will most likely prescribe an anti-depressant, which can have worse side effects than smoking pot. i think smoking pot can be a valid treatment for mental health issues. sure it can be addictive, but so can pills. someone close to me uses marijuana to deal with a variety of issues, and i can say with certainty that s/he feels much much better after smoking.
a while back i got a terrible writhing, puking, feel like i'm dying migraine, just a week after the worst stomach virus i've ever had (i lost almost ten pounds in just a few days.) my kid was at school, and so i laid back in my comfy bed and smoked a joint. it worked almost immediately, increased my appetite, dulled my pain, relaxed my muscles (i had been shivering uncontrollably), let me sleep, killed my nausea, and made me damn happy, heh. and there was no pill for me to just vomit up in a few minutes. not much else could do all that.
there was a post in an LJ community recently about a woman who said if her house were to catch fire at night, someone else would have to save her baby because her anti-psychotics made her sleep like a log. a lot of mamas suffer from insomnia and need sleeping pills to combat that. some of us need pain meds, muscle relaxors, or any number of other pills that would also render us unable to drive our kids to the hospital at some point.
it seems like a lot of us here are looking at smoking pot as something people do for fun, just to get high and eat brownies and geek out on our kids scooby doo videos, but some people have real and actual needs for marijuana, and in that case, it should be viewed by us similarly to any other med. we need to trust mamas to decide what treatment is best for them.
That's exactly how I feel. Marijuana can make me feel better in any way. It helps with headaches, nausea, aches and pains, emotional pain, depression.
I was diagnosed with depression. My doctor told me that I was causing Alexis stress (she was there with me) because I admitted my anger problems. I was causing her mysterious stomach aches. So I took the plunge and started taking Paxil, despite how much my LJ friends warned me about it. And it got me nowhere. I would rather be on nothing... Paxil made me even more depressed. I felt sick and dizzy and lightheaded. I couldn't even walk up a flight of stairs without sweating and feeling like I was going to black out. I couldn't even lift my son.
After smoking pot, I'm FINE. I'm MORE energetic. I don't get dizzy... my vision doesn't get blurred... my muscles don't relax to the point where they're not at all functional. It's my medication... not my party drug. I don't do it for fun... hell, what's the fun in smoking alone? LOL.
um, if you can afford pot, you can afford therapy. therapy is covered by medical assistance, plus there are a variety of sliding scale clinics.
i am saying that if you choose to smoke pot & breastfeed, you can at least PUMP and DUMP your milk. personally, i think that is the most responsible choice you can make.
i hope no one is advocating that an unregulated herb (that has shown to make people even more depressed & have memory loss *in the long run*) & herbs that can be tainted (as shown above) can be an alright option instead of therapy & treatment. in my experience, i have seen a lot of people use weed to get short term benefits. but it really has the effect of delying them addressing their underlying mental health issues.
i am not condeming women who choose to smoke, i am advocating that this choice be done RESPONSIBLY (ie don't expose your kids) and in CONJUNCTION with proper treatment of any underlying issues like anxiety, mood disorders, and depression.
its not cool to expose your baby to drugs that can have long term neurological impacts. {and really, it is naive to argue that it doesn't impact a newborn thru breastmilk. read the studies done by doctors. talk to nurses. talk to midwives. is it worth the risk? THINK!}
i am seeing people being defensive about their smoking habits, which isn't my intent. if you choose to smoke, do so responsibly.
"um, if you can afford pot, you can afford therapy. therapy is covered by medical assistance, plus there are a variety of sliding scale clinics."
um, not true. i pay 45 dollars a week for couples therapy. that's the lowest rung of the sliding scale. perhaps i could find cheaper, but not all of us can just go to whatever therapist is the cheapest.
no one here is saying they smoke 45 bucks worth of pot a week anyway.
therapy is RARELY covered by assistance.
and how do you know everyone pays for pot anyway?
"i am saying that if you choose to smoke pot & breastfeed, you can at least PUMP and DUMP your milk. personally, i think that is the most responsible choice you can make. "
they could, and many probably do. but even if they don't, it STILL sounds safer than formula.
"i hope no one is advocating that an unregulated herb (that has shown to make people even more depressed & have memory loss *in the long run*) & herbs that can be tainted (as shown above) can be an alright option instead of therapy & treatment."
why can't it be? what if it's the best a mama can do? therapy doesn't work for everyone, anti-depressants don't work for everyone, and pot wouldn't work for everyone. but i don't think we can all say it won't work for ANYONE.
"its not cool to expose your baby to drugs that can have long term neurological impacts. {and really, it is naive to argue that it doesn't impact a newborn thru breastmilk. read the studies done by doctors. talk to nurses. talk to midwives. is it worth the risk? THINK!} "
uh, but what about formula erika? it has long term neurological effects that are PROVEN. negative health effects that are PROVEN. but do we say "it's not cool" to use formula?
how would you feel if i had said "it's not cool to use formula erika. it's naive to argue that using formula won't negatively impact your newborn. read the eleven zillion articles on the plethora of benefits of breastmilk. is it worth the risk? THINK!"
you had your reasons for not breastfeeding. other women have their reasons for wanting to smoke pot. you are coming off pretty judgmental to me and i don't think that's fair.
this isn't me being defensive because i have a pot habit i feel guilty about. i don't smoke pot. but i don't think it's particularly useful in any way to tell a mama who may be having a really fucking rough time with PPD, stress, life situation, adjusting to motherhood, etc., to "THINK!"
thanks for clarifying. change all the "erika"s to "rebex"s. alli and i had the same issue when she posted on here. we'd be all "HEY! you got me in trouble!!" heh.
i am seeing people being defensive about their smoking habits, which isn't my intent. if you choose to smoke, do so responsibly.
And as I said in my initial post, I am responsible. For me, it's a happiness enchancer... not a downer. It effects people in different ways... and it benefits me. :)
"um, if you can afford pot, you can afford therapy. therapy is covered by medical assistance, plus there are a variety of sliding scale clinics."
um, not true. i pay 45 dollars a week for couples therapy. that's the lowest rung of the sliding scale. perhaps i could find cheaper, but not all of us can just go to whatever therapist is the cheapest.
no one here is saying they smoke 45 bucks worth of pot a week anyway.
therapy is RARELY covered by assistance.
and how do you know everyone pays for pot anyway?
"i am saying that if you choose to smoke pot & breastfeed, you can at least PUMP and DUMP your milk. personally, i think that is the most responsible choice you can make. "
they could, and many probably do. but even if they don't, it STILL sounds safer than formula.
"i hope no one is advocating that an unregulated herb (that has shown to make people even more depressed & have memory loss *in the long run*) & herbs that can be tainted (as shown above) can be an alright option instead of therapy & treatment."
why can't it be? what if it's the best a mama can do? therapy doesn't work for everyone, anti-depressants don't work for everyone, and pot wouldn't work for everyone. but i don't think we can all say it won't work for ANYONE.
Again, thank you Julie. :) I only spend $10 a week on it. I spend more on cigarettes each day. I go through a pack a day. So it's no hole in my pocket. Plus, my bf found someone he knew and who he trusts to help me out... instead of me just getting it from anywhere. So for now it's the ideal option for me. My kids are not exposed and I'm a better mommy and person as a whole after having a few quick, harmless puffs. I'd much rather smoke... seeing how I already do... then to pop pills that really make me feel like shit run over twice.
I just want to say that therapy can be covered under ohip in most cases bluemystique if you feel that is something you would like to do.
The thing is, I would like therapy. But I don't really have the time. I'm home alone all week with the two kids... and the FIL works days or nights... and they usually don't want to babysit for too long... unless they take Alexis to their house, at which point, Mason is still at home with me. And I don't think bringing my kids to therapy with me is going to work. :(
I don't think pot is a bad thing. I smoked it for a lot of years.
I'm just saying, I think a lot of people smoke it without thinking about the longer term effects, or even really being aware that it DOES affect you beyond the initial high.
I think that if you're comfortable with what you're doing, with how pot reacts to your body, if it makes you feel better, and you're still working on your shit and getting done what needs to get done, that rocks.
But, please remember it is a drug. I would say this about depression medications as well. Until you are familular with how it interacts with your body, with your mind, becareful-- don't drive, don't be alone, etc.
I think that it does, absolutly, have valid medical usage. One of the big problems, in my mind, is that because the government is not contorlling it, you really don't know what's in it. Make sure you have people you can call-- just in case (a good thing to have anyway).
I think there does need to be a critical look at the effects of pot, if for no other reason than the fact that pot culture doesn't allow any critiqing of it, and I think that it's important to think critically about things that you are putting into your body-- be it as mild as dairy, coffee, or up to alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
As with any other medication, especially medications that effect your mind, be careful with it. Understand it. Buy from a trusted dealer, someone you know and trust, and have people for back up in case something happens.
I agree. Like I said, I KNOW the guy who's supplying and he grows it on his own. So I know I can trust him.
And I've smoked since I was 14. 8 years. Wow. So I know how I'm going to react to it. I used to smoke it 24/7. But I quit once I found out I was preggo with Alexis.
"I think that it does, absolutly, have valid medical usage. One of the big problems, in my mind, is that because the government is not contorlling it, you really don't know what's in it. Make sure you have people you can call-- just in case (a good thing to have anyway).
I think there does need to be a critical look at the effects of pot, if for no other reason than the fact that pot culture doesn't allow any critiqing of it, and I think that it's important to think critically about things that you are putting into your body-- be it as mild as dairy, coffee, or up to alcohol, cigarettes, etc."
I agree, but we have looked critically at pot. The government has been trying to prove that pot is bad for decades, with few conclusive results, if any. I agree that it must be used responsibly and carefully, and am not advocating allowing it to take control of your life, because like any drug, it can. I am also certainly not advocating smoking anything around children. But I do consider it a MUCH safer alternative to many, if not all, prescribed drugs, just that I believe most of the herbal medicines I use are safer. When I was fourteen I probably shouldn't have been doing it because I got into a lot of trouble with it, and I was just a kid. I didn't use it resposibly then, but I certainly do now. And I avoid pharmaceudicals at almost all costs, because I know how bad they effect my body.
I don't smoke pot anymore-- it fucked with my moods to much. My theripist told me about studies they did with folks who are bi-polar, and they found that it throws these folks into mood cycles quicker than they normally occured.
I found this to be true of myself before I smoked pot. It is a drug. It does affect your brain. I honestly think that smoking it when I was younger-- 14/15 years old did affect my brain chemistry somehow. Everything you put into your body, affects your body.
I'm not saying you shouldn't smoke pot, but I am saying be aware that it does have longer affects than the high you get. Be careful, understand that you are not in the same fraim of mind that you are when you are sober.
True. I had seizures once cause heroine had been tucked away inside of it without my knowledge. I was blacking out and convulsing. Scary shit.
Okay. I didn't know I had that option. Thank you.
I'm not too worried, myself, about posting publicly, because thwe majority of the time I have nothing. So I'm not afraid... Plus, Canada decriminalized it, did they not? That would mean a slap on the wrist for me. I don't know how things work in the States.
So true. I'm more patient and creative as well. And I drive better and actually go the speed limit. It pisses me off that people can drink, but not smoke. Smoking is safer in my opinion.
I agree. You're not in the same frame if mind... but to me, I'm a better person. I'm more peaceful and laid back and funny and calm... I'm so many GOOD things that I'm not when I'm sober. :( Kind of sad, huh?
bluemystique-in regard to your last post, maybe you should talk to a doc or therapist about mental health issues if you feel you cannot be that way without smoking...??
I agree with Latil 100%. Babies of mothers who smoke pot during breastfeeding (and pregnancy) turn out just as happy and healthy as babies whose mothers don't.
I posted a link to this article, http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/1422.html but it is long, so here are some exerpts that I find helpful to the discussion:
"Dreher's research is interesting and relevant because it challenges the prevailing notion that all drug use during pregnancy is bad for children. Ironically, some of Dreher's findings suggest that ganja use by mothers during pregnancy, and by their children after birth, might actually be good for children."
"Other studies have purported to find similar problems, but Dreher notes that such studies suffer from the same problems that most marijuana studies suffer from. These problems include incorrect assumptions of cause and effect, failure to account for use of other drugs (such as tobacco, alcohol, and cocaine), and unequal comparisons between users from differing socioeconomic groups and lifestyles."
"Women told Dreher that ganja relieved depression and feelings of fear and hopelessness; they also commonly reported that ganja helped relieve the physical discomforts associated with pregnancy. They used it to combat the nausea and vomiting typically found in the first trimester. They enjoyed ganja's ability to enhance appetite. Ganja was also used to combat fatigue, which was especially important to the women who had to work and/or take care of children during pregnancy. Several women said they used ganja to help relieve aches and pains, and to help them sleep better and relax"
"No statistically significant differences in developmental abilities were found, except that the 30-day test showed that children of ganja-using mothers were superior to children of non-ganja mothers in two ways. These children had better organization and modulation of sleeping and waking, and they were less prone to stress-related anxiety."
"The release of these study results was considered politically incorrect by anti-marijuana factions in government and academia, because they so directly contradicted the oft-repeated assertion that prenatal marijuana use hurts children and that marijuana users were poor mothers. Dreher's studies found the opposite: ganja mothers were often better mothers than their non-ganja using counterparts. Their households were often cleaner, better-funded and more fun than those where cannabis was shunned!"
If you want more info, read the article. I think it is really good.
i am going to have to say that a highly biased organization/website like cannabisculture (i think that was the name) is not going to top the merits of medical journals (which rebex and i were looking at together online when she posted her info) and breastfeeding magazines. especially when it's one study (dreher in the article) done by a woman who is a phd, NOT AN MD.
it appears as though the results are, at best, mixed. i don't personally feel comfortable advocating pot-smoking while breastfeeding, but what i've read here tells me that even if a mom smokes pot while she nurses, it's still safer than giving the baby formula, so do as you will, i suppose.
parenting is all about weighing benefits, costs, risks, all of that. if it's a choice between some bad anxiety, insomnia, mental illness issues, depression, physical issues, etc., or an infant's exposure to marijuana through your milk, i'd rather you just smoke the damn pot. we can't all afford dr visits or prescription costs.
so i guess i am advocating in a way then, huh? just be aware of what you are doing.
am i the only one who feels cheated that i don't really enjoy smoking pot? a couple hits and it's HELLO PARANOIA, did i just see a shifty eyed man lurking outside my window, jesus christ is this a tumor, OMG what if dylan stops breathing while i'm going pee and fuck dude, was that the cops?
I used to smoke pot, but not much. I did it maybe 6 times..and it just got boring to me..and yes i got paranoid. All my friends talk about how much fun they have on it and im just like "what..?" haha so I feel ya!!
That's right, Julie. It's all about making informed choices.
I don't agree that just because Dreher is not an MD means her study is not as valid. I think a phd in anthropology is perfectly credible for a study like the one she did.
Latil - I think you and I have a lot in common. I love Burn One Down and American Gods!!
No... You are not alone. I get paranoid too...
I talked to my doc about it and he prescribed me Paxil. I was on it for a month and suffered horrible side effects. As soon as I quit them, my friend offered me a joint... and since then I've been hooked. I prefer it to Paxil anyday. I do need to go back to the doc and explain all this to him, though. I want to make an appt soon. I feel so irritable when I'm not high. I'm constantly stressed and emotional and angry... and it's not only hurting me... it's hurting the people around me.
I also had horrible side effects to the class of anti-depressants known as SSRIs. I was violent when on them and irrational. (This was before I had Maddox) Effexor was effective for me... Also Omega 3 and omega 6 are supposed to help with depression. I think Maja knows about this and I know a friend IRL who does so if you want info- LMK!!!
"bluemystique-in regard to your last post, maybe you should talk to a doc or therapist about mental health issues if you feel you cannot be that way without smoking...??"
but a lot of people can't afford therapy, and a doctor will most likely prescribe an anti-depressant, which can have worse side effects than smoking pot. i think smoking pot can be a valid treatment for mental health issues. sure it can be addictive, but so can pills. someone close to me uses marijuana to deal with a variety of issues, and i can say with certainty that s/he feels much much better after smoking.
a while back i got a terrible writhing, puking, feel like i'm dying migraine, just a week after the worst stomach virus i've ever had (i lost almost ten pounds in just a few days.) my kid was at school, and so i laid back in my comfy bed and smoked a joint. it worked almost immediately, increased my appetite, dulled my pain, relaxed my muscles (i had been shivering uncontrollably), let me sleep, killed my nausea, and made me damn happy, heh. and there was no pill for me to just vomit up in a few minutes. not much else could do all that.
there was a post in an LJ community recently about a woman who said if her house were to catch fire at night, someone else would have to save her baby because her anti-psychotics made her sleep like a log. a lot of mamas suffer from insomnia and need sleeping pills to combat that. some of us need pain meds, muscle relaxors, or any number of other pills that would also render us unable to drive our kids to the hospital at some point.
it seems like a lot of us here are looking at smoking pot as something people do for fun, just to get high and eat brownies and geek out on our kids scooby doo videos, but some people have real and actual needs for marijuana, and in that case, it should be viewed by us similarly to any other med. we need to trust mamas to decide what treatment is best for them.
Thank you Julie.
That's exactly how I feel. Marijuana can make me feel better in any way. It helps with headaches, nausea, aches and pains, emotional pain, depression.
I was diagnosed with depression. My doctor told me that I was causing Alexis stress (she was there with me) because I admitted my anger problems. I was causing her mysterious stomach aches. So I took the plunge and started taking Paxil, despite how much my LJ friends warned me about it. And it got me nowhere. I would rather be on nothing... Paxil made me even more depressed. I felt sick and dizzy and lightheaded. I couldn't even walk up a flight of stairs without sweating and feeling like I was going to black out. I couldn't even lift my son.
After smoking pot, I'm FINE. I'm MORE energetic. I don't get dizzy... my vision doesn't get blurred... my muscles don't relax to the point where they're not at all functional. It's my medication... not my party drug. I don't do it for fun... hell, what's the fun in smoking alone? LOL.
um, if you can afford pot, you can afford therapy. therapy is covered by medical assistance, plus there are a variety of sliding scale clinics.
i am saying that if you choose to smoke pot & breastfeed, you can at least PUMP and DUMP your milk. personally, i think that is the most responsible choice you can make.
i hope no one is advocating that an unregulated herb (that has shown to make people even more depressed & have memory loss *in the long run*) & herbs that can be tainted (as shown above) can be an alright option instead of therapy & treatment. in my experience, i have seen a lot of people use weed to get short term benefits. but it really has the effect of delying them addressing their underlying mental health issues.
i am not condeming women who choose to smoke, i am advocating that this choice be done RESPONSIBLY (ie don't expose your kids) and in CONJUNCTION with proper treatment of any underlying issues like anxiety, mood disorders, and depression.
its not cool to expose your baby to drugs that can have long term neurological impacts. {and really, it is naive to argue that it doesn't impact a newborn thru breastmilk. read the studies done by doctors. talk to nurses. talk to midwives. is it worth the risk? THINK!}
i am seeing people being defensive about their smoking habits, which isn't my intent. if you choose to smoke, do so responsibly.
"um, if you can afford pot, you can afford therapy. therapy is covered by medical assistance, plus there are a variety of sliding scale clinics."
um, not true. i pay 45 dollars a week for couples therapy. that's the lowest rung of the sliding scale. perhaps i could find cheaper, but not all of us can just go to whatever therapist is the cheapest.
no one here is saying they smoke 45 bucks worth of pot a week anyway.
therapy is RARELY covered by assistance.
and how do you know everyone pays for pot anyway?
"i am saying that if you choose to smoke pot & breastfeed, you can at least PUMP and DUMP your milk. personally, i think that is the most responsible choice you can make. "
they could, and many probably do. but even if they don't, it STILL sounds safer than formula.
"i hope no one is advocating that an unregulated herb (that has shown to make people even more depressed & have memory loss *in the long run*) & herbs that can be tainted (as shown above) can be an alright option instead of therapy & treatment."
why can't it be? what if it's the best a mama can do? therapy doesn't work for everyone, anti-depressants don't work for everyone, and pot wouldn't work for everyone. but i don't think we can all say it won't work for ANYONE.
forgot one:
"its not cool to expose your baby to drugs that can have long term neurological impacts. {and really, it is naive to argue that it doesn't impact a newborn thru breastmilk. read the studies done by doctors. talk to nurses. talk to midwives. is it worth the risk? THINK!} "
uh, but what about formula erika? it has long term neurological effects that are PROVEN. negative health effects that are PROVEN. but do we say "it's not cool" to use formula?
how would you feel if i had said "it's not cool to use formula erika. it's naive to argue that using formula won't negatively impact your newborn. read the eleven zillion articles on the plethora of benefits of breastmilk. is it worth the risk? THINK!"
you had your reasons for not breastfeeding. other women have their reasons for wanting to smoke pot. you are coming off pretty judgmental to me and i don't think that's fair.
this isn't me being defensive because i have a pot habit i feel guilty about. i don't smoke pot. but i don't think it's particularly useful in any way to tell a mama who may be having a really fucking rough time with PPD, stress, life situation, adjusting to motherhood, etc., to "THINK!"
Uh, when did I mention babies and pot? I said pot was a godsend when I was going thru Chemo treatment. Not sure where you got that from.
ames
p.s. those posts were from rebex, not me (this is erika). we use the same computer and she didn't log me out.
p.p.s. i mean that last post starting with "um, if you can afford pot..." was written by rebex.
thanks for clarifying. change all the "erika"s to "rebex"s. alli and i had the same issue when she posted on here. we'd be all "HEY! you got me in trouble!!" heh.
I just want to say that therapy can be covered under ohip in most cases bluemystique if you feel that is something you would like to do.
And as I said in my initial post, I am responsible. For me, it's a happiness enchancer... not a downer. It effects people in different ways... and it benefits me. :)
Again, thank you Julie. :) I only spend $10 a week on it. I spend more on cigarettes each day. I go through a pack a day. So it's no hole in my pocket. Plus, my bf found someone he knew and who he trusts to help me out... instead of me just getting it from anywhere. So for now it's the ideal option for me. My kids are not exposed and I'm a better mommy and person as a whole after having a few quick, harmless puffs. I'd much rather smoke... seeing how I already do... then to pop pills that really make me feel like shit run over twice.
The thing is, I would like therapy. But I don't really have the time. I'm home alone all week with the two kids... and the FIL works days or nights... and they usually don't want to babysit for too long... unless they take Alexis to their house, at which point, Mason is still at home with me. And I don't think bringing my kids to therapy with me is going to work. :(
I don't think pot is a bad thing. I smoked it for a lot of years.
I'm just saying, I think a lot of people smoke it without thinking about the longer term effects, or even really being aware that it DOES affect you beyond the initial high.
I think that if you're comfortable with what you're doing, with how pot reacts to your body, if it makes you feel better, and you're still working on your shit and getting done what needs to get done, that rocks.
But, please remember it is a drug. I would say this about depression medications as well. Until you are familular with how it interacts with your body, with your mind, becareful-- don't drive, don't be alone, etc.
I think that it does, absolutly, have valid medical usage. One of the big problems, in my mind, is that because the government is not contorlling it, you really don't know what's in it. Make sure you have people you can call-- just in case (a good thing to have anyway).
I think there does need to be a critical look at the effects of pot, if for no other reason than the fact that pot culture doesn't allow any critiqing of it, and I think that it's important to think critically about things that you are putting into your body-- be it as mild as dairy, coffee, or up to alcohol, cigarettes, etc.
As with any other medication, especially medications that effect your mind, be careful with it. Understand it. Buy from a trusted dealer, someone you know and trust, and have people for back up in case something happens.
I agree. Like I said, I KNOW the guy who's supplying and he grows it on his own. So I know I can trust him.
And I've smoked since I was 14. 8 years. Wow. So I know how I'm going to react to it. I used to smoke it 24/7. But I quit once I found out I was preggo with Alexis.
Thank you for your input katg.
"I think that it does, absolutly, have valid medical usage. One of the big problems, in my mind, is that because the government is not contorlling it, you really don't know what's in it. Make sure you have people you can call-- just in case (a good thing to have anyway).
I think there does need to be a critical look at the effects of pot, if for no other reason than the fact that pot culture doesn't allow any critiqing of it, and I think that it's important to think critically about things that you are putting into your body-- be it as mild as dairy, coffee, or up to alcohol, cigarettes, etc."
I agree, but we have looked critically at pot. The government has been trying to prove that pot is bad for decades, with few conclusive results, if any. I agree that it must be used responsibly and carefully, and am not advocating allowing it to take control of your life, because like any drug, it can. I am also certainly not advocating smoking anything around children. But I do consider it a MUCH safer alternative to many, if not all, prescribed drugs, just that I believe most of the herbal medicines I use are safer. When I was fourteen I probably shouldn't have been doing it because I got into a lot of trouble with it, and I was just a kid. I didn't use it resposibly then, but I certainly do now. And I avoid pharmaceudicals at almost all costs, because I know how bad they effect my body.
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