several neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) restrict the use of breast milk from THC-positive women. This deprives preterm infants of the nutritional benefit of breast milk.
Marijuana Effects on Preterm Infants
To dive deep into it, the study team analyzed the medical records of 763 early preterm infants from 2014 to 2020. The team observed that 17% of their mothers tested positive at the time of delivery for THC.
The comparison was done between early preterm infants who were fed breast milk from THC-positive mothers and those who were fed either formula or breast milk from THC-negative mothers.
Surprisingly no differences were found in short-term health impacts of the infants such as breathing difficulties, lung development, and feeding issues. Both the infant groups were similarly healthy by the time of their discharge.
“Teasing out the effects of THC can be very difficult to study. We found that women who screened positive for THC were frequently late to obtain prenatal care, which can have a detrimental effect on their baby separate from marijuana use. This is important to note for future public health interventions,” says Natalie L. Davis, MD, MMSc, abstract author and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Attending Neonatologist at the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital.
Source: Medindia
