How much would you be willing to try if you were overdue?

[Bathsheba]

Very interesting.... I'm a bit mentally exhausted from injecting a lot of energy into another post... but here goes:

Firstly I have used cannabis... fairly regularly before I had children... none since.

Secondly what you have said does make sense... scientifically. However if I was to use it I wouldn't use the same amount as I used recreationally.... and I wouldn't smoke it... maybe ingest instead... to limit the effect on the baby.

Thirdly regarding risks. If it was supervised by a trained carer then i would think that it would be no more harmful than pethidine or any other synthetic induction chemical (eg syncotin) which are also not without risk. Just because it's an illegal drug doesn't mean that it's more risky than legal medications if taken incorrectly.

Fourthly... Personally I also didn't like what cannabis did to my mental state... it made me feel vulnerable... out of control in a similar way to stronger doses of pethidine. Incidentally i have also taken pethidine recreationally and in small doses I actually liked the mental state it put me in. So... maybe both chemicals in high doses would make me feel crappy... I do tend to be quite sensitive to all medications I have ever been prescribed come to think of it.

I would like to see it tested more thoroughly. Cannabis, like the opiates, i think have a place in medicine. Not sure if labour is a good place... but I agree that, despite it's current status as an illegal drug, it should be viewed on par as any other pain killer and at least explored. Who knows... it could work for some women and even prove (under medical guidance) to be less risky than current chemical interventions/pain relief in labour.

ETA: I didn't have hallucination when using cannabis. My vision was altered... things seemed brighter, and kind of twinkled but i didn't see things that weren't there so to speak.