Abstract
It has been suggested that marijuana smoking during pregnancy may have adverse effects on the neonate. In the present study, acoustic analysis of the newborn cry, a measure which has been related to a number of clinical conditions including developmental outcome, was studied in newborns of smokers and non-smokers. The study was conducted in Jamaica and included 20 infants of mothers who smoked throughout pregnancy and 20 infants of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy. Verification of smokers and non-smokers was based on interviews with the mothers, their neighbors and direct observation. The cry was tape recorded during a newborn exam and analyzed by high speed computer as in previous studies. The cries of infants of smokers were shorter in duration (p<.02) and showed a higher percentage of dysphonation (p<.0001), a higher average fundamental frequency (p<>.03), a wider range in the fundamental frequency (p<.0001), and a lower average first formant (p<.0003) than the cries of infants of non-smokers. The results suggest possible teratologic effects of marijuana smoking during pregnancy on neonatal outcome that may have implications for later developmental outcome.
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Lester, B., Dreher, M. EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY ON NEWBORN CRY ANALYSIS. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 182 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00093
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00093