Postpartum Cannabis Use: Mental Health, Rest, and Recovery

The early postpartum period is raw. It’s not just about healing from birth or adjusting to life with a newborn—it’s about navigating an entire identity shift. For some, it’s filled with joy and awe. For others, it’s full of tears, exhaustion, rage, confusion, and isolation. For many, it’s all of the above.

And for some new parents, cannabis becomes part of the way they get through it.

As a cannabis-informed doula, I’ve supported folks who’ve quietly told me, “It’s the only way I can sleep.” or “It’s how I manage my anxiety without meds that mess with me.” or “It helps me feel like myself again.”

These stories deserve to be heard. Not dismissed. Not judged.

Why Some Parents Use Cannabis Postpartum

Cannabis use postpartum isn’t about getting high and checking out—it’s often about grounding back in. It might look like:

• Managing postpartum anxiety or depression

• Finding moments of rest in the fog of sleepless nights

• Reconnecting with your body after birth trauma

• Coping with overstimulation from constant touch, sound, or sensory overload

• Supporting appetite or digestion during healing

• Making space for emotional release when the pressure to “bounce back” feels unbearable

For some parents, cannabis helps them soften into the experience instead of numbing out from it. And for others, it’s simply what helps them function.

Harm Reduction and Mindful Use

Postpartum is already a vulnerable time. If cannabis is part of your healing, it’s important to be intentional and gentle with yourself. A few harm-reduction questions to check in with:

• Why am I using right now? Is it for rest, relief, or escape?

• How am I using? What’s the method (smoking, edibles, tinctures, topicals) and how often?

• What’s the impact? Is it helping me feel more connected or more withdrawn? Is it supporting my parenting or making things harder?

• Am I feeling shame or fear around it? If so, who can I talk to safely about it?

You don’t need to have all the answers. Just asking these questions can help you stay connected to yourself as you navigate it.

What About Breastfeeding?

This is a common and complicated question. The truth? There’s no clear research consensus yet on the effects of cannabis and lactation. THC can be detected in breast milk, but we still don’t know how much passes to the baby—or what that means long term.

What we do know is that many parents are already navigating this quietly. And they deserve real information, not fear tactics. If you're using cannabis and breastfeeding, I recommend:

• Using the lowest effective dose

• Avoiding use directly before or during a feeding session

• Considering the timing and method of use (tinctures or topicals may carry less risk than smoking)

• Talking with a cannabis-informed provider or doula to weigh your options

No judgment. Just care and information.

You Are Not Alone

The early postpartum window can feel like a fog with no map. But you are not lost. You’re adjusting. You’re healing. You’re figuring it out one day, one hour, one feed at a time.

If cannabis is one of the tools you reach for, you don’t have to do it in silence. You deserve care that honors your whole experience—not just the sanitized parts.

If you're curious, conflicted, or simply want a space to talk it out, I’m here. Whether you’re using cannabis for healing, rest, or mental health support, you deserve compassion—not shame.