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Effects of Smoking Cigarettes During Pregnancy
Cigarettes are a dangerous product made from dangerous toxins and chemicals. Smoking while pregnant is a big no-no because of the health problems that can arise for both you and your baby. If you are a smoker and are thinking about having a baby, it’s important to drop your smoking habit before conceiving to protect your unborn baby from a plethora of health risks.
In this post, we’re going to discuss how smoking can lead to experiencing those health risks, and how you may have trouble getting pregnant if you smoke. Learning about the statistics of smoking while pregnant is not meant to scare you, but we are discussing them to inform you of what may happen if you do not quit smoking before getting pregnant.
What Does Smoking While Pregnant Do to the Baby?
Cancer, gum disease, and other underlying health conditions are just a few things that the ingredients in cigarettes can lead to. Did you know that when you smoke a cigarette that you’re inhaling over 7,000 chemicals, including lead and arsenic? The chemicals that you inhale enter your body through your lungs and travel to your bloodstream.
If you’re pregnant and smoking, those chemicals will reach your baby through your own bloodstream and travel into the placenta. It’s important to understand that even smoking a single cigarette can put your baby at risk of suffering serious health issues.
Getting Pregnant While Smoking
Conceiving doesn’t always happen the first time you and your partner have sex without protection in attempts of having a baby. Some couples truly struggle for a long time in conceiving a baby, no matter how many times they try – not everyone is fertile. It can sometimes take weeks, months, or years depending on your fertility to conceive a baby.
You may have even more trouble trying to conceive a child because you’re a smoker, because it can take longer for smokers to successfully conceive a baby. Your chances of never being able to conceive a baby are also higher from all the dangerous chemicals that you’re putting into your body.
How Bad Is It to Smoke While Pregnant?
Many health issues arise from smoking while pregnant and lead to permanent tissue damage in your unborn fetus. The baby’s lungs and their brain can also be seriously impacted by the chemicals in cigarettes, and their growth can be stunted. Studies have also shown that babies are more prone to develop a cleft lip if their mother smokes while pregnant.
One of the chemicals in cigarettes is called carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is especially poisonous because it can block the baby from getting the oxygen that it needs to survive. If a baby can’t get enough oxygen and is poisoned by carbon dioxide while in the womb, it raises the chances of a baby being stillborn at birth.
A high heart rate is likely to develop in a fetus if a pregnant woman smokes. Having a high heart rate is a dangerous condition that can lead to strokes, heart attacks, or even death. It is incredibly important to have a strong heart rate.
Ectopic Pregnancies
A study conducted by PLOS One found that if a woman smokes during her pregnancy, she is more likely to experience an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy is when a woman experiences contractions in her fallopian tubes. The contractions make it impossible for an embryo to pass through and end in something called an ectopic pregnancy. The embryo needs to be removed from the mother if she has an ectopic pregnancy; otherwise, she could die.
Placental Abruption
Placental abruption is also more likely to occur in a woman who smokes during her pregnancy. The placenta provides the baby with both oxygen and nutrients while in utero. Placental abruption happens when the placenta breaks away and separates from the uterus before labor. Not only can placenta abruption cause severe bleeding, but it can also threaten both the lives of the mother and child.
Carrying a Baby to Full Term
If a baby is born extremely early, many other problems can arise. If a pregnant woman smokes tobacco while pregnant, the baby is more likely to be born too early. Being born too early leads to problems such as mental disabilities, learning, or behavioral problems as well.
A baby who is born early can also be born at an extremely low birth weight. Having a low birth weight can lead to many health problems. Low birth weights can also lead to delays in development, hearing or vision impairments, or cerebral palsy. A baby can even die if their weight is too low.
Your Responsibility
Smoking is an extremely addictive habit that can pose many risks to your personal health and wellbeing. When smoking, you’re exposing yourself to these dangerous chemicals and taking a risk. Studies have shown that those who smoke usually tend to live 10 years less than those who nonsmokers.
There is no one but the mother’s body to protect a baby while she is carrying the baby. It’s important that she does her duty and her responsibility to take good care of her body while pregnant if she wants her baby to be born healthy.
Quitting smoking before having a baby can help your baby be healthy at birth. Your baby will be less at risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is a sad syndrome where there is no found cause of death if a baby dies before it’s a year old.
Can Second-Hand Smoke Affect Pregnancy?
Now that we’ve talked about some of the risks that can occur if you are pregnant and smoking, it’s time to discuss the health risks that come along with second-hand smoke during pregnancy. Second-hand smoke is when you’re in the near vicinity of a smoker who exhales their smoke from the burning cigarette.
The smoke that comes from the end of a cigarette is very harmful. It does more harm than smoking a cigarette. Since you’re breathing the same air as the person who is smoking, you’re inhaling the chemicals that you’re exhaling.
Second-hand smoke can also lead to a variety of problems for yourself or your unborn baby. The smoke can still enter through your lungs and travel to your bloodstream. It is best to stay away from all cigarette smoke while you are pregnant to be able to keep you and your baby safe.
Some of the problems that those babies may develop if a mother was exposed to second-hand smoke include asthma, allergies, lung and ear infections. It can also be a cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
While pregnant, it’s extremely important for you to take good care of your body and make healthy life choices for both you and your baby’s sake. If you’re a smoker, there are many programs that you can enroll in or information you can request from your health care provider to learn how to quit smoking before having a baby.
It’s important to understand all of the risks that are associated with smoking if you are going to smoke. It’s even more important to quit smoking while you are pregnant to make sure your baby can be as healthy as possible when born. Don’t take these pregnancy smoking statistics lightly.
If you or a loved one are suffering from the effects of smoking (or other drugs), reach out to the caring experts at My All American Hospice. Our expert caregivers are trained in providing you with a better quality of life.
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