Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

More than 20 percent of the women got habituated to smoking in the US. They continue smoking even though they become pregnant.

Smoking can lead to a major health problem, it can harm your health and smoking during pregnancy can lead to serious pregnancy complications and also severe health problems in your newborns.

Pregnancy is a great time for every woman, so it is essential to quit smoking at this time.

You will feel better and have more energy throughout your pregnancy. Also, you can reduce the risks of health problems in the future like, cancer, lung problems and heart diseases.

There are more than 2500 chemicals in cigarette smoke. It is not certain that which of these chemicals are harmful for your developing baby. Carbon monoxide in the cigar smoke and nicotine in the cigarette play a major role in causing adverse side effects.

Smoking during pregnancy – How it is harmful for your baby?

Low birth weight result from smoking during pregnancy: Smoking doubles the risk of having your baby to born with low weight. Low birth weight is the result of deprived growth before the birth, preterm delivery or combination of both.

Smoking during pregnancy can slow down fetal development: When you smoke, you will inhale the poisons such as carbon monoxide and nicotine.

They enter into the placenta through which your baby will get enough nutrients, oxygen and eliminates wastages. These poisons restrict your baby from receiving the essential nutrients and oxygen. Hence it results in less fetal development.

There are long-term health risks to your baby: Smoking during pregnancy can cause to develop problems associated with physical growth, lung problems, frequent colds and learning disabilities.

If you continue smoking once after your baby’s birth then your baby may get frequent colds, middle ear infection and coughs. Smoking causes small lungs to develop in your baby thus making it harder to breath. This can results your baby to be affected with chronic bronchitis and pneumonia.

Your baby needs to suffer from serious health conditions during the early birth period, continual lifelong disabilities and even death also.

Increased risk of preterm labor: Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of preterm labor, which is 37 weeks of gestation.

The more you smoke during your pregnancy, the greater the risk to your baby’s development. If you are a smoker and you stop smoking at the end of the first trimester of your pregnancy then your baby is no more likely to born with low birth weight.

Second-hand smoke can cause problems in your baby: According to the new study, second hand smoke during pregnancy can cause greater risks in your child. Even secondhand smoke can increase the chances to born your baby with low weight.

Can smoking during pregnancy cause any complications?

There are many pregnancy complications associated with smoking.

Placental problems:

Smoking during pregnancy doubles the risk of developing placental problems. They include: placental abruption and placenta previa.

Both these conditions can cause heavy bleeding during delivery. This can be a dangerous condition to both you and your child. Placental problems can cause an increased risk of stillbirths.

Premature rupture of the membranes (PROM):

Smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of PROMS. PROM is a condition which results from the sac inside the uterus where your baby develops breaks before the labor begins.

Women suffering with PROM may experience a tickle of fluid from the vagina when the water breaks. When this condition occurs, the pregnant women will be taken into the labor within few hours.

If PROM appears before 37 weeks of your pregnancy then it is called as preterm PROM. Often this can result in premature birth.

So, to quit smoking during pregnancy, you need to make your plan and follow it properly. In your plan, you need to change your habits, ask your practitioner for resources, and have a strong support system.