Smoking and Pregnancy
The risks involved with smoking during pregnancy:
Although fewer women are smoking during their pregnancy now than ever before, the habit still persists among many women. In addition, even if a pregnant woman does not smoke, she may be exposed to secondhand smoke in the household, workplace, or in social settings.
Do need help kicking your
tobacco habit? St. John’s offers a special program called Smoke-Free Babies to
help pregnant woman stop smoking. Smoke-Free Babies can be reached at
417-820-3617 (toll free 800-909-8326).
Smoke can be damaging to a fetus in several ways, and may cause the following:
- low birthweight
- preterm birth
- stillbirths
- increased risk of birth defects
Subsequently, babies born to smokers may also have the following problems:
- poor lung development
- asthma and respiratory infections
- increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- physical growth deficiency
- intellectual development deficiency
- behavioral problems
The mother, too, may experience problems during her pregnancy as a result of smoking, including, but not limited to, the following:
- placental complications
- preterm labor
- infections in the uterus
Researchers believe the effects of carbon monoxide (which reduces oxygen in the blood) and nicotine (which stimulates certain hormones) cause many of these adverse effects.
However, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if a woman quits smoking early in her pregnancy, she increases her chance of delivering a healthy baby.
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