Smoking While Pregnant

For many years now, we know that smoking while pregnant is not healthy, but smoking has been part of our lives, whether we smoke or not. And it has been a crippling factor in everyone's life, sad to say that the unborn babies.

Studies show that many mothers continue to smoke while pregnant. They argue that it does not affect their child at all. In most cases these are mothers who do not care for their unborn child, because if they did they would know that smoking is a major risk to the unborn. They would know that it is currently one of the main causes of infant mortality in our society today. If your smoking while pregnant, you're more likely to birth a child is underweight. Low birth weight babies are at greater risk for children and adult diseases and even death. Babies of smokers have less muscle and more fat than children of non-smokers, children are also more likely to develop respiratory problems later in life.

Basically, cigarette smoke alone is full of chemicals, some studies have claimed it has more than 2,500 chemicals. Some chemicals such as tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine were considered as the most dangerous substance for the fetus. It has long been proven how these chemicals can have significant influence on the development of the fetus inside the womb.

Mothers who smoke while pregnant run a risk of ectopic pregnancy. This is especially viable when the mother is a heavy smoker in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancy refers to the condition in which the embryo is embedded outside the uterus, which is contrary to what normal pregnancy should be. It is usually embedded in the fallopian tube. In this way, the fetus must be removed, as this type of pregnancy will never survive. This fetus will never survive outside the uterus where a fetus receives all nutrients and protection it needs. Extend this condition will only risk the mother's life.

Smoking while pregnant will increase the likelihood that the mother will develop complications in the placenta. Reports show that placental problems actually happens in about 1% of pregnancies. The most common problem is placenta previa where the placenta is connected very low in the uterus and is almost in the cervix.

Another problem is the deterioration of fetal growth. Smoking during pregnancy results in low infant birth weight. For many years now, reports indicate that there were significant differences between children with smoking mothers than those who have non-smoking mothers.

Major risks imposed on babies who weigh relatively less than the normal babies. They may acquire certain diseases like cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and the worst is dead.

There are also reports on how smoking increases the probabilities of birth defects as cleft lip and cleft palate.

In addition, babies born to mothers who were smoking while pregnant have a higher incidence of SIDS. If ever these infants survive, they may still incur diseases like asthma, behavioral problems or learning difficulties.

After the baby is born, it does not get any better for babies with mothers who were smoking while pregnant, they still have problems after birth in their environment. Infants eighteen months and younger who smoke around them in their houses are responsible for up to three hundred thousand cases of pneumonia and bronchitis.

Studies have shown that nicotine can be passed on to the baby through breastfeeding. There had been experiments that detected the presence of nicotine in the babies system through urine testing. It emerged later that a higher percentage of nicotine found in infants who were breast-feeding by smoking mothers.

Most experts argue that the problem lies in the mother's urge to get back to smoking soon after they gave birth. They claim that it is safe now because the baby was born already. They still insist that they actually stopped smoking during pregnancy.

The final scenario is that when mothers continue to smoke during the formative years of her child, chances are she already shaping a child who will most likely be a smoker himself. That is, if the child can tolerate the dangers smoking can do with his or her health.

So what is the point here? The fact that the mother does not care for her own health is one thing. But the fact that she puts more risk on her baby because her vice is another thing and that is the most depressing part.

Babies should have the right to live a decent, normal and healthy life. So mom's out there, you must remember that apart from the many dangers associated with smoking, your baby should not suffer. Let us take care of them simply by not smoking.