Smoking and Pregnancy

Smoking and pregnancy creates less than ideal conditions for you and your baby. In the perfect world, you would never have started smoking in the first place, but now that you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, it is time to reconsider your decision to smoke.

Smoking and pregnancy do not go together because expectant mothers pass the nicotine and carbon monoxide drawn from cigarettes on to the baby through the placenta. Nicotine and carbon monoxide are both poisons, and they limit the absorption of nutrients and oxygen by the fetus during this vital time in his life. These chemicals are found in the amniotic fluid very early in pregnancy. Exposure to cigarettes and second hand smoke can lead to these problems with your baby:

• Premature birth
• Underdeveloped lungs
• Poor immunities
• Low birth weight
• An increased risk of SIDS

Studies have show the long-term effects on children of women that smoke:

• More incidences of middle-ear infections as your child grows
• More susceptible to colds and coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia, and other lung related illnesses
• Slowed learning
• Increased chance of developing of ADHD
• Ashma as your child grows

The less nicotine and carbon monoxide you introduce into your body, the better the odds that you will give birth to a healthy baby. The problem with just cutting back or switching to a low-tar cigarette instead of quitting is people tend to inhale more deeply or take more puffs when they are put on a limit. This can lead to you inhaling just as much nicotine out of fewer cigarettes.

When you breastfeed, anything you put into your body can affect your breast milk. This includes cigarette smoke. If you smoke while breastfeeding, you are passing along the poisons in the cigarettes to your baby. This will further endanger his long-term health.

Second hand smoke contains the same harmful chemicals, and when you breathe in this smoke during your pregnancy, you are putting your baby’s health at risk. In fact, it is advisable to ask everyone, including family and friends, not to smoke around you or the baby. Also, avoid places where you will be exposed to secondary smoke.

Actually, the first months of pregnancy may make it easier to quit than you think. It is not unusual for expectant moms to find strong tastes and odors intolerable, including the odor of cigarette smoke. Additionally, the health of the baby will act as additional incentive quit.

Many find that going cold turkey is the best way to quit smoking. If you can't just stop, gradually cut back on the amount of cigarettes you smoke in a day. Here are some suggestions for ways to cut back and also relieve stress and urge to smoke:

• Take deep breaths
• Chew gum
• Take up a hobby that will keep your hands busy.
• Set up a rewards system. For example, treat yourself to a nice dinner out or a new pair of shoes for every ten days you go without a cigarette.
• Carry around a picture of your ultrasound and pull it out as a reminder of what is at stake with smoking and pregnancy.
• Keep nutritious snacks handy to munch on when you feel the urge to light up.
• Cut back on the number of cigarettes you smoke. Some women find that this is the best way to stop.

If you slip and go back to smoking, start all over and try again. Every day you can go without a cigarette, you increase the chance of your baby living a long and healthy life.

Smoking and pregnancy is an unhealthy mix for both you and your baby. Remember that the nicotine you put in your body reduces your baby’s likelihood of being born healthy and stop smoking, if not for you, then for him.

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