Tuesday, May 20, 2014

How Can smoking Affect the Pregnancy and the Baby?

Women who smoke while they are pregnant increase their risk for pregnancy-related complications. Pregnancy places a tremendous burden on a woman’s body. From the fluctuating hormones to the effects of weight gain, even the healthiest woman can develop complications during her pregnancy. Those that smoke are at a greater risk.
Smoking during pregnancy can cause a placental abruption. This occurs when the placenta, the baby’s lifeline during the pregnancy, separates from the uterine wall prior to delivery. The placenta will separate naturally during the labor and delivery process, but when it happens prematurely, the results can be disastrous. When placental separation occurs, it is a life-threatening emergency for both mother and baby.
Not necessarily life-threatening, but still very serious, Placenta Previa is another condition that occurs more frequently in women who smoke during pregnancy. The placenta normally attaches to the side of the uterine wall early in pregnancy. With Placenta Previa, the placenta instead attaches low in the uterus, either partially or completely covering the opening of the uterus. If the opening of the uterus is blocked by the placenta when it is time to deliver the baby, a cesarean section will have to be performed.
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. When this occurs, the embryo does not implant in the uterus. Instead, it implants somewhere else, such as the fallopian tubes. When this occurs, the pregnancy must be terminated, as it cannot grow and thrive anywhere other than the uterus. If left untreated, ectopic pregnancy can be life-threatening.
Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience unexplained vaginal bleeding, and premature delivery. Smoking during pregnancy more than doubles the risk of having a stillbirth.

How Can it Harm the Baby?

Women who smoke during pregnancy are exposing their unborn baby to a myriad of potential health problems both during the pregnancy and after birth. One of the most serious complications is premature delivery. A normal pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks. A baby is considered premature if he is delivered any time before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Women who smoke during pregnancy are up to 4 times more likely to have a baby born before 37 weeks than women who do not smoke. Premature babies are susceptible to a host of health conditions, including difficulty breathing, inability to regulate body temperature and low birth weight.
Babies who are born full term are still at increased risk of having a low birth weight if their mothers smoked during pregnancy, even if they were not delivered prematurely. Premature babies and those that are born with a low birth weight have a much higher chance of developing serious medical conditions, including permanent disabilities, mental retardation, behavioral problems, developmental disabilities and even death.  Babies who are smaller at birth generally have smaller lungs and therefore babies. When this occurs, baby’s first days will likely be spent in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hooked up to breathing tubes or a respirator rather than in his mother’s arms. Even after transitioning out of the NICU, these babies will remain at increased risk for developing asthma and other breathing difficulties later in life.
Babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are at increased risk for being born with birth defects such as a cleft palate or cleft lip.
Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of giving birth to a baby with a heart defect. These babies are up to 70% more likely to have heart defects than babies who were not exposed to smoke while in the womb.
Babies who are born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are up to 3 times more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).