Pregnancy and Smoking

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Pregnancy and Smoking

Pregnancy and Smoking

As a smoker, you endanger your health with every cigarette, or tobacco product you use. But the stakes rise so much higher if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. Not only does smoking affect your chances of becoming pregnant, but much more importantly, your baby’s health during the pregnancy, and your newborn’s well being up through at least your baby's first year will be greatly adversely affected if you continue to smoke through this period.

Even before you take the decision to try for a pregnancy, if you currently use oral contraceptives and smoke, you are at a greater risk for cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. In fact, oral contraceptives are contraindicated in smokers, and hopefully your doctor has already pointed this out to you.

Smoking affects fertility in both you and your partner, if he smokes as well. Research suggests that smoking decreases ovulatory response and impair the fertilization and implantation of the zygote. It is also believed that tobacco chemicals may cause the cervical fluid to become toxic to sperm, which greatly increases difficulty in conceiving. Female smokers have only 72 percent of a nonsmoker’s fertility. Even worse, male smokers face a 50 percent higher risk of becoming impotent as compared to a nonsmoker.

It is also thought that toxic chemicals in cigarettes may cause gene mutations, which could result in birth defects, cancer, miscarriages, and a myriad of other health problems for children of smokers. These gene mutations could alike affect babies whose mothers are smokers or whose fathers are smokers.

Already pregnant? Still smoking? During pregnancy, tobacco chemicals are passed from a mother who is a smoker to the fetus through the bloodstream. These chemicals, toxic to both mother and child, present serious risks.

Studies have shown that smoking during pregnancy is associated with numerous health problems, including low birth weight, placenta previa, premature delivery, premature membrane rupture, miscarriage, and neonatal death. If a newborn's mother smoked during her pregnancy, the baby’s nicotine levels in the bloodstream at birth will be equal to that of the mother. In the first few days after birth, the baby of a smoking mother will then suffer from withdrawal symptoms.

After the baby is born, the baby’s health will continue to be affected by a mother or father who smoked while the baby was in utero. During its first year, a baby with parents who smoked prior to its birth will experience a higher risk of pneumonia and bronchitis. Babies of smokers are also at increased risk of frequent, severe asthma attacks.

Children exposed to secondhand smoke (passive smoking) are more susceptible to its ill effects because of their increased breathing rate. Secondhand smoke can cause children to have more colds, respiratory problems, ear aches, and sicknesses requiring a physician’s care. Asthma or allergies can be made more severe when children are exposed to secondhand smoke. This passive smoking risk applies whether the baby was exposed to smoking before birth or only after birth, although if the baby has been exposed to smoking both before and after birth, those risks will be greater.

Finally, and many years down the track, children of smokers are at a greater risk of becoming regular smokers themselves.

So how about quitting smoking before you get pregnant, and staying quit, for your child's health sake.

Once you have made the decision to quit smoking and ensure a healthier future for yourself and your child, the benefits will accrue almost immediately.

Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal. Within the first three days, carbon dioxide and nicotine is eliminated from the system entirely, your energy levels increase, and your breathing will become easier.

One year after quitting an ex-smoker’s circulation will be improved, and lung functions increased. Ten years after quitting, the risk of lung cancer is half that of a smoker and your risk of a heart attack is equal to that of a person who has been a nonsmoker all his/her life.

Even knowing all of its benefits, though, is not always enough to make quitting a feasible goal. Smokers who have successfully kicked the habit suggest several ways to cope with the difficult process of breaking a nicotine addiction.

First, make a list of reasons why you want to quit. As someone who is pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, one would imagine that the health of your baby will be at the top of your list.

This is a perfect opportunity to stop making excuses and motivate yourself to quit within a specific, and fairly short, time frame.

Other reasons may include your own health and well being, financial concerns, or even improved appearance and getting rid of the distinctive smell of tobacco.

Whenever you are tempted to light up a cigarette, take out your list and remind yourself why you would rather be a nonsmoker.

Another tried-and-true technique is to surround your self with support. Tell friends and family about your intention to quit and ask them for encouragement and patience throughout the process.

Joinomg a support group formed specifically for people that are quitting smoking is also a great idea. Both online and local groups are available, depending on your preference for in-person contact or 24/7 advice.

Many interested groups such as the American Lung Association or the American Cancer Society will help you find support groups or offer online support. Another good place to look for support is to your health or insurance provider.

If you smoke before, during, or after becoming pregnant, you put both your health and the health of your baby at risk. If you quit smoking, however, the benefits begin only 20 minutes after your first cigarette and continue for years to come. Ensure a healthy start for your baby by quitting smoking today!

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