Smoking and pregnancy

 

When young women who smoke start to think about having children, they also need to think about quitting smoking. The best time to quit is when a woman is planning to get pregnant in the near future, or after she finds out that she is already pregnant. This will be better for her own health and for her baby.

 

A woman needs to gain weight during pregnancy, and that what will happen if she quit smoking in that period. An unborn baby depends on the mother to eat the right foods. So, if she stays away from junk foods and sweets, the mother's weight gain will be fine. And she needs to exercise. Her doctor can help her plan how to keep active; brisk walking is good for most women. Even if a pregnant woman gains a few extra pounds, she can lose it after the baby's born.

 

Effect of smoking on the baby:

 

When the mother smokes, so does the baby. Smokers take in poisons such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, these poisons get into the placenta, (which is the tissue that connects the mother and the baby before it is born). These poisons keep the unborn baby from getting the food and oxygen needed to grow.

 

Babies often weigh less when the mother smokes, and it is not always easier to deliver a low-birth weight baby.

These children may also be slower learners in school. And they may be shorter and smaller than children of nonsmokers. And, of course, they are more likely to smoke when they get older because they see their parents smoking.

Can smoking cause pregnancy complications?

Smoking is associated with a number of pregnancy complications. Smoking cigarettes doubles a woman's risk of developing placental problems. These include:

v   Placenta previa (a low-lying placenta that covers part or all of the opening of the uterus).

v   Placental abruption (in which the placenta peels away, partially or almost completely, from the uterine wall before delivery).

So if you are a smoker mother this is the best time to quit for your health and for your baby.