Smoking and Pregnancy
Many women who smoke are able to quit as soon as they find out they’re pregnant. But smoking is so addictive that other moms-to-be continue to smoke, even though they’ve heard that smoking is bad for the baby. If you’re addicted to cigarettes, you may try to convince yourself that smoking really isn’t so bad. I saw a response to one of my previous blogs that said that her first child is healthy so she doesn’t think it is such a big deal. The problem is, all risk factors are really just statistical: the chance of something bad happening goes up if you smoke in pregnancy. The more you smoke, the greater the risk. This doesn’t mean that all smokers have unhealthy children, just that smoking shifts your odds and increases the likelihood of a bad outcome.
During smoking, oxygen molecules are replaced by carbon monoxide in your blood, so less oxygen gets to the baby. Nicotine also causes the mom’s blood vessels to spasm, diminishing blood flow, oxygen supply and nutrient delivery to the uterus and fetus. Cyanide and other toxins in cigarette smoke cross the placenta. All these factors lead to babies of smokers not growing well, and being more likely to deliver early. On average, babies are a half a pound smaller than expected for each pack a day the mom smokes. Infertility and miscarriage are also more common in smokers. Research has even shown that the chance of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome, is greater if the mother smoked in pregnancy.
I know of a mom with a two pack a day habit whose baby was born with extra oxygen-carrying red cells in her blood. Oxygen deprivation during pregnancy stimulated the baby’s blood to try to carry more oxygen. This made her blood too thick, and her little blood vessels called capillaries got clogged up, cutting off the circulation to her intestines. She died of infection several days after birth. Disasters like this don’t happen very often, but when they do, the anguish of the loss is compounded by feelings of guilt. No one thinks it’s going to happen to her, but bad things do happen.
The best approach is to start pregnancy as a non-smoker, or quit as soon as you can. If you can’t quit, limiting the number of cigarettes you smoke improves the chances of a healthy baby. If you want help quitting, talk to your doctor or midwife, and check out this helpful Internet resource from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Part of being a good parent is putting someone else’s needs above your own. Although it may be hard to quit, it’s better to deal with the problem head on now, than to risk having to deal with something bad happening to your baby later. Many mothers-to-be find the strength and determination to quit smoking for the health of their children. Good luck! You can do it!
