The danger of smoking for a child at different stages of pregnancy. Severe consequences of smoking during pregnancy for mother and child
Bad for both the health of the woman and the health of the child. But what specific consequences and dangers threaten the mother and child, how to refuse bad habit? Details in this article.
The essence of harm during pregnancy
Smoking during pregnancy is considered unacceptable. Children from such mothers are born with, weak and painful. Scientists have proven that a child born to a smoking mother, in most cases, becomes a smoker himself.
Substances that are harmful and dangerous to the body, which are in cigarettes, enter the body of a pregnant woman when she inhales a cigarette, all of them go directly to the baby through the placenta. The smoke entering the body has a fairly strong concentration. The child starts oxygen starvation due to spasms of the placenta. The most harmful particles, up to radioactive ones, fall on the organs of an unformed child, and do not allow the child to develop properly.
As a result, most children born to smokers are born underweight, lag behind in development from other children, and are at risk of dying in early age. Smoking negatively affects the completion of a pregnancy almost regardless of how many cigarettes a woman smokes.
The only way to give birth healthy child is to quit cigarettes before pregnancy. But, unfortunately, many mothers do not think about quitting smoking during pregnancy, despite the fact that in modern world Everyone knows how badly this affects the child. The warnings of experts are abstract and every woman hopes that she will be able to avoid harmful effects from cigarettes. But not everyone is lucky. Yes, and mental addiction to cigarettes can be so strong that it is almost impossible for a person to cope with it on his own, this requires great willpower. Quit smoking sometimes does not help any of the listed methods, such as patches, chewing gum, sessions of a psychotherapist.
Should You Quit Smoking During Pregnancy?
Often, without giving up cigarettes before pregnancy, women continue to smoke during gestation. Not wanting to quit, people come up with excuses and philosophical excuses. main reason for such mothers, this is an argument that the stress of quitting cigarettes is much stronger than the harm of smoking when carrying a child. However, putting the facts together, it turns out:
- Smoking causes stress. The mother, who realizes that she is harming her child, becomes nervous and smokes more, she experiences fear and anxiety with every puff.
Smoking and pregnancy are not compatible concepts. However, not all women understand the risk to the unborn child of both their own smoking and passive smoking. And the harm of this bad habit can affect not only the child, but also interfere with the very process of conception. Let us consider in more detail how smoking affects the health of a child before the pregnancy of his mother, as well as during childbearing, and how you can forget about cigarettes quickly and painlessly.
Smoking before conception
Who would have thought, but smoking is one of the causes of infertility. On what is this assertion based? The fact is that scientists have found that a woman who smokes is much more likely to die eggs. This is due to the negative impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which enter the body along with tobacco smoke. The chance of conception is approximately halved (depending on how often you smoked before pregnancy).
In women with this bad habit, menstrual irregularities are much more common, ovulation occurs less often, and menopause occurs faster.
By the way, smoking before pregnancy is dangerous not only for the expectant mother, but also for the father. In smoking men, the quality of sperm deteriorates (it contains fewer viable spermatozoa), they are more likely to suffer from impotence (this is especially true for men who not only smoke, but also suffer from hypertension).
Smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy
If a woman does not plan a child and does not particularly monitor her monthly cycle, then she may not immediately notice that she is already in a position. Thus, habitual smoking before pregnancy continues after it begins. What does it threaten? As you know, the very first weeks of embryo development are the most dangerous in terms of the development of various intrauterine pathologies, as well as the likelihood of miscarriage and pregnancy fading. Even abrupt change climate or stress can provoke miscarriage, not to mention smoking, especially if it is frequent (more than 5 cigarettes a day). The harm of smoking largely depends on the number of cigarettes smoked, as well as on the gestational age and other factors. adverse factors that are in place. So, smoking can provoke malformations in children whose mothers (smokers) are over 35 years old, since at this age and without smoking, the risk of having a handicapped child is increased. For this age, smoking and pregnancy are very dangerous combination, after all, bearing a child is a considerable burden on cardiovascular system, and smoking only makes this load even more, exacerbates chronic diseases and leads to new ones.
While smoking cigarettes, and also for some time after that, the vessels remain in a narrowed state. Thus, during this period of time, the child may not receive enough oxygen and nutrients, which can lead to his death, if we are talking about early dates. In the later stages, chronic hypoxia becomes the cause congenital diseases. By the way, it has been scientifically proven that children with malformations such as cleft palate, cleft lip, etc. are more often born to smoking mothers. They say that this is due precisely to the lack of oxygen during intrauterine life. Let these defects now be treated surgically, but you can do without surgery if you just don’t smoke ...
Smoking in late pregnancy
If you smoke during pregnancy more than 5-10 cigarettes per day, then this can provoke such pathologies that are life-threatening not only for the child, but also for his mother, such as placental abruption. When placenta abruption begins heavy bleeding, which can only be stopped by an operation. For long periods, doctors resort to emergency caesarean section, but the child can be saved in rare cases, and those who survive often remain disabled, so with placental abruption, the fetus experiences acute hypoxia. Imagine that your mouth and nose are clamped, how long can you last without oxygen?
Pregnancy and smoking combined with it provokes an exacerbation hypertension if it has a place. But even if not, then smoking can become the first bird that will become the reason for the development of late toxicosis (preeclampsia) - also very severe complication, life threatening women if timely treatment is not followed.
If you smoke during pregnancy, you can not carry the baby to established by the doctor term. Very often, mothers who smoke, regardless of whether they give birth for the first time or not, have premature births. About the complexity of care premature baby, we think, it’s not worth telling ... Yes, and very premature babies very rarely grow up full-fledged in terms of health. In addition, at smoking women observed dystrophic changes in the placenta due to negative impact harmful substances contained in cigarettes. Thus, a poorly functioning placenta cannot provide normal amounts the child with nutrients and oxygen, and therefore - even a child born on time has a weight and height less than the average.
IN severe cases stillborn children can be born even on later dates pregnancy. Again, smoking plays an important role here, which, in combination with other adverse factors, for example, the intake of alcoholic beverages, infections and other diseases, can lead to intrauterine fetal death. Studies show that the risk of stillbirth is higher even for those women who smoke 4 cigarettes a day, and it does not really matter if light cigarettes or strong ones.
After birth
Although the topic of our article is pregnancy and smoking, it is still worth describing what happens to children whose blood has received harmful substances from cigarettes smoked by their mothers. Such children are at high risk of having various lung diseases- Asthma, bronchitis, tendency to pneumonia. This risk becomes even greater if, after birth, the child becomes a passive smoker.
Surely, you have heard of such a phenomenon as sudden infant death. Before the age of 1 year, some babies have a heart unknown reasons stops beating ... The exact causes of this terrible phenomenon are not exactly known to doctors, but studies have shown that this happens more often in families with a smoking mother.
But even if the consequences of smoking are not immediately noticeable, you should not tell your friends that this habit does not affect the health of children in any way. Perhaps you were just lucky, or maybe the consequences will appear later, when the child goes to kindergarten and school. inattention, conflict, aggressive behavior, bad memory- it's still far from complete list likely problems.
Should I throw
With what will happen if you smoke during pregnancy is understandable. But they say that throwing will not have a positive effect on the child's body. There is a double-edged sword here. If the mother smokes a lot - more than a pack a day, the child also becomes addicted to nicotine and in this case it is not worth quitting abruptly, it is better to gradually, systematically reduce the number of cigarettes smoked. If their number is initially much less, then it is better to refuse. You will not regret! Even if you have been smoking for a long time, remember that nicotine addiction disappears within a few days, and psychological addiction will help to overcome just the realization that the child is now well, and when he smoked it was bad. If you read women's forums, you can be sure that getting rid of this bad habit is most easy when you are in interesting position. Awareness of responsibility + toxicosis allows you to give up cigarettes quickly and without stress. But it is better to forget about smoking before pregnancy, so it will be easier for you, and the child will not suffer.
The word "mother" is always strongly associated with care, love and other very the best things on our land.
However, women who smoke wittingly or unwittingly mutilate and even kill their children - born and unborn. Surprised? In the meantime, it's true.
Mothers who smoke "gift" their daughters and sons with lung cancer and other "gifts" associated with passive smoking.
And a pregnant woman harms her unborn child, who does not even have to choose - in fact, he “smokes” with his mother.
Most of the 4800 components of tobacco smoke at once hits directly into a new human organism developing inside the woman.
Even the placenta does not retain nicotine, radioactive elements or carbon monoxide. Since all maternal blood passes through the fetus, the concentration of harmful substances in the tissues of the unborn child is even higher than in the mother's blood.
There are other reasons that a woman should always remember, if, of course, she is not indifferent to the health and life of her children - both already born and future ones.
A pregnant woman harms her unborn child, who does not even have to choose - in fact, he "smokes" with his mother.
1. First of all, the reproductive abilities of smokers themselves decrease, i.e. actually conception becomes quite problematic.
In women, the movement of the egg through the fallopian tubes is difficult, plus the effect of hormones produced during pregnancy is inhibited. In men, spermatozoa become less mobile, their shape changes, which often makes it impossible penetration into the egg. This, however, does not mean that smoking can be considered as a method of contraception.
It turns out a kind vicious circle: Cannot conceive because parents smoke, which makes them nervous and smoke even more. Sometimes such couples try to resort to artificial insemination. But the chances of an embryo engrafting are already not very high, and in women who smoke they are even lower. Some countries are already refusing free IVF smokers, and on a paid basis such an operation is not available to everyone.
That is why smoking couples who are planning a pregnancy are first of all advised to give up this habit, and together - both father and mother. It is better if at least one month passes after the refusal and before conception. Even better - if six months. Then the organism will be able to restore a significant part of the destruction caused to it by the components of tobacco smoke.
2. There are difficulties with the birth of a boy.
It has long been known that the Y chromosome, the presence of which determines the male gender of the unborn child, is much more sensitive to all kinds of negative impacts, and the male embryos themselves are more demanding on the conditions of survival. An international team of scientists who analyzed pregnancy data from more than 9,000 women found that smoking parents boys are born almost twice as often as girls. Moreover, the main mechanism of such a bias is intrauterine death of a fetus with a Y-chromosome.
When smoking, oxygen “steal” of the organs and systems of the unborn child occurs. The risk of becoming a drug addict for a teenage girl 5 times more if her mother smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day during her pregnancy.
At the same time, it is not necessary that the expectant mother herself smokes. Even if she regularly inhales smoke from a smoking spouse, the probability of having a son is reduced by a third. In other words, the probability of the death of an already conceived boy grows by the same figure.
3. A child born to smoking parents is already doomed to a wide variety of problems in the reproductive system.
In fact, when smoking, oxygen “steals” the organs and systems of the unborn child. One of the most sensitive to hypoxia is just reproductive system.
Boys suffer the most. Their testicles are underdeveloped, which are smaller on average than the sons of non-smoking mothers. In addition, these children are more likely to have cryptorchidism (when the testicle does not descend from abdominal cavity into the scrotum) and hypospadias (atypical opening urethra). And the sperm count in these boys 20 percent less than their peers.
4. In a woman who smoked during pregnancy, a child is born already dependent on nicotine.
Doctors managed to confirm this fact relatively recently, at the very end of the 20th century. The mother-to-be shares every cigarette with her child; active substances contained in tobacco smoke freely cross the placenta. And such a child has much more likely to become a smoker and at a very young age.
The risk of becoming a drug addict for a teenage girl is 5 times greater if her mother smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day during pregnancy. Among young men whose mothers smoked during pregnancy, seizures inappropriate behavior 4 times higher than that of boys whose mothers did not smoke.
5. Sometimes the placenta suffers directly from smoking, which leads to miscarriage or intrauterine death of the fetus.
And this does not even depend on the number of cigarettes smoked, there will definitely be problems, just of a different scale. So, risk of placental abruption moderate smokers (up to half a pack a day) are about 25 percent higher than non-smokers. For heavy smokers, this figure will be already 65 percent. Very often, in women who smoke, the placenta does not occur where it should be: not on one of the side walls of the uterus, but above the cervix.
Such a state is called placenta previa and is considered very serious complication pregnancy, childbirth in this case are very difficult, with massive blood loss. In women who smoke a pack of cigarettes or more per day, the risk of placenta previa is almost 90 percent higher than non-smokers.
In general, smokers miscarriages for one reason or another and different terms pregnancies occur on average twice as often. This is due to the fact that the placenta and fetus are in a state of constant lack of oxygen (hypoxia).
6. Smoking mothers are more likely to give birth to premature babies, and those who were born on time often have significantly reduced weight (hypotrophy).
lag behind in development. And if on average children are born with a body weight of about 3 kg and a body length of about 50 cm, for the children of smokers these figures will be 20-30 percent lower.
7. Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are often born with various pathologies and developmental defects.
In 2003, it became known that there was an association between smoking in early pregnancy and the risk of having a child with facial defects. Basically, these are defects in the palate, which is formed at the 6–8th week of pregnancy. With a favorable set of circumstances, the child will be born only with a cleft lip - the front part that has not fused to the end upper jaw. If unfavorable, the two halves of the sky will not grow together, as a result of which a wolf's mouth will appear.
If the fetus does not receive nutrients and oxygen, it starts lag behind in development. In smokers, miscarriages for one reason or another and at different stages of pregnancy occur on average twice as often. Numerous studies have confirmed that children of smoking mothers die in the first few months of life in most cases.
Limb defects are also associated with smoking, for example horse foot. Children with Down syndrome, other things being equal, are also more likely to be born to women who smoke. Possible underdevelopment of other organs, such as the liver or joints.
8. It is very common for children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy to have impaired lung function at birth.
This is explained by the lack of surfactant - a special substance that does not allow our lungs to "collapse" and keeps the alveoli (the smallest "bubbles", the structural unit of the lungs) in an unfolded state.
9. Babies of smoking mothers are twice as likely to fall prey to sudden onset infant death than children of non-smokers.
The causes of the development of this syndrome are still not known for certain. But clearly defined several risk factors. And smoking during pregnancy is the leading one. Numerous studies have confirmed that children of smoking mothers die in the first few months of life in most cases. It is not so important whether they were active or passive smokers.
10. Children of women who smoke 15–20 cigarettes a day (even if they abstained from smoking during pregnancy) get sick more often.
This is due to all of the above reasons.
It is important!
Any of the ten items listed above - good reason to quit smoking. Especially if you are pregnant. Quit smoking. Today. Now. Do not believe those who say that giving up cigarettes during pregnancy is too much stress for a woman. Nothing like this. Much more stress is experienced by a child who is forced to receive mass toxic substances from the blood of the dearest and dearest person for him - his mother. Think about whether you want all this for your unborn child? After all, he has no choice. And do you have. Make it. Give your child a chance to be born and grow up healthy.
Information provided by the Research Institute of Pulmonology of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia. Edited by Dr. med. Sciences G.M. Sakharova.
Ministry of Health and Social Development Russian Federation, 2009
The smoker can call 8-800-200-0-200 (the call is free for residents of Russia), tell him that he needs help with quitting smoking, and he will be transferred to the specialists of the Tobacco Cessation Advice Call Center (CTC). If all CTC specialists are busy at this moment, his phone number will be sent to CTC by e-mail, and within 1-3 days they will call him back.
Psychologists and doctors provide counseling to those who apply to the CTC. Psychologists help prepare for the day of quitting smoking, help find a replacement for smoking rituals, together with the person who applied, they will determine the best ways to overcome addiction, and support in difficult moments of the fight against nicotine addiction. Doctors will advise on the most effective healing methods smoking cessation, will give advice to patients with various diseases on how best to prepare for quitting smoking, taking into account existing health problems.
Materials created specifically for health centers. about health centers and their work in your area.
The fetus goes through a complex development in the mother's body from the cell stage to a highly organized organism. At each stage, it requires special conditions of existence. If a child receives nicotine from his mother instead of vitamins and minerals, the formation of organs is disturbed, pathologies arise that lead to diseases in childhood and health problems during adulthood.
The consequences of smoking at different stages of pregnancy
A woman should not smoke if she is going to become a mother. You should not even try to drag on a cigarette, nicotine is so harmful to a child.
A woman should give up this meaningless activity as soon as she finds out about her pregnancy. There is no need to be afraid that abrupt cessation of smoking will cause discomfort. The child's mother's refusal to smoke will benefit, which means that you need to part with the habit immediately and without regret.
It does not matter what brand of tobacco the pregnant woman smokes. Makhorka, lightweight, e-Sigs, hookah - all this contains nicotine, carbon monoxide, poisons that cause oxygen starvation and poisoning of the child.
The effect of nicotine on the placenta
In women who smoke, there are changes in the structure of the placenta, impaired blood flow. The mass of the placenta in a smoker is on average less than the norm by 52 g.
Nicotine, penetrating into the blood that feeds the placenta, can cause its premature detachment. Chronic poisoning of the fetus with nicotine leads to a decrease in birth weight, increases the risk of spontaneous abortion by 70%, and can cause the death of a child.
tobacco syndrome
The effects of smoking during pregnancy are described as fetal tobacco syndrome. It develops not only in the children of smokers, but also in the offspring of women exposed to passive smoking.
With tobacco syndrome, a child has a lack of vitamins, oxygen deficiency, an excess of carboxyhemoglobin, nicotine. Born with fetal tobacco syndrome long time retain signs of hypoxia, slowly gain weight, suffer pulmonary pathologies, mental retardation.
Smoking while lactating
Nicotine continues to enter the body of infants after birth. Loving mother with breast milk feeds the baby with neurotoxic poison, fixing the baby nicotine addiction from the first hours of life.
Even if a child, thanks to a successful combination of genes, will be able to keep physical health, his intellect will surely suffer. The children of smokers have reduced mental abilities, it is more difficult for them than their peers to learn to read, master writing, and acquire professional skills.
Pregnancy planning stage
Can I smoke while planning a pregnancy? Not desirable, as women with bad habits such as smoking are more likely to suffer from disorders menstrual cycle and infertility. Women who smoke are more likely to have anovulatory cycles that are not accompanied by the release of an egg. And even if ovulation occurs, the eggs of women who smoke are less viable.
If the partner is also, then the couple has a 2-fold decrease in the likelihood of pregnancy compared to non-smokers, the risk increases abnormal pregnancy. Parents who smoke before pregnancy are twice as likely to have girls.
Nicotine has a special effect on the male reproductive health. A fetus with a Y chromosome in the genome is more likely to die under the influence of nicotine.
I trimester
Conception occurs after the release of the egg from the follicle, approximately in the middle of the cycle. The process takes place in fallopian tube, and the first 6-7 days the fertilized egg (zygote) descends from it into the uterus, maintaining the viability of the stored substances.
Start of pregnancy
Up to the moment of attachment to the wall of the uterus, maternal smoking does not have such a devastating effect on the zygote as afterwards. Unless, of course, we assume that at the stage of implantation of the embryo into the endometrium of the uterus, smokers often experience difficulties that cause infertility.
But in the event that the pregnancy has come, and the woman smoked out of ignorance, she should not even think about an abortion. Nothing irreparable during this period of the 1st trimester did not happen, if she immediately parted with a cigarette, nicotine will not affect the baby in any way.
But from the moment of implantation of the zygote into the endometrium of the uterus, the fetus and the woman's body represent a single whole, and absolutely all the changes that occur in the mother's body affect the developing little man.
First weeks
The implantation of the zygote occurs in the first month, namely at the 2nd week of pregnancy. On initial stage nicotine damages bone marrow. Such babies require a bone marrow transplant after birth. In the first weeks of pregnancy, the musculoskeletal system is laid. One of the most common deformities of this period is clubfoot.
At week 5, the laying of the brain occurs, the heart muscle begins to contract. The liver and kidneys are already starting to work in the embryo. Nicotine at this time causes severe poisoning which subsequently leads to an increased risk of spontaneous embryonic death.
The beginning of blood circulation in the blood vessels of the fetus refers to the 6th week. Under the influence of tobacco poisons, the baby's vessels narrow, the transport of food and oxygen is disrupted, and pathologies of the formation of the vascular system occur.
At 6-8 weeks, the palate is formed in the embryo. Nicotine in the blood during these weeks increases the likelihood of having a baby with a "cleft lip", "cleft palate", this is the danger of smoking in the early stages. Moreover, an insufficient supply of oxygen to the developing brain at this time can cause such a complication as Down syndrome, a lag in the development of the baby.
At week 10, rapid growth of the fetus begins, improvement of functions, reflex movements appear. Poisoning a child with nicotine during this period causes heart defects, lung disease, and mental retardation.
By week 12, all organs have already been formed in the fetus:
- the thyroid gland produces hormones;
- ossification of the skeleton begins;
- the brain is practically formed;
- own immunity is laid, lymphocytes are produced by the thymus gland.
Even rare smoking at this time negatively affects the child, destroys his immunity, dooming him from birth to endless infectious diseases, problems with the musculoskeletal system, developmental and growth disorders.
Effect on the placenta
Smoking in the early stages causes violations of the placenta, which protects and nourishes the embryo. The formation of the placenta ends by the end of the 1st trimester, smoking at this time is no less dangerous for the baby than at a later date.
Smokers are 90% more likely to experience placenta previa, a phenomenon in which a baby's place forms over the cervix. Childbirth with placenta previa is difficult, with large blood loss.
II trimester
Fully developed in the second trimester circulatory system fetus. By week 16, the ultrasound clearly shows how the child reacts to mom's smoking. The puff causes a grimace of disgust on the face of the baby, you can see how he suffers. At this time, nicotine attacks the child's brain, causing the death of neurons, disrupting the formation of nervous tissue.
The fruit has strong sensitivity to the action of nicotine, which reacts even to the mother's thought of a cigarette or to fictitious smoking. There is no medical explanation for this phenomenon, but the ultrasound shows how the child shrinks in fear, tries to hide when his mother strikes a match, lighting a cigarette.
Nicotine causes constriction blood vessels, which leads to oxygen starvation of the brain, tissue hypoxia. The fetal pulse accelerates by 90 beats.
The blood vessels of the placenta also react to the intake of nicotine by narrowing, which leads to placental abruption, bleeding and provokes miscarriages.
By week 18, vision and hearing are formed, continue to develop the immune system. Smoking during this period causes chronic poisoning nicotine.
At 21-23 weeks, the child develops respiratory movements. This is not real breathing yet, but such training is necessary for the further development of lung function. The smoked cigarette stops the respiratory movements of the fetus for 30 minutes.
Smoking at this time can lead to respiratory arrest in the fetus, stillbirth, provokes early ripening placenta, increases the risk premature birth.
III trimester
smoking on last dates, starting from the 30th week of pregnancy, it is dangerous for mental disorders, diseases nervous system. The fetus lags behind in development, has dimensions, weight is less than normal.
At 33 weeks, the baby's body begins to produce insulin, and pulmonary alveoli form. Smoking in the last month of pregnancy can lead to placental abruption and the need caesarean section.
At this time, the probability of giving birth to a baby with underweight increases, on average, the weight of newborns in smokers is 330 g less than in children of non-smoking mothers, and the body length is 1.2 cm less.
Increased risk sudden death baby. Children of a mother who did not quit smoking before childbirth are more likely to suffer from:
- diseases of the lungs, bronchi, asthma;
- clubfoot;
- Down's disease, autism;
- obesity;
- diabetes mellitus.
Smoking throughout pregnancy and even in the last month, in addition to health problems, will bring difficulties to parents in raising a child in the future. Children of smokers are prone to hyperactivity, irritability, and do poorly in school.
Throughout pregnancy, the fetus experiences oxygen starvation, does not receive enough nutrients, and is exposed to poisons.
It is not necessary to guess how smoking will affect the child and whether it will be reflected at all. Beloved mother poisons the baby with her own hands carbon monoxide, arsenic, benzapyrene, radioactive metals, develops physical nicotine addiction, which in adulthood turns into a craving for drugs, alcohol.
On the video lecture on the dangers of smoking during pregnancy:
Smoking during pregnancy is the most common mistake future mothers. We will consider the consequences of this bad habit and the statistical data obtained as a result of the study of the course of pregnancy, childbirth and the extrauterine life of children born to smoking mothers.
Consequences of smoking during pregnancy in the first trimester
As you know, it is in the first trimester that all organs and systems are formed. human body. Later - they will only improve, and the fetus will grow and gain weight. Any, even a minor negative factor can provoke a "fading" of pregnancy or spontaneous miscarriage. And to one of these negative factors, very common, is smoking. Statistical studies show that the frequency of miscarriages in smoking pregnant women is approximately 2 times higher than in non-smoking ones. There is something to think about ... The second point is various congenital pathologies development. Pathology of the neural tube, skeletal system and much, much more threatens if you do not quit smoking during early pregnancy. The greater the danger, the more cigarettes a woman smokes. However, even such seemingly insignificant quantities as 4-5 cigarettes also have a very pernicious influence. Remember that light cigarettes are no less dangerous than strong ones.
Effects of smoking in the second and third trimesters
In the second trimester, the placenta begins to function in full force. Through it, the baby receives nutrients and oxygen. When smoking this physiological process may not go according to plan. When smoking, insufficient oxygen enters the child's body, which may cause a condition such as acute or chronic hypoxia. In addition, smoking during pregnancy has consequences in the form of a prematurely ripened placenta. The placenta during the bearing of the child gradually "ages", begins to function worse. There are 4 stages of placental maturity. The 3rd - 4th stage should normally be only in the last 1-2 weeks before the urgent delivery. The doctor puts the stage of maturity on ultrasound. If the placenta is too thin, irregular shape, then there is a high probability of intrauterine death of the child or premature birth.
By the way, smoking during pregnancy can be one of the good reasons for the onset of preterm labor. Mothers who smoke are several times more likely to have premature babies. But even babies born at term have a lower birth weight. By the way, studies show that this influence is exerted not only by smoking during pregnancy, but also before it occurs. One of the actions of nicotine is to constrict blood vessels. While the vessels are in this state, the child receives less nutrition and oxygen. In addition, such a condition can be dangerous for the woman herself, especially if she is prone to thrombosis.
Stillborn children in smoking mothers are born approximately 20% more often than in non-smokers, with smoking more than a pack a day - by 35%. Much depends not only on the very fact of smoking, in this case, but also on social position and the presence of other adverse factors. If, in addition to smoking, a woman uses alcoholic drinks, has sexually transmitted diseases and other infections, does not eat well, then the risk is very high.
Long-term consequences
Many women are sure that if smoking during pregnancy did not immediately leave visible negative consequences, then everything seemed to work out. This is wrong. In children born to women who smoke, increased risk die in the first year of life sudden stop hearts(Such a phenomenon occurs in some infants for seemingly no reason). The risk is much higher in those women who smoked throughout the second half of pregnancy.
Congenital pathologies of development. Cleft lip, wolf mouth, inguinal hernia, strabismus and even Down's syndrome - all this can be facilitated by smoking during early and late pregnancy, especially if the mother is over 35 years old. Children are prone to various diseases respiratory system: bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.
In women who were unable or unwilling to give up cigarettes and continued to smoke while breastfeeding, less milk is produced and it can take on an unpleasant bitter taste, which causes most children to refuse breastfeeding and become artificials, respectively.
Mental development may also lag behind, although not so significantly. Children of smoking mothers usually start reading, counting late, they have worse developed logical thinking. Various intellectual tests show not very good results. However, there are exceptions.
Can you stop smoking completely during pregnancy?
Many ladies are concerned about the question - is it possible to simply reduce the number of cigarettes smoked, and not completely stop smoking. Many heavy smokers think that they simply cannot get rid of the bad habit and will suffer greatly because of this restriction. But stress does not benefit not only the mother, but also the child. Therefore, even some doctors do not advise abruptly quitting smoking, only to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked to a minimum. Of course, reducing the number of cigarettes will reduce the likelihood of the above pathologies, but the risk will still remain higher than that of non-smokers. In addition, this is how to gradually give up cigarettes in many cases is even harder psychologically than to immediately stop smoking.
You can quit by willpower, having read about the harmful effects of nicotine and other harmful substances, or you can use one of the well-known methods - there are a lot useful literature to help the throwers.
Remember that smoking during pregnancy is not healthy. Get over yourself, think about the health of your child and your own, by the way, too. Life without cigarettes is more pleasant in every sense!
