Smoking Facts Pregnant Mothers Should Know

5 Smoking Facts Pregnant Mothers Should Know
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By cold turkey

Smoking has been known to affect the unborn children of pregnant mothers. It is popular knowledge that women who are with child should not smoke. However, the reasons for this have not been explained well. Also, not a lot of studies have been done on the effects of cigarette smoking on unborn children. Here are some smoking facts pregnant women should consider before lighting a cigarette.

1.) Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause health problems to the born child.

One of the reasons why pregnant women should not smoke during pregnancy is that it can cause premature birth. It also has a direct link to children's susceptibility to respiratory diseases. Also, it has been observed that babies of mothers who smoked during pregnancy are lighter than the babies of non-smokers. It was also proven that the the heart rate of infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy have a heart rate that is 30% higher than those with non-smoking mothers. These are the primary smoking facts pregnant women must consider before lighting a cigarette.

2.) Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause ADHD.

Apparently, the effects of cigarette smoking on children during pregnancy are not limited to a child's physical qualities. It can also affect a child's mental health. According to a medical study, mothers who smoked an average of 14 cigarettes during pregnancy tend to give birth to "hyperkinetic" children. This effect is dosage-dependent, meaning mothers who smoke an average of 6 cigarettes have a higher chance of giving birth to normal children. The researchers speculated that this was caused by the pile up of carbon monoxide in the fetal blood stream that lead to a significant decrease in the oxygen brought to the developing infant. As a matter of fact, the infant is exposed to a higher level of carboxyhemoglobin, the substance that depletes the oxygen in the body and has caused deaths to people who have inhaled too much carbon monoxide. As a matter of fact, this has been used as a method of suicide by some people.

3.) Cigarette smoking during can affect a child's future academic performance.

Although it may seem like something that is impossible at the moment, pregnant mothers have to take note of this smoking fact. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can affect the child's academic performance in the future. In this study, over 9,000 children were given some tests to evaluate their math ability and reading ability. According to the results of the study, children of mothers who smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day during pregnancy had lower scores in these tests as compared to children whose mothers didn't smoke any cigarettes while they were pregnant.

4.) Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause behavior problems.

Another smoking fact to think about is that severe child behavior problems is one of the effects of cigarette smoking. In a study conducted in California, it was shown how the number of cigarettes a pregnant mother smokes each day can affect the behavior of her child when he or she becomes older. The children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy tend to exhibit disobedience and have a higher tendency to have conflicts with others as compared to children of non-smokers.

5.) Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can cause complications during birth.

Not only does smoking during pregnancy cause problems in the unborn child's physical or mental health, it can also cause some complications during the birth of the baby as well as the development of the fetus. Pregnant smokers have a huge risk of having an ectopic pregnancy wherein the embryo becomes implanted in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus. It can also double the risk of placental complications which can also endanger the mother during birth.

With these smoking facts to consider, mothers should start thinking about stopping smoking for a while. Perhaps, the nine months of cigarette-free lifestyle will even help them quit smoking for good.