Smoking while Pregnant can lead to Potentially Lethal Effects

The list of possible very harmful effects on a baby due to the mother smoking during pregnancy is long, indeed. A single baby is not likely to develop all of the known issues but if you smoke while pregnant, you are guaranteeing your child will have at least some of them. There are too many known risks with smoking during pregnancy, even though there haven't been that many studies done. What potential mothers are aware of regarding smoking while pregnant and what is known about the risks seems to be worlds apart. We think it is imperative that all women should know all that is possible if she smokes while pregnant. Continue reading and we will share just a couple of the known risks involved with smoking during pregnancy.

It is common knowledge that when you smoke so does your baby.

Your baby gets his or her first taste of chemicals such as carbon monoxide and nicotine. The nourishment that your baby gets via placenta including oxygen, and whatever else is in your system from smoking gets transferred to your baby. Formaldehyde is just one of the hundreds of chemicals that are put into cigarettes.

A certain percentage of pregnancies each year are ectopic pregnancies. When an embryo gets implanted in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus, that is an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancies can cause numerous complications. Women who smoke are at a greater risk for an ectopic pregnancy. The placenta can be negatively impacted by smoking as well. This can pose a serious health risk to both the mother and the fetus.

It is natural to focus on the immediate, physical consequences on the baby when the mother smokes while she is pregnant. Evidence is starting to show a correlation between smoking during pregnancy and behavioral problems in the child, however. This includes learning disabilities and general behavioral issues.

This should be a tremendous cause for concern for women who smoke while pregnancy.

We don't completely understand the highly negative effects on a baby if the mother smokes. While the discussed effects have been regarding the unborn baby, these effects won't disappear after birth. The child will most likely be dealing with the consequences of their mother smoking while pregnant their entire life. So you see, smoking during pregnancy has lifelong consequences on the child and many of which can be dire. Quitting smoking is vital to the baby and the mother for this reason.