Among the numerous researched health risks surrounding smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products, smoking prior to a pregnancy is particularly notable, since studies show that it increases the chances of birth defects. As a precaution, most health care professionals recommend quitting smoking if you are considering becoming pregnant or suspect you may be pregnant.
History
In 1981, the U.S. government began requiring certain "Surgeon General's Warnings" to be included on cigarette packs. One of these warnings was, "Smoking by pregnant women may result in fetal injury, premature birth, and low birth weights." Other warnings also indicate that smoking "may complicate pregnancy."
Significance
In spite of these prominent warnings, recent surveys show that about 13 percent of women still smoke while pregnant. In many cases, this is simply because expectant mothers have difficulty breaking their prior addictions. This can be due to a lack of education or the prohibitive costs of smoking cessation aids. Many prescription smoking cessation medications are not covered by health care plans, and over-the-counter aids for quitting smoking can be equally as costly, or less effective. The challenge of remedying birth defects due to smoking during pregnancy lies largely in facilitating the individual's ability to break her addiction.
Effects
Smoking while pregnant is dangerous for numerous reasons. Cigarettes contain more than 2,500 chemicals, and when a pregnant woman takes in these chemicals, so does her unborn child. The most dangerous chemical for the unborn child is the poison carbon monoxide, which is in all cigarettes.
Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fetus begins to develop in an area of a woman's reproductive system (like the fallopian tubes) besides the uterus. Ectopic pregnancy, if not caught soon enough, can be fatal to both mother and child.
Smoking can cause slow growth of the fetus and nearly doubles the risk for a baby to have a low birth weight. About 12 percent of all babies born to women smokers have a low birth weight. Low birth weight can lead to many early and lasting health problems in a baby such as asthma, cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
Women who smoke while pregnant run a much higher risk than nonsmokers of miscarrying or having a baby that is stillborn.
Time Frame
As with any addiction, quitting smoking is a difficult task. As such, potential mothers should begin trying to break their addictions well before they become pregnant.
Quitting smoking is stressful. Even if you haven't been smoking for a long time, quitting smoking places a great deal of stress on both the body and mind. Coupling this with the physical and emotional stress of a pregnancy only compounds the problem.
For most smokers it takes more than one try to quit. Studies have shown that more than half of smokers relapse within the first year after quitting. Smoking is a hard habit to break, and many people fall off the wagon their first few tries.
Most women don't know they are pregnant until at least 2 weeks after conception. You may plan on quitting smoking the minute you find out you're pregnant, but the reality is you'll be pregnant for at least a couple of weeks before you know for sure that you are. By that time, irreparable damage may have already been done.
The most critical time of development for a baby is during the first 8 weeks. This is when the baby's vital organs start to develop. It is also when health decisions by the mother, such as smoking, can cause the most damage.
Considerations
Mothers who successfully quit smoking after a pregnancy comes to term are advised to remain nonsmokers for several reasons:
* Young babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke from the time of birth run a much higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS.
* Secondhand smoke increases the risk of a newborn developing a respiratory illness.
*Nursing mothers who still smoke can pass harmful chemicals to their children though breast milk. Essentially, the baby is being poisoned every time it breastfeeds.
Prevention/Solution
If you are planning on having a baby and you are a smoker, you should allow yourself at least 6 months to quit before you even try to get pregnant. This gives you plenty of time to consult with your doctor about stop-smoking aids as well as time to quit again should you relapse. Those with limited resources should reach out to nonprofits who can assist in finding low-cost solutions to help break nicotine addiction.
Tags: quitting smoking, birth weight, more than, while pregnant, birth defects