Most individuals are aware that smoking causes cancer and other serious health issues. Furthermore, smoking while pregnant might lead to major complications to the health of the mother and baby as well. Your kid may be born prematurely, have a birth defect, or die as a result of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Even being exposed to cigarette smoke might harm you and your baby's health.
It is best to quit smoking prior to pregnancy to avoid health complications. However, if you are already pregnant, stopping can help protect you and your baby from health issues. It's never too late to quit the habit of smoking for a healthier well-being.
Tobacco use can have an impact on your sexual life and reproductive system
Tobacco usage can hurt a woman's reproductive health. Women, who smoke, for instance, are more likely to have a hard time getting pregnant.
- Smoking while pregnant can potentially cause health issues for both the mother and the baby. Women who smoke while pregnant are more likely to experience certain complications that include:
- An ectopic pregnancy (in which the embryo implants outside the uterus), which can be fatal to the mother.
- Issues with the placenta, the organ that connects the mother to the fetus. The placenta may be in the wrong place, or it may split from the uterus prematurely (placental abruption).
- These issues may result in severe bleeding, early delivery (premature birth), or other complications with the delivery, some of which may necessitate an emergency Caesarean surgery (C-section).
- Premature births and newborns with low birth weight could be a major cause of tobacco consumption
- Stillbirths and miscarriages
- Having a child with a cleft lip and palate, as well as other congenital abnormalities
What Is the Impact of Smoking on You and Your Baby?
Even after a full-term pregnancy, your baby may be delivered too small. Smoking retards your baby's development before birth.
Your child may be born too soon (premature birth). Premature babies frequently have health issues.
Tobacco use can harm your baby's developing lungs and brain. The effects might extend throughout childhood and into adolescence.
Smoking increases your chances of having abnormal bleeding during pregnancy and delivery by double your risk. This can endanger both you and your child with respect to future health concerns.
Cigarette smoking increases your baby's risk of birth abnormalities such as cleft lip, cleft palate, or both. A cleft is a gap in your baby's lip or roof of her mouth (palate). He or she may have difficulty eating and may require surgery.
Infants born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy, as well as infants exposed to cigarette smoke after birth, are at increased risk for SIDS.
How Can You and Your Baby Benefit from Quitting?
The perfect time to stop smoking is before you become pregnant, but stopping at any time during your pregnancy can help your child start off on the right foot. Consult your healthcare specialist about the best ways to quit smoking while pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
When you give up smoking
- Even after just one day, your kid is getting more oxygen.
- Your child's development will improve.
- Your child is less likely to be born prematurely.
- You'll have more energy and will be able to breathe more effortlessly.
- You will have a lower risk of developing heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, lung disease, and other smoking-related disorders.
References
- https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/health-risks-of-tobacco/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/health_effects/index.htm
- https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/pregnancy.html