Smoking while Pregnant can have Potentially Lethal Effects on Your Child

Smoking during pregnancy can have several negative effects on your unborn child. If you smoke while pregnant you are guaranteeing your child will have at least some of the known problems. Not too many studies have been done but the known risks are too high. What potential mothers are aware of and what we know about the risks of smoking while pregnant seem to be worlds apart. It is extremely important for women to know what the possibilities are if they smoke while pregnant. The following is information on just a few of the known consequences associated with smoking while pregnant.

When you smoke, all of your systems are essentially attacked by the hundreds of chemicals that get added to cigarettes. The baby will have a greater tendency to get sick more often because their immune system is compromised. The respiratory system also suffers from several complications due to smoking during pregnancy. Your child's growth will also be affected by your smoking while pregnant.

One complication of smoking while pregnant is low birth weight which can cause a multitude of other complications for your baby. It is a proven fact that more than 20 percent of all babies born nationally are born with low birth weight conditions. Preterm labor is also common in mothers who smoke during pregnancy. Approximately 14% of preterm labors can be attributed to smoking during pregnancy. One statistic is particularly sad in that even SIDS can be related to smoking during pregnancy. According to the American Lung Association this is a true statistic.

The possibilities are endless and negative when a pregnant mother smokes. The main culprit is the cigarette smoking, but that can be further broken down into more specific causes.For example, nicotine is known to constrict blood vessels when it is present in the blood. Of course if it has that affect on you, it will do the same to your baby. Your heart rate increases to compensate for the reduced blood flow. The cardiovascular system of your baby is at risk if you smoke while pregnant.

There is tremendous cause for concern when a mother smokes during pregnancy.We don't completely understand the highly negative effects on a baby if the mother smokes. This article has focused mainly on the effects on the unborn baby but these same effects don't go away after birth. Indeed, it seems the consequences are far-reaching into the life of the child and even into adulthood. The effects of the dire consequences of smoking during pregnancy can last the child's lifetime. This is why it is so important to quit smoking when you're pregnant, for the sake of both mother and child.