“Is It Ok To Smoke During Pregnancy?”

Is It Ok To Smoke During Pregnancy?

Risks of Smoking During Pregnancy
Smoking is harmful not only to you but also to your unborn fetus. Smoking during pregnancy is much more likely to result in a stillborn baby. Smoking also increases a woman’s risk of miscarriage during pregnancy and the risk a woman may deliver a low birth-weight baby.

Some babies born to mothers who smoke are also at increased risk for a condition called Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS, where babies die unexpectedly at night during their sleep. Babies born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are twice as likely to succumb to SIDS as those born to mothers who do not smoke during pregnancy.

Cigarette smoking also increases an expectant mothers risk of various complications during pregnancy. These include:

•  Premature rupture of the membranes, which can lead to preterm labor or infection of the uterus.
•  Placental detachment of abruption, which is a life threatening condition for mother and baby.
•  Increased risk for vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.
•  Increased risk of neural tube defects during pregnancy associated with inadequate absorption of folic acid and vitamins B and C during pregnancy.

The Dangers of Smoking During Pregnancy
Smoking produces many harmful chemicals in the mother’s bloodstream. These include nicotine and carbon monoxide. These are poisonous to the mother and baby, contributing to a decreased flow of oxygen to the baby and uterus. The nicotine found in cigarette smoke can also decrease the baby’s supply of nutrients and increase the baby’s heart rate during pregnancy.

The best time to quite smoking is before you get pregnant. If however, you find you are pregnant and still smoking, you should try to stop smoking during the first trimester. This will improve your baby’s chances of survival by decreasing the odds you may have a miscarriage. Stopping smoking early on also decreases the risk of birth defects including neural tube defects in your baby.

Women who stop smoking during the second trimester still decrease their risk of developing serious pregnancy complications including placenta previa or pre-term labor. Remember cigarette smoking is associated with many problems in infants including low birth weight babies and an increased risk of stillbirth or your baby developing SIDS after birth.

Tips for Quitting
If you do smoke and plan to become pregnant or are pregnant, it is important you consult with your healthcare provider who can provide you with valuable support while you try to stop smoking.

Your odds of quitting are great the more support you have during pregnancy, so be sure to enlist the help of friends and family members. Here are some tips for stopping smoking during pregnancy:

•  Join an online or traditional support group.
•  Enlist the help of your doctor, friends and family.
•  Avoid common triggers that contribute to smoking including high stress situations or smoke filled bars.
•  Adopt other healthy habits in place of smoking to help you relax, including prenatal yoga or meditation.
•  Talk with others about your frustrations to help you cope with trying times.
•  Remind yourself of all the benefits you and your baby enjoy every day you don’t light up.

Your baby and your body will enjoy a lifetime of benefits if you successfully quit smoking. Remember to start out slow if you need to, as every cigarette you don’t smoke contributes to the health and well being of your unborn baby. Every year thousands of women successfully give up cigarettes to enjoy long, healthy and active pregnancies. You can too!