In my last blog, I talked about new research that suggests a woman has a window of until the 15th week of pregnancy to quit smoking. If she quits by then, her chances of having a preterm birth or a baby of low birth weight are lowered to the same level as a non smoker. If she continues smoking beyond that point, the risk of having a preterm birth is triple that of a non smoker.
In that blog, I suggested this new evidence could give women an added boost of motivation to quit. A comment in that blog talked about the difficulty of quitting and asked what can happen if you just smoke the whole nine months. I checked and there isn’t a blog specifically on all the risks to the baby, so here it is, in response to that question.
All experts agree, the US Surgeon General, World Health Organization, ACOG, March of Dimes, and many other health organizations worldwide, that smoking is harmful to the fetus. Exposure to cigarette smoke causes problems in all stages of pregnancy, during birth and into infancy.
Cigarette smoke restricts blood flow in adult smokers. It has a similar effect on the placenta. This can result in less oxygen reaching the baby and can contribute to problems with the placenta, such as abruption and placenta previa. Both are more prevalent in women who smoke during pregnancy.
The risk of losing the baby is higher, both during the early weeks with a higher incidence of miscarriage and later with a higher risk of stillbirth. Women who smoke are also three times more likely to have a preterm birth than women who don’t smoke.
In addition to the lengthy list of problems smoking can cause during pregnancy and birth, there can be longer term consequences. Various studies have linked smoking during pregnancy to an increased risk of problems, such as asthma, SIDS, learning disabilities and behavioral problems.
By the way, as a former smoker who quit for pregnancy, I know it’s hard. I also know you CAN do it!
Related Articles:
Quit Smoking for a Calmer Baby
Quitting Smoking During Pregnancy