The effects of smoking on pregnancy: are the baby and cigarette compatible?

When asked if smoking is possible during pregnancy and how smoking affects embryonic development, not a single doctor will answer you: if you want. And he will not advise a “safe dose” or a “special way” on how to minimize the risk. There are simply no such ways. And this is worth considering if, leaving the obstetrician’s office, you again reach into your pocket for another cigarette.

What is the danger of smoking for the expectant mother

• Pregnancy and smoking can only be compatible if you are not initially set up to bear and have a baby at all. The harm of smoking during pregnancy is not only a malfunction of the mother’s heart, a marked narrowing of blood vessels, causing a jump in blood pressure and a decrease in blood flow to the heart, and a decrease in blood cell oxygen saturation. But also in direct effect on the reproductive system and the embryo itself.
• Smoking in early pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and uterine bleeding. If the body is prone to toxicosis, its manifestations will be more pronounced.
• In later stages, the habit increases the risk of premature birth. The mortality rate of infants in this case is 30%.

• The formation of the placenta occurs with violations. A frequent manifestation of maternal defect is the occurrence of placenta previa - a condition in which the fetal membranes are not able to hold the baby in themselves at a later date. Presentation is always a risk of premature, sudden birth of a premature baby.
• Possible rejection of the placenta - a condition dangerous to the life of the mother and child.
• Smoking during pregnancy, according to doctors, is a factor in the stimulation of rupture of the bladder long before the baby’s birth date, which also threatens the life of the baby and mother.

The danger of smoking for a child

The effect of tobacco on the fetus during pregnancy is even more significant than on the mother's body.

• Due to circulatory disorders in the mother's body, the child suffers from hypoxia. The lack of oxygen excludes its normal development, forming intrauterine defects of the brain, internal organs. Babies are born prematurely, weak.
• Nicotine disrupts the correct course of formation of the child’s nervous system. In the future, this is manifested by mental defects: unreasonable crying, sleep disturbances, a little later - uncontrolled aggression.
• Toxic poisons provoke heart disease. The most common disease among children born to smoking mothers is heart disease.
• The danger of smoking remains after the birth of the baby. Therefore, having survived for 9 months without a cigarette, you cannot return to addiction if you do not want to poison your child from infancy. Smoking while breastfeeding fills the baby’s body with the same poisons that come to you. Only your “slaughter dose” is much larger than the volume sufficient for severe poisoning of the newborn.

Should I quit smoking?

When you know how smoking affects pregnancy, this question does not seem to make sense. But still it’s worth clarifying.

• Yes! This must be done as soon as possible! If even before pregnancy you smoked and found out about your “interesting situation” suddenly, urgently give up addiction.
• A safe dose of nicotine does not exist. Even a “couple” of cigarettes per day affects your baby’s health and complicates pregnancy.
• Quitting smoking in a position is not dangerous. This will cause much less "stress" than the process itself for the body.

How to quit smoking a pregnant woman?

1. Set clear motivation: you need it! After all, more than anything you want the birth of a healthy baby. And cigarettes can not be compared with your main life values.
2. Do not use nicotine-containing drugs. Nicotine patches and sprays are a poison that is not suitable for solving the problem of how to quit smoking during pregnancy. If you are not confident in your abilities, refer to psycho-and manual therapy. The most gentle methods that do not have a medical effect are acupuncture and hypnosis. They form a psychological rejection of habit. But without clear motivation, they will be powerless.
3. Do not stretch the “pleasure”. Throw in one moment, just now! This will not cause any stress or unexpected reaction. Moreover, in just a few hours, your body will begin to cleanse. You will notice this for several months.

Narcologists believe that expectant mothers are much more likely to part with cigarettes than, for example, their spouses. After all, a woman’s life is fundamentally changing. She stops visiting smoky bars, avoids corporate parties, does not drink alcohol and coffee. All this leads to a violation of stereotypes, habits of "smoke". And allows you to forget about harmful cravings, as a nightmare.