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Dangers of Smoking during Pregnancy

July 31, 2008

Smoking can be harmful for one’s health but that harm reaches another higher level if one is pregnant. This is because smoking by pregnant women puts two lives under danger as along with being harmful for the expecting mother, it is also dangerous for the growing fetus. Along with leading to prematurity, smoking can also lead to low birth weight and sudden infant death. Moreover, it has been bound that if a pregnant woman smokes, then there are higher chances that the child develops with physical deformities, brain development disorders and other health problems.

Smoking during pregnancy is major cause for concern as cigarette smoke contains more than 2,500 chemicals with nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide which can be most dangerous for the growing fetus. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to complications for both the mother and the baby. One such risk is that of ectopic pregnancy in which the embryo becomes implanted in a fallopian tube or other abnormal site instead of the uterus. Cigarette smoking also doubles the woman’s chances of developing placental complications, miscarriage and other problems like vaginal bleeding.

Along with causing various pregnancy related complications, smoking can also lead to various deformities in the growing fetus. According to research, children of smoking mothers are more susceptible to be born with extra, missing or webbed fingers or toes. They are also more vulnerable to neurological disorders, behavioral problems and leukemia. Thus, if you want to give birth to a healthy and a well formed baby, then one should try to quit smoking as soon as possible. Even if you do not smoke, you should protect your child from people smoking around you because being exposed to other people’s smoke can also increase the rate of fetal problems.


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