Pregnancy and smoking don’t’ really go along with each other. Smoking itself is already harmful to your health, what more if you are pregnant?
Cigarettes contain harmful ingredients like nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar. It is known that smoking affects the fertility in both men and women. Moreover, it significantly increases the risk of pregnancy complications, some of which can be serious for the mother or the baby.
What are the dangers of smoking in pregnancy?
Miscarriage and stillbirth
According to the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking raises the likelihood of both early miscarriage and stillbirth. The dangerous chemicals in cigarettes are often to blame. Other complications from smoking can lead to problems with the placenta or slow fetal development. These issues can also cause a miscarriage or stillbirth.
Preterm birth
Smoking during pregnancy can cause preterm birth, according to CDC. When the baby is born earlier than the expected delivery date, there are several health risk associated with it:
visual and hearing impairments
mental disability
learning and behavioral problems
complications that could result in death
Placenta previa
Placenta Previa is a condition where the placenta lies low in the uterus and partially or completely covers the cervix. It can cause severe bleeding during pregnancy and delivery
Birth defects
The risk of your baby being born with birth defects increases when you smoke during pregnancy. Congenital heart defects and problems with the structure of the heart are the most common ones. Other health issues include cleft lip and cleft palate.
Low birth weight
Low birth weight doesn’t only mean baby being born small but also leads to health problems and disabilities. In this time of medical advancement, deaths due to low birth weight has decreased but may still lead to developmental delay, hearing or vision impairments or cerebral palsy.
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