Smoking is the most preventable cause of death and illness among mothers and babies, suggests the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As such, in preparation for trying to get pregnant, it's important to completely stop smoking. However, not all pregnancies are planned. In these cases, it's important to understand the possible effects smoking had on the fetus before you discovered you were pregnant, as well as to understand why it's important to quit smoking through the rest of your pregnancy.
Contents of Cigarettes
The dangers of smoking during your pregnancy revolve around the types of chemicals in cigarettes. The most well-known dangerous toxin in cigarettes is nicotine, but other chemicals and products of smoking also can affect your pregnancy, including arsenic, lead and carbon monoxide. These substances can easily penetrate the placenta, exposing them to your baby. These chemicals can quickly become deadly. In fact, more than 1,000 babies in the United States alone die each year because the mothers smoked during their pregnancy, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Miscarriage
The chemicals in cigarette smoke can increase your risks for miscarriage, suggests the National Institutes of Health's Medline Plus. The nicotine especially can cause a spontaneous abortion of your fetus. The presence of nicotine and other chemicals from cigarettes in your bloodstream also can affect how much oxygen your baby is getting. Without the necessary oxygen to sustain life and continue the baby's development, your body might abort the fetus. Even if you are able to carry your baby all the way through your pregnancy, smoking still can result in stillbirth.
Effects on Birth
Smoking during pregnancy can have several effects on the labor process. Commonly, the chemicals in cigarette smoke can result in early delivery with a premature baby. Premature babies have a higher rate of complications after birth, as well as a higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Smoking during your pregnancy also can increase your chances for vaginal bleeding during the pregnancy, as well as excessive bleeding during labor.
Effects After Birth
Another important reason to stop smoking as soon as you find out your pregnant is to reduce the risks that your child will be born with a birth defect. Smoking during pregnancy is associated with several birth defects, including cleft lip or cleft palate. Babies born prematurely due to the effects of smoking on the fetus also are at a higher risk for other disabilities, including learning disabilities, mental retardation and cerebral palsy, suggests the March of Dimes Foundation.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Tobacco Use and Pregnancy
- March of Dimes: Smoking During Pregnancy
- American Pregnancy Association: Smoking and Your Baby -- Need Help Putting Down That Cigarette?
- Medline Plus: Vaginal Bleeding
- Kids Health from Nemours: Miscarriages
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Things to Think About Before You're Pregnant
