Smoking, whether secondhand or direct, is dangerous for both you and your baby, according to the University of Minnesota Division of Periodontology. Tobacco smoke is filled with harmful chemicals that increase your risk for pregnancy complications and your baby's risk for many health conditions and even death. You should avoid exposure to all cigarette smoke when pregnant.
Secondhand Smoke
Secondhand smoke is dangerous because you're exposed to the harmful chemicals in the cigarette as if your were smoking it yourself. Only 15 percent of the cigarette smoke is inhaled by the smoker, while the rest is spread to the surrounding air, according to the University of Minnesota Division of Periodontology. If you spend two hours in a room full of secondhand smoke, you will inhale enough smoke equivalent to four cigarettes.
Chemicals
Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, some of which cause cancer and many of which are poisonous, according to the University of Minnesota Division of Periodontology. Two chemicals -- nicotine and carbon monoxide -- are especially harmful for your baby. When you are exposed to these chemicals, they are passed onto your baby via the placenta. Nicotine and carbon monoxide reduce the amount of oxygen delivered to your baby by narrowing blood vessels and replacing essential oxygen with carbon monoxide in your red blood cells. So instead of getting oxygen, your baby is "breathing" carbon dioxide.
Risks for Baby
Lack of oxygen can have severe consequences for your unborn baby. Secondhand smoke can increase your risk of having a baby with low birth weight by 20 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Being exposed to smoke can also cause premature delivery, undeveloped lungs and heart defects and increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. Your child can also grow up to have behavioral problems, low IQ and learning disorders.
Risks for You
Secondhand smoke can put you and your baby's life in danger. Women who are exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy have increased risk of having a miscarriage and a stillbirth, according to University of Minnesota Division of Periodontology. In addition, the chemicals in smoke can increase your risk of ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption and a placenta previa, a condition when your placenta blocks the opening of the uterus.
References
- University of Minnesota Division of Periodontology: Secondhand Smoke Facts
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; What Do we Know About Tobacco Use and Pregnancy; January 2011
- BabyCenter; How Smoking During Pregnancy Affects You and Your Baby; Chris Woolston; April 2011
- March Of Dimes: Alcohol and Drugs
