About this topic
Smoking can cause bad health problems like cancer and heart and lung problems. Smoking is not only harmful to you, but can also harm your baby during pregnancy. Your body carries these harmful substances from cigarettes right to your baby. The substances keep your baby from getting the right amount of oxygen and nutrients needed to stay healthy and grow. ‚
General
Smoking can affect your pregnancy before, during, and after you give birth. When you smoke, your baby is getting the chemicals from your smoke. A lack of oxygen greatly changes your babys health and growth. ‚
How smoking can harm your pregnancy: ‚
- Baby grows outside your womb, which is an ectopic pregnancy.
- Pregnancy loss before the baby is born, which is a miscarriage.
- Problems with your placenta like blockage of cervical opening, which is placenta previa.
- Vaginal bleeding or spotting
How smoking can harm the health of your baby: ‚
- Baby is born early
- Higher risk of birth defects like:
- Cleft lip and cleft palate
- Heart defects
- Clubfoot
- Baby is born with the intestines on the outside
- Lung problems like asthma, bronchitis, or pneumonia
- Low birth weight
- Size of head is smaller
- Crib death, which is sudden infant death syndrome.
- Baby is born dead
How smoking harms the health of your baby in the future: ‚
- Learning disorders
- Problems with behavior
- Low IQ
- Short attention span
- Cancer
Start to protect your baby as soon as possible. You are not too late. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do to keep your baby from the risk for health problems. Stopping your urge to smoke can make you and your baby healthy. ‚
Here are some steps you can do to quit smoking: ‚
- Set a date to quit smoking.
- Pay attention to when you smoke now and why you are smoking. Some people write down each time they smoke. Include the hour and what you are doing. Recording what you are doing will let you plan ahead about what you will do instead of smoking during those times.
- Tell your family and friends about your plan to quit smoking. Let your loved ones know how to help you.
- Slowly reduce your smoking until your quit date.
- Remove cigar and other tobacco products from your home, car, and workplace.
- Stay away from places where you will more likely smoke. If people close to you smoke, ask them to quit with you.
- Reward or treat yourself each time you do not smoke. Do not use food as a reward.
- Ask your doctor for help.
View OriginalView Original
View OriginalView Original
Where can I learn more?
American Pregnancy Association ‚
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/smoking.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚