Thursday, 30 August 2018 06:13

Smoking during pregnancy

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Smoking is harmful to the women and her baby. When a woman smokes cigarettes during pregnancy, her fetus is exposed to many harmful chemicals. Nicotine is only one of many toxic chemicals that can pass from a pregnant woman to her fetus. One of the effects of nicotine is the narrowing of the blood vessels.

Narrowing of the blood vessels causes lesser oxygen supply and nutrients to the fetus. This, in turn, causes retardation of growth in the baby. Nicotine also damages a fetus’s brain and lungs. This damage is permanent.

Smoking during pregnancy can also put you at risk of preterm birth, which is birth that occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Babies that are born too early may not be fully developed. They may be smaller than babies born to nonsmokers, and they are more likely to have colic (with uncontrollable crying). They also are more likely to develop asthma and obesity in childhood.

Second-hand smoke ( Being around people who smoke, vehicle pollution smoke) can increase the risk of having a low-birth-weight baby by as much as 20%. Infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to have asthma attacks and ear infections.

 

Please avoid smoking and also keep away from people who smoke, during your pregnancy for the health of your baby.

 

 

Last modified on Friday, 31 August 2018 07:51
Dr Padma

Dr Padma is a Family care physician and is the Founder and CEO of MedHealthTV.

www.medhealthtv.com

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