What happens if a pregnant woman smokes during pregnancy?

One of the biggest mistakes women can make in their entire lives is smoking during pregnancy. This is because nicotine and 4,000 other toxic substances present in cigarettes start to harm not only her health, but also that of the baby. In fact, this habit puts this innocent life at risk.

According to experts, although many people believe it is an exaggeration, smoking during pregnancy is horrible. The components of cigarettes end up reducing the amount of oxygen and nutrients that the fetus receives.

This is because all of the child’s eating and breathing during pregnancy depends on what the mother’s body is capable of offering. As you have already seen in this other post, a large part of this is a function of the umbilical cord.

When it comes to a mother who smokes, all the nicotine consumed also reaches the child’s body, who can be born with serious problems due to the habit of smoking during pregnancy.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in addition to physical deformities and slower development, babies of mothers who smoke can also suffer from serious complications in the lungs, heart and even the brain.

This, of course, is not counting the great risk of abortion. Doctors around the world warn that smoking during pregnancy can cause the baby to die while still in the womb, especially in the first months of pregnancy. At this stage, the child is still fragile and is forming the most basic things in their organism.

But the complications don’t stop there. In the list below are other sad consequences that can affect the baby, if the mother decides to smoke during pregnancy.

See what happens if a woman smokes during pregnancy:

1. Abortion

If a woman smokes during pregnancy, one of the most serious risks the baby runs is miscarriage. This danger is even more serious during the first three months of pregnancy, the most delicate phase of this cycle, when there is little care.

2. Reduced weight and size

If the baby survives the first three months of pregnancy and the mother continues to smoke, the baby may be born with weight and size well below average. Research shows that smoking a pack a day during pregnancy can consume up to 227 grams of the baby’s weight. This can seriously compromise the health of the newborn.

3. Birth defects

Another serious risk to which the baby is exposed, if the mother smokes during pregnancy, is not undergoing normal physical training. Birth defects are very common when mothers are smokers, such as cleft lip, cleft palate and so on. This, of course, does not include deformations or complications in internal organs.

4. Impaired brain development

According to experts, smoking during pregnancy can also cause permanent effects on children’s brains. Furthermore, babies of mothers who smoke are more exposed to learning disorders, have a below-average IQ and even develop behavioral problems.

5. Heart problems

Smoking during pregnancy can also have a direct effect on the child’s heart, which can be born with serious problems.

Studies developed by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the risk is 20% to 70% higher than when compared to pregnancies of non-smoking mothers.

Some of the most common complications include right ventricular outlet obstruction, atrial septal defects, and so on.

6. Lung complications

The baby may also be born with poorly developed lungs, unable to work on their own shortly after birth.

In addition to suffering for the child, this type of problem can be serious and, in the best case scenario, the child will spend the first days of life connected to a respirator, as children of mothers who smoke tend to have a capacity twice as small as the other children.

But this can also have lifelong consequences. Doctors say that smoking during pregnancy can guarantee respiratory illnesses, even later in adulthood.

And, if you’re still not convinced that human life is fragile, you need to check out this other article: Photos reveal what human gestation is like inside the womb.

Source: NHS, Jornal Ciência