Risks to women who smoke during pregnancy and the fetus

Of course, every person has heard about the dangers of smoking. However, the number of smokers, unfortunately, is not decreasing. Moreover, you can often see an expectant mother with a cigarette. But she is responsible not only for her own life, but also for the health of the baby she carries under her heart. Let's figure out how smoking affects early pregnancy and what it can lead to.

What substances enter a woman’s body during smoking?

Tobacco smoke contains a huge amount of toxic tars and harmful substances. The placenta does not provide any protection against this. The danger is not the number of cigarettes smoked. Even one puff can be fatal.

Each cigarette contains more than 2,500 toxic harmful substances, among which it is worth highlighting:

• harmful resins;
• nicotine;
• benzopyrene;
• arsenic;
• carbon monoxide;
• ammonia;
• methanol;
• methane;
• butane;
• hydrogen sulfide;
• radioactive substances (polonium, lead, radium, cesium);
• hydrocyanic acid.

  
  All of the chemicals presented enter the child’s body when smoking during pregnancy.

This is a small part of the harmful substances that saturate the body of the mother and unborn child after each cigarette smoked.

The effect of nicotine on the mother's body

Smoking during pregnancy poses a threat to the health of the mother and fetus. Each puff depresses the respiratory and nervous systems. Unreasonable irritability appears, forcing the woman to reach for another cigarette. But these are not all the dangerous consequences.

The following pathologies may appear:

• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• liver pathology;
• ailments of the genitourinary system;
• disorders of the digestive organs;
• oxygen starvation;
• weak immunity or lack thereof;
• endocrine diseases;
• the uterus becomes toned, provoking a miscarriage.

Both mother and embryo are at risk. Doctors are aware of the consequences of everything that each cigarette brings.

25 cigarettes smoked contain a lethal dose of nicotine for an adult!

The effect of nicotine on a child’s body in the 1st trimester

Most expectant mothers, planning to give birth to a child, quit smoking in advance, even before pregnancy. The first trimester is the most important in the development of the embryo. The formation of internal organs and systems is underway.

As soon as the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus, it begins to receive through the bloodstream some of the toxins accumulated over years of smoking, harmful substances that continue to enter the mother’s body after each cigarette smoked.

Gynecologists say that it is in the first trimester that this situation is most dangerous for the baby. For a woman, this is a risk of ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage.

For the fetus, this situation threatens severe intrauterine developmental anomalies:

• heart disease;
• cleft palate;
• cleft lip;
• slower growth and development;
• low immunity;
• developmental disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
• cerebral palsy;

• Down's disease;
• oncology;
• bone marrow diseases;
• developmental disability;
• fetal hypoxia.

Smoking during pregnancy is an incompatible concept. According to statistics, the majority of miscarriages in the first trimester occur in mothers who smoke, since nicotine can cause depletion of the walls and placental abruption.

Consequences for the fetus

A cigarette contains hundreds of elements; the periodic table presented affects not only the mother’s body. The concentration of toxins has a much greater effect on the fetus and leads to pathological processes that may appear in the future.

How does smoking affect the fetus?

• carbon monoxide has a detrimental effect on the condition of the fetus, due to the displacement of oxygen, hypoxia can develop, in the 1st trimester it is dangerous due to genetic abnormalities, damage to the nervous system, if the condition persists, it can lead to the fading of pregnancy;
• the vasoconstrictor effect of nicotine causes insufficient blood flow in the placenta, through which the child receives all vital nutrients;
• smoking also affects the fetal brain, the nervous system is formed in the early stages, improvement continues throughout 9 months, exposure to toxins leads to the destruction of neural connections, in the future the consequences affect the cognitive abilities and psycho-emotional state of the child;
• heavy metals can penetrate the placenta, affect the respiratory system, affect the functioning of the heart; at birth, a diagnosis of fetal malnutrition is often made - deviation of fetometric indicators from the norm, developmental delay.

There are persistent myths that pregnant women should not give up this bad habit because of the enormous stress. But the small organism constantly feels the effects of poisons, incomparable to the efforts required to fight addiction. An expectant mother can quit smoking at any time, preferably the sooner the better.

Passive smoking

All toxins, tars, harmful substances from cigarettes enter the human body along with smoke. A person who smokes consumes only about 20% of these dangerous compounds. Everything else remains in the environment where non-smokers may be present.

They are considered passive smokers. It is enough to be near a person who smokes to receive a high dose of nicotine and a lot of toxic substances. This is a dangerous situation for the pregnant woman and for her fetus, which is developing in the womb.

Unfavorable consequences:

• cardiovascular diseases;
• Congenital heart defect;
• oncological diseases;
• congenital pneumonia;
• asthma;
• allergy;
• weak immunity;
• increased aggressiveness;
• mental retardation

Pregnancy is a great incentive for both mom and dad to get rid of a bad habit. Passive smoking is a factor that provokes premature birth and fetal death.

Alternative views

Today, new types of smoking have appeared, coming from other cultures or being the product of new developments. During pregnancy, you need to be careful when using medications, introducing exotic foods into your diet, not to mention smoking hookahs or electronic cigarettes.

Many expectant mothers are concerned about the question: can pregnant women smoke hookah? Smoke actually contains fewer toxins, and some also retain liquid. Special tobacco is used, in which the nicotine activity is several times higher than in cigarettes. In addition, dangerous elements such as arsenic, lead, cotinine, and chromium enter the body.

Despite the content of the filters, the maximum degree of purification does not exceed 40%; the remaining 60% leads to the risk of developing pathologies. The advertised nicotine-free sprays for hookahs are just a marketing ploy; aldehydes are no less harmful than tobacco products.

Consequences of hookah smoking during pregnancy:

• difficult childbirth;
• weak immunity of the newborn;
• developmental delay;
• intrauterine defects;
• growth retardation;
• fetal death, miscarriage;
• decrease in intellectual abilities during school years.

The principle of operation of electronic cigarettes is somewhat different from conventional ones. The active element is a capsule; when the temperature increases, the liquid in it evaporates, and the smoker inhales the vapor. There are different formulations - with and without nicotine. But the safety of the latter has not been proven; the product is produced in China without strict control and product certification.

Consequences of smoking electronic cigarettes:

• in the early stages there remains a threat of miscarriage and the development of genetic abnormalities;
• high risks of hypoxia, gestosis;
• Premature labor may begin.

Doctors agree on the use of different nicotine options. During the gestation period, they can also affect the course of pregnancy and have a detrimental effect on the formation of the child.

How long before conception should you quit smoking?

The body quickly becomes clogged with toxins and harmful substances from tobacco smoke. To clear it, it is not enough to simply quit smoking. Doctors recommend that those planning a pregnancy quit smoking at least a year or at least 3 months before pregnancy.

This is the time during which the craving for nicotine disappears, harmful substances, tars, and toxins are eliminated. If you quit abruptly with the onset of pregnancy, the body is subjected to stress.

Smoking during pregnancy poses a threat to the life and health of the baby. Some women are trying to replace their traditional cigarettes with electronic ones. This is not a solution, since many smoking mixtures contain nicotine and are not of high quality.

You should not use a special patch, as it contains some nicotine. You need to rely on your own strength, supported by a great desire to give birth to a healthy child. Some traditional medicine will help you get rid of a bad habit without risk to your health. There are recipes that cause a persistent aversion to nicotine and do not harm the fetus.

How does this habit affect fetal tobacco syndrome and what is it?

Doctors call the combination of symptoms in newborns whose mother is addicted to nicotine, fetal tobacco syndrome. The child has a lack of nutrients and oxygen , an excess of carboxyhemoglobin and nicotine.

Children are born with insufficient height and weight less than 2.5 kg , they slowly gain in these parameters, they suffer from pulmonary pathologies and mental retardation. Doctors prescribe intensive therapy for them so that they receive the necessary substances through medication, which they lacked in utero.

If you suddenly quit smoking during pregnancy

Each body is individual, so it reacts differently to a sudden cessation of smoking. For a pregnant woman, this may occur somewhat differently. A good assistant in such an important matter is toxicosis. Usually he discourages the desire. In the second trimester, the condition returns to normal. During this time, the woman’s craving for the addiction disappears. Therefore, it is not worth returning to it.

The situation is more complicated for women who have a long smoking history and smoke more than 10 cigarettes per day. In such a situation, it is necessary to quit gradually. But this is acceptable if there is no pregnancy. For the body, pregnancy and quitting smoking are stressful.

If at this time a woman abruptly quits smoking, she may experience unfavorable conditions:

• rapid pulse and heartbeat;
• contractions are observed in the muscles, which can tone the uterus and provoke a miscarriage;
• increased excitability of women;
• depression.

Such an emotional state can have a detrimental effect on the baby’s nervous system. It is important that refusal occurs in the first weeks of pregnancy . This is the most crucial period when the laying of all vital organs takes place. If you can’t do it in one day, you need to quit gradually.

A woman is able to adjust herself and quit smoking forever. Do an interesting activity, prepare everything necessary for a newborn, read, walk, swim, lead a healthy lifestyle.

Tips: how to quit smoking

Doctors are categorical, there is no gradual withdrawal. It is necessary to quit before pregnancy or at least at the moment when the expectant mother finds out about it. You just need to find a profitable alternative to distract your own consciousness from obsessive thoughts.

Fortified foods and interesting hobbies will help with this:

1. It is necessary to consume more milk and fermented milk products. They are useful for mother and baby, and can cause a persistent aversion to nicotine. Some healers advise soaking a cigarette in milk, drying it and trying to smoke it. The sensations are unpleasant and cause aversion to cigarettes.

2. Dishes made from cauliflower, broccoli, and celery also cause a lasting positive effect.
3. The emerging desire can be stopped with fruit tables. If a husband brings home oranges, bananas, pineapples, and apples every day, he will help his wife give up cigarettes faster. It is better to eat fruit at the mere thought of smoking.
4. If an obsession has stuck in your head, you can try to drive it away with mint gum or mint tea without sugar, or with honey. It is advisable to limit sweets. Excessive consumption of sweets improves your mood, you want more pleasures, so thoughts about a cigarette may appear again.
5. Devote your free time to studying information about the dangers of smoking for mother and child. This is a good incentive for decisive action.
6. Morning coffee, which was previously consumed with a cigarette, is replaced with another event - tea with honey.
7. You need to constantly remind yourself that quitting smoking is not a sacrifice. This is the happiest moment in life, when a woman is waiting for the birth of a healthy baby; tobacco smoke has no place here.

Smoking before and during pregnancy should be avoided. For most mothers, the birth of a child is the most long-awaited, joyful moment. Thoughts about the upcoming event will help you cope with an irresistible harmful desire. It is up to the mother to decide whether she will have an absolutely healthy child or a baby with a whole bunch of different pathologies.

Doctors categorically prohibit seeking salvation in various drugs, since most of them provoke a state of nicotine overdose. The effect of such drugs is limited. After a short period of time, the desire will appear again.

You will have to take the pill again, and this is already dangerous for the fetus. Therefore, Tabex, Champix and other drugs must be removed. The same can be said about the sensational patches. Apart from harm to the health of the mother and child, such therapy will bring nothing.

Narcologists offer psychotropic drugs to some patients. Pregnant women are strictly prohibited from doing this.

Moreover, many of them have a lot of side effects:

• hallucinations;
• loss of consciousness;
• depression;
• suicidal thoughts;
• unintentional outbursts of aggression;
• apathy.

An expectant mother with such a mood simply upsets the psyche of her baby.

Traditional methods

Alternative medicine has something to offer for pregnant women who smoke. These are not only decoctions and infusions. There are other methods. Over many years of smoking, the woman exposed her body to a powerful attack.

Nicotine destroys calcium reserves and disrupts the acid-base balance. Asparagus, legumes, sea fish and seafood, and cheeses will help correct the situation. It is advisable to have this in the weekly menu to normalize the vitamin and alkaline balance.

Traditional medicine offers several procedures and recipes that will help reduce the craving for smoking and get rid of this habit forever.

1. Thyme bath. The procedure normalizes the activity of the nervous system. After taking it, the desire to smoke a cigarette disappears for a long time. It is enough to add 10 ml of essence purchased at the pharmacy directly to the water. The duration of the soothing bath is 15 minutes. The water temperature should not exceed body temperature.

2. Aromatherapy. To carry it out, it is recommended to use the following types of oils or herbal components:

• orange;
• lavender;
• sage;
• rosemary;
• rosewood oil;
• tea tree;
• bergamot;
• Romanesque chamomile;
• marjoram;
• coriander;
• patchouli;
• lemon balm;
• mint.

Most of these components, in the form of oils, are simply inhaled or added to special lamps. If a lamp is not available, add oils to hot water and breathe over the steam. 2-3 minutes daily is enough to get rid of cravings after a few sessions.

Particular attention should be paid to citrus oils. This therapy can quickly bring the emotional state back to normal; the sweet smell of orange and lemon lifts the mood, calms the nervous system, and the desire to smoke disappears.

There are special oils with a persistent tobacco aroma (Tobacco Absolute). They are applied to a cotton pad and inhaled at the moment when cravings occur.

3. Honey and lemon. A tasty, healthy and quite effective recipe for a mother and her unborn child. 5 lemons need to be chopped. Add a glass of honey, mix well. It is advisable to do everything in glass or ceramic containers. Contact of ingredients with metal must be avoided.

The mixture is transferred to a glass jar and stored in the refrigerator. Use 2 tbsp. on an empty stomach and the same amount in the evening before bed. The craving for nicotine passes quite quickly.

4. Smoking during pregnancy will help prevent grapefruit . Although many people do not like this exotic fruit, it has more benefits than other citrus fruits. For pregnant women, it is also a rich source of vitamins. Grapefruit juice is an exceptional antioxidant, so it will quickly remove toxins and tars that have accumulated in the body over many years of smoking.

You only need to take a fresh drink. In just 10 minutes. after it is squeezed out, it loses most of its nutrients. Drink 100-130 ml of juice 3-4 times a day, regardless of meal time. Can be used instead of water. But more than half a liter per day is not recommended. Excess acid will not do any good. A persistent aversion to smoking is felt after 5 days.

5. Chocolate. During pregnancy and lactation, you should give up not only cigarettes. It is necessary to completely eliminate alcohol and coffee. Regular chocolate can be a profitable alternative. But you shouldn’t get carried away with this. If you want to drink a cup of coffee with a cigarette, it is better to replace it with a slice of chocolate.

This is one of the products that will help you get rid of your bad habit. It also has a beneficial effect, as it removes excess cholesterol and strengthens the walls of blood vessels. In addition, chocolate is considered a hormone of happiness. And if possible troubles make you reach for a pack of cigarettes, then it is better to seek salvation in dark chocolate.

Smoking and other bad habits during pregnancy cannot but worry the expectant mother. Smoking by a mother brings enormous harm and danger to her unborn baby. If moms smell like milk and fruit, it will bring more pleasure to the baby than the foul smell of a just smoked cigarette.

Article design: Vladimir the Great

Sudden pregnancy

In many cases, an interesting situation turns out to be unplanned and takes future parents by surprise. Smoking before pregnancy has a negative effect on the body. When a woman finds out about her situation, the unborn child is already 2-4 weeks old, and all this time tobacco has had a destructive effect. During this period, the embryo begins to actively develop - many internal organs are formed.

Women who are conscious about their upcoming motherhood fall into despair, afraid of how nicotine will affect the fetus. They should reduce the number of cigarettes they use. You should talk about this during your consultation with your doctor.

Knowing how harmful smoking is during pregnancy, the gynecologist will give the mother in labor useful advice that will help minimize the harm. He will prescribe a complex of useful microelements and vitamins with a high content of iron, magnesium and calcium. In the first trimester, a pregnant woman should eat properly, eliminating everything that is harmful from her diet, including coffee, Coca-Cola and black tea.

To remove toxins that entered the body during smoking, you should drink more clean (still) water. Walking and sound sleep have a good effect on pregnant women. During this period, alcohol is prohibited. By following the rules, a mother who was accustomed to smoking before pregnancy will be able to eliminate the harm caused to her unborn child.

When thinking about having children, it is important to compare pregnancy planning and smoking, getting rid of this addiction in advance, thereby minimizing the impact of toxic substances on the baby.