Smoking and pregnancy questions and answers

  Answers to your most common questions surrounding the dangers of smoking and pregnancy.

"What’s wrong with smoking during pregnancy?"

Poor health for the mother

* Miscarriage
* Bleeding
* Nausea

Poor health for the baby

* Reduced birth weight. Easier for mum to give birth? Not necessarily: babies who don’t grow well are more likely to be short of oxygen and need an emergency delivery
* Premature birth
* Stillbirth
* Trebles the risk of cot death
* Chest infections and asthma. These ailments last a lifetime and can sometimes kill

If you stop smoking during pregnancy you will benefit from

* less morning sickness
* fewer complications
* a more content baby after birth

"How does smoking affect unborn babies?"

When you inhale smoke you put over 4000 chemicals including carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, into your body. Carbon monoxide gets into your blood stream and cuts down the oxygen reaching your baby. Babies who don’t get enough oxygen can be born smaller and weaker. Oxygen helps babies grow.

"I’m already pregnant, isn’t the damage done?"

Smoking is harmful throughout your pregnancy. The good news is that by stopping smoking your baby benefits immediately. When your lungs become smoke free, the carbon monoxide and chemicals clear from your body and your oxygen levels return to normal.

"What if my partner, friends or family smoke?"

If a pregnant woman smokes, or breathes in the cigarette smoke of her family and friends, the baby is not protected. Cigarettes contain an amazing cocktail of drugs and poisons and a home full of smoke will really harm the baby’s chances of a healthy body.

"What can I do to help?"

Protecting babies from tobacco smoke in pregnancy and childhood really helps them get a healthier start in life. If you or your partner smoke, try to use this time to stop. You will all benefit. You will have more money, less time off sick, be generally fitter and have improved health.

"How can my partner and friends help?"

Your partner, family and friends can all help. Ideally they could try to stop with you. If they can’t, they can help by

* not offering you cigarettes
* avoiding the times and situations when you usually smoke together
* not smoking in front of or near you
* remembering not to leave cigarettes, lighters and ashtrays lying around


About the author:


http://www.givingupsmoking.co.uk

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