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QUITTING SMOKING AND AVOIDING SECOND-HAND SMOKE |
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- If you or your partner smoke, an excellent way to prepare for being parents is to stop smoking now.
- Smoking during pregnancy can cause many problems, to you as well as to your child.
- Inhaling second-hand smoke is also harmful to you and your baby's health.
- Tobacco smoke in the lungs reduces the amount of oxygen going to your baby, slowing growth and development in the critical time before birth.
 Health problems will increase with the amount you smoke, as well. It can cause problems with the placenta, with bleeding early or late in pregnancy, with premature and prolonged rupture of the membranes and with preterm birth. - Smoking during pregnancy also increases your risk of having a low birth weight baby, miscarriage and some studies have shown there is a link to birth defects and impaired intellectual development.
- Babies born too early or too small are more likely to have problems sleeping and eating, and are more likely to get sick
if they are exposed to illness.
- Second-hand smoke has also been shown to contribute to a greater possibility of your child developing asthma, pneumonia and bronchitis. It has also been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Even before conception there are risks. Smoking by fathers prior to conception has been linked to decreased fertility and limb deformities in newborns.
- It is recommended that both parents quit smoking about three months
prior to conception in a planned pregnancy. Think about ways to ensure
your home stays smoke-free before and after birth.
For more information:
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Thursday, August 20, 2009 2:10:32 PM
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