Why you shouldn't smoke during pregnancy.

The dangers of smoking and exposure to second hand smoke are widely known. If you smoke during pregnancy, it only makes sense that those dangers would affect your unborn child as well. Yes, there have been studies and research performed on the subject. The effects of smoking during pregnancy have been shown during these studies. Smoking during pregnancy has been positively linked with many medical problems. The dangers still existed for the baby if the mother didn't smoke but was exposed to second hand smoke. The following are examples of the serious consequences of smoking while pregnant.

Smoking during pregnancy can lead to your child's death. SIDS is more common in children exposed to the dangers of second hand smoke. Specifically, SIDS is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than a year old, and there is no explanation or apparent cause of it. As a pregnant mother, this is obviously a very serious risk to take with your child. With more education and awareness of the risks, we believe more smoking mothers would work to quit smoking.

Infants of smoking mothers are displaying an interesting trend. The heart rate of babies whose mothers smoke is higher than the heart rate of babies of non smoking mothers. Smoking mothers have babies with heart rates that are about 30% higher than nonsmokers. This statistic applies to women who smoke during pregnancy. Knowing exactly why this condition exists is difficult. Part of the reason may be that the smoking prevented the baby from receiving the normal amount of oxygen.

It is natural to focus mainly on the immediate physical consequences smoking while pregnant can have on the baby. There is increasing evidence that shows a correlation between smoking during pregnancy and behavioral problems in the child. For example, there is a range of problems including learning disabilities and general behavioral issues.

There are many problems associated with smoking during pregnancy but you can eliminate the risk to your child by quitting. The facts in this case are pretty black and white. If you need additional motivation then you should do more reading and learn more about all that can possibly happen to your baby. The list includes infant death, still births, and a higher risk of SIDS. The evidence shows just how extremely harmful smoking while pregnant is for your baby.