Munshi Jalal Uddin :
Smoking during pregnancy exposes a woman and her unborn child to an increased risk of health problems. These include ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, premature labour and sudden unexpected death in infancy. Women who smoke are twice as likely to give birth to a low birth weight baby compared to non-smokers. Low birth weight babies are at greater risk of death and are more vulnerable to infection and other health problems such as breathing difficulties and long-term health problems in adulthood. The more cigarettes smoked during pregnancy, the greater the risk of complications. Passive smoking can also affect a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
Pregnancy complications and effects on the child for smoking during pregnancy Women who smoke more commonly experience different pregnancy complications. They may have ectopic pregnancy or pregnancy outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube. They may experience fetal death (stillbirth) of their babies, spontaneous abortion or miscarriage and problems with the placenta, including early detachment from the uterine wall and blocking the cervical opening (placenta previa).
Every time a pregnant woman smokes a cigarette, her unborn baby is deprived of oxygen and exposed to a cocktail of chemicals, including chemicals that cause cancer. Some of the many damaging effects of cigarette smoke on the fetus include: retarded growth and development, and increased risk of cleft lip and cleft palate. How alarming is it that fetal movements in the womb may be decreased for at least an hour after smoking one single cigarette. All these bring negative changes in the baby’s brain and lungs.
In addition to the increased risk of premature birth and miscarriage, their children may experience increased risk of infant death, lower birth weight (on average, about 200 gms less than normal) and up to three times the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy.
Problems for the child in later life
Smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding period can impair a child’s health for years to come. Health effects may include: decreased lung function; higher risk of asthma; low birth weight which is linked to heart disease, type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure in adulthood; and increased risk of being overweight and obese in childhood.
Effects of secondhand smoke on children’s health
Secondhand smoke, also known as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), has similar adverse effects on children’s health. It is estimated that about 1 out of every 4 children ages 3 to 11 in the United States lives with at least one smoker. Studies show that older children whose parents smoke get sick more often. They have bronchitis and pneumonia more often, and they cough and wheeze more.
Secondhand smoke can also trigger an asthma attack, make asthma symptoms worse, and even cause new cases of asthma in kids. Children who live with parents who smoke also get more ear infections. They have increased risk of lung cancer.
The 2006 US Surgeon General’s report on secondhand smoke stated that children exposed to secondhand smoke are at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), respiratory infections, ear problems, and more severe asthma. When parents smoke, it causes breathing (respiratory) symptoms and slows lung growth of their children.
Secondhand smoke harms the heart, blood vessels, and blood circulation right away. Over time it can cause heart disease, strokes and heart attacks.
The scientific evidence shows there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Any exposure is harmful.
Breastfeeding by smoker mothers
Smoking and breastfeeding is not at all ideal. Some people may go so long as to say that it is even better than smoking and not breastfeeding. But such comments may be excessive words. Some of the problems caused by smoking while breastfeeding include: nicotine and other substances in tobacco smoke can be passed on through breast milk. This can affect a baby right away. Besides, smoking reduces the amount of vitamin C in breast milk and it can reduce milk production. So, stopping smoking during breastfeeding is very worthwhile. But even when the mother smokes, breastfeeding is still thought to be healthier for the baby than bottle feeding.
Benefits of quitting smoking
Ideally, a pregnant woman should stop smoking. Women who stop smoking before they get pregnant reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby to that of women who never smoked. Women who quit during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy are less likely to have low birth-weight babies than those who keep smoking. However, in reality, only around one in three females quit when pregnancy is planned or confirmed. Again, studies show that over two-thirds of females who quit when they are pregnant resume smoking once their babies are born.
Evidence suggests that stopping smoking by the fourth month of pregnancy can reduce some of the risks, such as low birth weight and premature birth. So, pregnant women who smoke should continue trying to stop smoking. And women who can’t quit right away can do other things to reduce the baby’s exposure: i. make the entire home smoke-free, ii. smoke right after breastfeeding rather than before, and iii. cut back on smoking as much as possible.
(Munshi Jalal Uddin is the Chief Feature Writer, PID)
