Second Hand Smoke During Pregnancy

Contents:

• Second Hand Smoking During Pregnancy
• Risks of Second Hand Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy
• Consequences of Second Hand Smoke for Mother and Baby

Second Hand Smoking During Pregnancy

An exposure to second hand smoke during pregnancy is equally damaging as smoking itself. The statistics show that about 80% of pregnant women are exposed to second hand smoke, which affects both a future mom and her fetus.

Risks of Second Hand Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy

Pregnant women exposed to second hand smoke have an increased risk of complications such as:

• Spontaneous aborting – by 39 %;
• Stillbirth – by 23 %;
• Congenital fetal anomaly – by 13 %;
• Placenta previa and heavy bleeding during pregnancy – by 90 %;
• Placental abruption – by 25 %.

These figures are alarming for every pregnant woman. Many mutagenic and cancer producing substances can cross the placental barrier and cause harm to the future baby’s health.

Consequences of Second Hand Smoke for Mother and Baby

Secondhand smoke exposure of the future mom can lead to serious disorders in her baby:

• Sudden infant death syndrome;
• Physical deformities and developmental defects (cardiac defect, cleft palate, hare lip etc.);
• Respiratory tract diseases (bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma etc.);
• Physical and mental development delays;
• Increased risk of cancer diseases;
• Immunity decrease.

The mother and people around her can prevent the dangers of secondhand smoke. Knowing how harmful the second hand smoking is for the fetus, the people around the future mom might decide to quit smoking in her presence and, thus eliminate the health risks for the unborn child.