Risks for a Pregnant Smoker !

The period of gestation, number of pregnancy and general health of a pregnant woman with smoking habit are the important factors which could influence the effect of smoking on the unborn baby. When a pregnant woman smokes, her unborn baby does the same. The carbon monoxide and nicotine are passed onto unborn baby through blood stream. The maternal blood laced with nicotine and enriched with carbon monoxide lessens the oxygen supply and accelerate the heart beat of unborn baby. The child is likely to be premature or under weight. The growth of the toddler would be affected and the child may be more susceptible to infectious diseases. The chances of spontaneous abortions and still-births are three times more in pregnant smoker as compared to non smoker pregnant. The risks are more pronounced in pregnant smokers with anemia and poor nutrition.

A non-smoker pregnant woman, whose husband smokes, would be having identical risks for her unborn baby. In fact a non-smoking wife of a smoker husband thus becomes a non-smoking smoker or passive smoker. Pregnant smokers and the husbands of non-smoker pregnant women should quit smoking for the better outcome of pregnancy and the health of their baby. Excessive smoking during first trimester of pregnancy may lead to abortion. Primigravida women ( women with first pregnancy) would be at more risk as compared to multigravida due to pregnancy associated physiological and metabolic changes as well as psychological and emotional factors.