Smoking+during+Pregnancy


 * Chemicals that affect the unborn fetus **

When a woman is pregnant, the chemicals from smoking are able to cross the placental barrier to the developing fetus, because of this tobacco smoke is referred to as a teratogen (Hart, Ksir, Hebb, Gilbert & Black, 2012). Therefore, the chemicals that are in the mothers blood, are reaching the developing fetus, which include: nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and tar (Wonnacott, Russell & Stolerman, 1990).


 * During Pregnancy**

When a mother is smoking, there is a lower amount of oxygen available to the mother as well as the developing baby. The amount of oxygen that a fetus receives during pregnancy affects the fetus’ ability to develop and grow (Wonnacott, Russell & Stolerman, 1990). Furthermore, there is an increase in the baby’s heart rate, an increase in the risk of premature childbirths, and an increase in the baby’s risk of developingrespiratory problems (Britton, 2004). Women wh o are smoking during pregnancy are more like to have an increase of spontaneous abortions (miscarriage prior to 20 weeks gestation), abruption placenta (separation of the placenta from the uterine wall), placenta previa (abnormal attachment of the placenta) still birth and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (unexplained death between one week and one year of life) (Wonnacott, Russell & Stolerman, 1990). When a mother is smoking during her pregnancy, there is a shortened gestation period by an average of two days (Hart et al., 2012). Even when this time period is accounted for, the baby born to a smoker is still lighter at birth compared to babies born to mothers who do not smoke during pregnancy (Hart et al., 2012).

Though there is no safe amount for a mother to smoke while she is pregnant (Abrams, 2003), the greatest effects on the unborn fetus happen when the mother smokes within the first 4 months (Hart et al., 2012). Closer to birth (increased perinatal) smoking is associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (Hart et al., 2012) which adds up to about 10,000 infant deaths per year (Hart et al., 2012). Smokers have, on average, one and a half to two times as many miscarriages when compared to their nonsmoking counterparts (Hart et al., 2012). If a woman is able to quit smoking prior to becoming pregnant, there will be no effect of her pervious smoking on her infant’s birth weight (Abrams, 2003).




 * Effects after Pregnancy**

When the baby is born to a mother who smoked while pregnant, they are lighter in weight compared to babies of mothers who do not smoke, by an average of 250 grams (Hart et al., 2012). When born, the baby will also be shorter, smaller and have a smaller head circumference (Hart et al., 2012). The low birth weight in the baby is not related to how much weight the mother gains during pregnancy (Hart et al., 2012). Some newborns born to mothers who smoked during pregnancy display signs of stress and drug withdrawal that are consistent with infants exposed to other drugs (NIDA, 2013). There are also lifelong disabilities to the child, which include neurological problems, reading and mathematical skills and hyperactivity at various stages (Hart et al., 2012).


 * Statistics of Smoking During Pregnancy**


 * Women who smoke while they are pregnant is found to be higher among those who have multiple children (11.9%) compared to those with only one child (9.1%).
 * Canadian females in Ontario in the age range of 25-29 have the highest smoking rate (24%).
 * In Ontario in 2005, 10 % of females who gave birth in the past 5 years had smoked while they were pregnant. Of that 10% that had smoked during their pregnancy, 5% half of them (5%) smoked daily and the other half (5%) smoked occasionally.
 * In 2007-2008, 15% of pregnant women aged 15-49 smoked while pregnant.
 * Among women who smoked regularly during their last trimester (daily or occasionally) the majority (57.6%) smoked between 1-9 cigarettes, while 42.4% smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day.
 * Women are more likely to quit smoking (or smoke less) during pregnancy then at any other point in time in their lives.

(CAMH, 2013)