Smoking is not cool as many people tend to believe, it is a bad habit that can lead to the grave. Many people start the smoking habit from as young as 10 years due to peer pressure or the habit of their parents as a simple part time hobby which later leads to heavy smoking. Moreover, this is getting to the edge; recently on TV, we saw a 2 year old smoking.
Learn the risks
Having a baby is a very special and anticipated moment that no mother would ever want anything bad to happen. However, most mothers find it hard to quite smoking and continue with their smoking habit while still pregnant. Most women believe that smoking in the early pregnancy stages could not affect the baby, however, this is a misleading perception.
Smoking can bring harm to a baby while still in the fetus stage. Remember, the baby development starts immediately after conception and any drug taking can cause premature development. Various studies have found smoking to cause miscarriages.
Smoking can cause miscarriage
For many years now, doctors have found out that smoking while pregnant has doubled the risk of bearing a low-birth-weight baby and premature births. Smoking cannot only cause miscarriages but can also lead to health problems to children many years after their birth. It can lead to childhood leukemia.
More to that, research has found out that exposure not only to cigarette smoke can lead to miscarriages and stillbirth. Even worse, further research has found out that a chain smoking father, even before conception, can lead to the miscarriage.
Smoking causes miscarriages in so many ways. In the early pregnancy stages during the initial baby development, cigarette smoke leads to the damage of the baby’s genes. Through this damage, chromosomes – which are the main cause of miscarriage – are destroyed. Theoretically, it has been found that cigarette smoke exposure could change the lining of the uterus. This leads to its hardening and lead to the implant failure of the fertilized egg.
Even the men should quit smoking
With the case of a smoking father causing miscarriages, the answer lies in his sperm. Studies have found out that heavy smokers have increased incidence of sperm which have chromosomal abnormalities. The sperm may lead to conception but because of the absence or weak chromosomes in the sperm, the process will not last long. Moreover, a smoking husband will expose their wife to secondhand smoke which will lead to the mother’s inability to maintain the pregnancy. Husbands should quit smoking for the sake of their offspring.
Smoke covers the red blood cells which are the main oxygen carriers in the body. This limits oxygen supply which leads to diminished placenta ability to transport oxygen and nutrients to the fetus hence mal-development or death. Moreover, studies have found out that later, even if the baby survives the initial strain, the placenta might fail to deliver nutrients to the developing baby. This can lead to miscarriages or a mal-developed baby.
Avoid smoking before and during pregnancy
Quitting smoking or avoiding cigarette smoke is a factor pregnant women can control to avoid miscarriages. It might not have affected your first kids but with time, smoking will cause future miscarriages and stillbirth. Either way, quitting smoking is the only good favor you can do for your future baby.