It is estimated that approximately 1 in 4 women in the UK smoke. According to experts, the impact of smoking during pregnancy is extremely harmful to a woman and her baby. When a pregnant woman inhales cigarette smoke the dangers associated with nicotine intake double as the foetus is just as likely to contract an illness or disease throughout the 9-month duration.

Cigarettes poison a baby’s lifeline

A cigarette contains over 4,000 dangerous chemicals, many of which are associated with serious health implications, such as cancer. When you breath in nicotine via a cigarette you expose your unborn baby to the toxic substances too. Even inhaling second hand smoke can pose a grave danger to a woman’s health, which in turn, puts her unborn baby at risk. The carbon monoxide in a cigarette is sucked in to the bloodstream, replacing oxygen-rich blood and inhibiting the supply of oxygen to the baby.

A smoker’s unborn baby runs the risk of heart problems

The absorption of carbon monoxide in your bloodstream due to smoking deprives the unborn baby if the necessary oxygen intake it needs to survive, growing and developing healthily. Lack of oxygen can directly impair the functioning of the baby’s heart as it has to work harder to make up for the dilution of toxic substances.

Health defects – from birth to childhood

The risk of stillborn and miscarriage is higher with pregnant women who smoke as compared to those who don’t. If you smoke when you are expecting the chance of your baby developing respiratory problems such as asthma climbs higher than normal. In addition, smoking during pregnancy invites the risk of a premature and low-weight birth.

The long-term impact of smoking on a child’s health can be no less damaging than the immediate implications.

For these reasons alone, you may wish to consider the upside to quitting especially if you are planning to start a family in the near future. Quitting now will save you the trauma of stopping suddenly, which is a harder feat to conquer.

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