Even a small number of cigarettes used during pregnancy (1-2 cigarettes a day) have various harmful effects on the baby, so pregnant women never smoke cigarette in her pregnancy.
The main damages that the cigarette can give during pregnancy are:
– Preterm birth
– Low birth weight, prematurity
– Baby’s lung development is weaker, risk of distress after birth increases.
– Baby’s risk of dying early after birth is two fold.
– Baby’s rate of getting sick after birth increases.
– The baby’s placenta increases the risk of premature separation (ablation placenta).
– The risks of placenta previa increasing.
– Risk of premature rupture of membranes (water breaks) increases.
– Smoking increases the risk of miscarriage.
Anomalies due to smoking:
– Poland sequence
– Heart anomalies
– Abdominal wall anomalies (gastroschisis, omphalocele)
– cleft lip and palate
There are thousands of compounds in cigarette smoke, the most important of which are nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine and its metabolites can pass from breast milk to baby.
Nicotine studies on animals;
– Uterine artery reduces blood flow
– Umbilical artery causes changes in blood flow
– Breaks fetal oxygenation
– Causes acid-base disorders
– It has been shown to reduce fetal heart rate and increase the arterial pressure.
Generally, babies of smokers are born 200-250 grams lower and 1 cm shorter. In addition, infants with low birth weight are at increased risk of developing a chronic disease and death within the first month after birth.
The probability of miscarriage and premature delivery in smokers increases 2 times and the risk of death increases within the first year after birth.
After birth, 2-5. “Sudden infant mortality” among the months is the most important cause of infant death, and in infants of smokers, this risk increases 2-6 times, depending on the number of cigarettes smoked.
Respiratory system, nervous system, sensory organs, skin and urinary tract diseases are more common in children of smokers’ mothers.
Smoking mothers can experience breastfeeding problems and smoking can cause milk quality disorders.
Hyperactivity, attention deficit, spelling and reading difficulties were more frequent in infants exposed to prenatal smoking cigarettes. Again in some studies it has been shown that intellectual development deficiency and some behavioral disorders are more frequent in these babies.
In addition, many health problems are more common in children exposed to smokers around them after birth.