Smoking in early pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy: doctors' opinion

Not all pregnant women actually pose a risk to their unborn child from passive and active smoking. Many of them are trying to find evidence that abrupt refusal from cigarettes is harmful to the child or there are safe doses of nicotine. You may not be a scientist or a doctor, to understand that smoking and pregnancy are completely incompatible and unacceptable concepts. This harmful habit not only affects the development of the child, increases the risk of many diseases, but also threatens the life of the unborn baby. Nicotine addiction also threatens the health of the mother - it can cause severe complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Such general conclusions are known to everyone, but it is the detailed facts about the dangers of smoking for the unborn child and mother that convince more accurately and reliably.

How does smoking affect the health of the fetus?

First of all, smoking causes circulatory problems in the mother’s body - it causes a sharp narrowing blood vessels. The same thing happens with the fetal vessels. Thus, smoking causes a sharp lack of oxygen and other substances necessary for the development of the fetus. In addition, the toxic substances that make up tobacco constantly poison the body of the unborn child.
How does smoking affect the fetus? Almost all life processes, organs and systems are affected:

fetal weight – weight decreases by about 200 g and there is a direct relationship between the weight of the fetus and the number of cigarettes smoked by the mother;
lungs of the fetus - due to the underdevelopment of the fetus at the time of birth, its lungs may not be fully formed, and in the future such children often suffer from respiratory diseases and have a greater predisposition to bronchial asthma;
fetal heart – in children of smoking mothers, the risk of developing congenital heart pathologies is 20-70% higher;
fetal brain - in the future, such children are more likely to have behavioral problems, learning difficulties, have a low IQ, and may experience congenital brain defects;
reproductive organs – in boys the testicles do not develop sufficiently, possibly an atypical location urethra, the risk of future infertility increases;
fetal immunity - a sharp decrease in immunity leads to the risk of greater susceptibility to infectious and allergic diseases, such children have a greater predisposition to cancer;
fetal deformities – congenital anomalies and deformities develop much more often in the fetus of a smoking mother ( cleft lip, cleft palate, equine foot, etc.).

From all of the above, it is clear why smoking and pregnancy are incompatible.

In addition, dry figures from medical statistics indicate that maternal smoking increases the perinatal mortality rate by 27% and increases the risk of SIDS (sudden neonatal death syndrome) by 2.5 times. There is no doubt that every expectant mother should give up smoking.

The harm of smoking for pregnancy largely depends on the length of smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked and gestational age. How does smoking affect pregnancy?
In the early stages, smoking cigarettes can cause miscarriage and fading of pregnancy. A woman who smokes or has smoked has twice as many miscarriages as non-smokers.

Subsequently, nicotine has a detrimental effect on the development of the placenta:

reduces its weight;
thins it out;
provokes ultrastructural changes;
disrupts blood flow in it.

The effect of smoking on pregnancy is often expressed in placental abruption, which leads to premature birth. For moderate smoking pregnant women, the risk of this pathology increases by 25%, and for heavy smokers - by 65%. Pathologies of the placenta can provoke its rupture and massive bleeding.

U smoking women More often, placenta previa is observed - when it is fixed not on the side wall of the uterus, but above its cervix. The risk of developing this pathology in women who smoke is 90% higher than in non-smokers.

The harm of smoking for pregnant women also lies in the fact that toxic substances negatively affect the immunity of the expectant mother. She becomes more susceptible to infections, some of which can cause premature birth and fetal pathologies. In addition, nicotine increases blood pressure and significantly increases the load on the heart of a pregnant woman.

Should you suddenly quit smoking during pregnancy?

Some doctors believe that quitting smoking during pregnancy should be gradual. They motivate this by the fact that nicotine fasting provokes nervousness, stress and irritability in women. These disorders of the uneven system, of course, accompany smoking cessation, but they are unlikely to provoke a miscarriage. It is most likely that nicotine will cause abortion. In addition, it can provoke pathologies in the fetus in a very short time and in the future the woman may be doomed to lifelong suffering with a sick child.

There is only one conclusion - you need to quit smoking either immediately or as soon as possible. short time! Do not deceive yourself by limiting the number of cigarettes you smoke - while smoking, the unborn baby “smokes” just like his mother, and every drop of nicotine is much more destructive for his delicate and immature body.

Stress and irritability will have much less impact on the fetus than 4500 toxic substances in tobacco smoke. By giving up cigarettes, the expectant mother will never learn in practice how smoking affects pregnancy and how smoking affects the fetus, and she will give birth to a healthy and strong baby!

The consequences of smoking are terrible for the unborn child. In 70% of cases they will be impossible to cure or eliminate.

If a woman smoked for a long time, and it was precisely a need, and not “pretentious to hold a menthol slime in her fingers,” it will not be possible to abruptly quit the habit. Cigarettes are addictive narcotic drugs, and refusing them leads to withdrawal. In this case, it is best to honestly tell the leading gynecologist about your bad habit, without being embarrassed by sidelong glances. The problem must be solved competently. Doctors who do not have conservative views will approve in cases urgent need, when your nerves are at their limit, “knock the edge off” with a couple of “one” puffs. Smell and familiar mechanical movements will calm your raging psyche and help you pull yourself together. However, it is advisable to stop the bad habit, and the incentive will be given by the consequences that will appear in the child as a result of maternal smoking.

Harm from smoking in early pregnancy

In early pregnancy, smoking can cause physical harm. During the first 3 months, the “structure” of a person occurs. From one cell, an entire organism develops, consisting of different tissues and organs. The process is controlled by a natural mechanism using the DNA molecule. Essentially, DNA is a program that performs actions sequentially. Imagine that a piece was cut out of the program code, or a part was taken away from the mechanism. The work will continue, but the missing element will disrupt the sequence. It’s the same with DNA—cigarette elements attach to chromosomes and “throw them out” of the system. A shift occurs and the body develops further, but in a negative direction.

In addition, nicotine has a negative effect on the mother's body. The worst thing that can happen is a miscarriage. It has been proven that smoking in the early stages is dangerous and doubles the chance of miscarriage.

It is worth paying attention to the effect of nicotine on the blood vessels of the placenta - a spasm occurs, and the fetus experiences hypoxia - oxygen starvation. This leads to a wide variety of consequences, ranging from low weight to psychological diseases the child has for life.

What happens when you smoke late in life?

From the 4th month of pregnancy, in the mother’s stomach there is no longer a fetus, but a person. Quite tiny, but it is a fully formed organism, with a full set of systems. Over the next 5 months, the child will grow, developing internal organs. If the fetus managed to avoid problems in the first trimester, in conditions of constant nicotine feeding, during these 5 months, it can acquire a wide range of diseases of the internal organs that have already formed.

In the womb, the baby uses 3 systems:

respiratory;
digestive;
cardiovascular.

They are not 100% involved, but are constantly involved in the work. Consequently, nicotine that enters a child’s body primarily affects them. The circulation of cigarette “waste” through the fetus with maternal blood clogs the working organs, inhibiting their further development.

The next most important factor is considered to be the moment when the fetus gets used to nicotine. Until the body was forming, it was difficult for it to perceive the resulting chemicals as a drug, which nicotine is, in essence. With the formation of all basic systems, the child’s body is able to process the substances received and become addicted to nicotine before you are born. After childbirth, the child is deprived of constant nourishment and experiences withdrawal, just like adults who abruptly quit smoking. He will cry, be capricious, sleep poorly and be constantly stressed.

Third place in the list of importance of smoking in later stages is the possibility of premature birth. Smoking mothers are more likely to have premature births, which means prematurity and a high mortality threshold. Even if you are in your 9th month, smoking is still dangerous.

Is passive smoking harmful during pregnancy?

Passive smoking is a dilemma that leads to heated debate and debate. Some believe that passive smoking low-risk, after all most of nicotine ends up in the smoker's lungs.

A pregnant woman who smokes increases her chances of miscarriage many times over.

A cigarette consists of more than just tobacco! Smoking pure tobacco is a very difficult task. To reduce the cost of raw materials, give a pleasant taste and increase addiction, a lot of ingredients are added to the cigarette. chemical elements. Tobacco burns along with impurities and enters the lungs with smoke, settling in the alveoli, but chemical additives come back out. Thus, passive smokers inhale not nicotine, but related drugs. It is resins and chemistry that are currently considered the most dangerous components for human life.

Passive smoking does not cause any particular addiction, but it hits the “smoker’s” body with a vengeance. For ease of vision, imagine a watermelon. The pulp is nicotine, and the seeds are impurities. An ordinary smoker eats the pulp and some of the seeds, and spits out some. A passive smoker simply eats up these bones.

The opinion of doctors is clear - passive smoking is no less dangerous than active smoking, both for mother and child. Pure resins easily settle in the lungs, leading to wide range respiratory tract diseases.

Consequences of smoking during pregnancy

The consequences can be varied. Some become known when the fetus is in the womb, some appear months after birth:

Mutation. Children of smoking mothers can be born with 6 fingers, without an ear or nasal cartilage, there are cases of children being born with a “tail” extension from the tailbone, and so on.
Facial deformities. Cleft lip and cleft palate occur many times more often in children of smoking mothers than in non-smoking mothers.
Cirrhosis of the liver. Thanks to the passage of nicotine through the digestive tract, from the first seconds of life, the child is provided with an operating table.
Asthma. 60–70% of children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy have congenital asthma.
Cerebral palsy and similar diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Mental retardation, including Down's disease.
Clubfoot. The possibility of giving birth to a child with clubfoot is 34% greater for a smoking mother than for a non-smoking mother.
Reproductive dysfunction in children. Boys may have problems with potency in the future.
Psychological abnormalities: inattention, impulsiveness, hyperactivity syndrome, decreased level of mental development.
Newborn mortality. 30% more in smokers than in women who lead healthy image life.

How long before conception should you quit smoking?

The problem is not only the fact of the presence of nicotine, but its negative impact. When a person quits smoking, the body experiences stress. Processes of “healing” of damaged organs occur, primarily the respiratory tract and heart (tachycardia, shortness of breath, bronchial deposits). Spending money on their restoration a large number of resources. At the same time, there is a colossal load on the nervous system.

Such experiments are not advisable for a pregnant woman. Her body must direct all available resources to bear the child.

Ideally, you should quit smoking 1 year before conception. The process itself will take place at a moderate pace, without sudden stops, and the body will have a lot of time to recover. The minimum period for stopping smoking is 3 months before pregnancy.

If a woman is a heavy smoker, the process will be difficult and difficult. When considering a situation in which pregnancy is not planned, but you need to quit smoking, you can resort to a number of “rules”:

Use one-piece slims. Not only is the dose of nicotine small, but they themselves are heavy, which means that you will, by definition, smoke less.
Replace the usual mechanical action with another. Often, it is not the cigarette that “calms” you down, but the movement itself.
Don't smoke the entire cigarette. Each time you try to leave more and more unfinished cigarettes.
Don't put yourself in situations that make you want to smoke. Nervous stress and groups of smoking friends tempt and encourage them to take a puff.

IN recent years, have become widespread e-Sigs. They are considered an alternative to the old way of smoking. There are many models and additives to satisfy the tastes of the most meticulous smokers. Before making an expensive purchase, consult a gynecologist, ask friends and acquaintances, maybe some of them have this miracle of technology. It cannot be called absolutely safe, but as an alternative during pregnancy, it is quite suitable if it is not possible to completely quit smoking in the shortest possible time.

Adverse changes in pregnant women who smoke come down to pathologies: in the mother’s body, during the intrauterine formation of the baby, in infants and growing children.

The mother's body and the child's body are a single whole - when the woman takes another puff, the baby is surrounded by a smoke screen, leading to vasospasm and oxygen starvation. Doctors note placental changes in pregnant women who abuse cigarettes. At the same time, the placenta takes on a more rounded shape and becomes thinner. The increase in the number of spontaneous abortions, the number of neonatal episodes of mortality and slowdowns in the development of newborns are attributed to early detachment and situations with large infarctions of the placenta due to the negative effects of nicotine.

The results of smoking before conception, during pregnancy and after birth:

an increase in the number of spontaneous abortions and spontaneous labor;
incidence of premature, low birth weight infants;
disorders associated with the breastfeeding process;
a decrease in adaptive factors and an increase in the incidence of newborn diseases;
risk birth defects;
noticeable lag of children in mental and physical terms.

Known facts about adverse effect smoking during pregnancy on the peripheral blood supply system of the expectant mother, as well as a decrease in the respiratory activity of the fetus. The detrimental effect of carbon monoxide and nicotine on the intrauterine development of the fetus concerns a decrease in the ability of hemoglobin to transport oxygen. As a result, arterial spasm of the uterus disrupts placental function.

Harm of smoking during pregnancy

A little-known fact is that tobacco carcinogens have a depressing effect on the functioning of the fetal reproductive system. Girls experience a decrease in the supply of eggs, and boys may have problems with potency later in life.

It is difficult to underestimate the harm of smoking during pregnancy for the mother herself:

the gestation process is more difficult;
cases of early toxicosis, as well as the state of gestosis, are common;
problems associated with varicose veins, dizziness, indigestion (constipation) are aggravated;
Nicotine causes vitamin C deficiency.

I would like to note that not sufficient quantity vitamin C in the mother’s body entails such troubles as: failure metabolic processes and immune functioning, impaired protein absorption and depressive states.

Smoking during pregnancy leads to fetal toxicity from tobacco smoke. The baby inevitably becomes a passive smoker. Such children are often exposed to harmful habits, such as tobacco and alcohol, already in adolescence. The worst thing is that newborns often suffer from “nicotine starvation,” that is, they develop a harmful addiction even in the womb. Addiction manifests itself in different ways: whims and poor sleep, the first breath at birth followed by a state of suffocation.

How is smoking harmful during pregnancy?

Passive or active smoking makes a child a smoker already in the mother’s womb, and the concentration of carcinogens from tobacco smoke in a developing baby is much higher and lasts longer than in the mother’s blood. Passive smoking has been proven to increase the risk of developing dementia syndrome.

Motherhood means care, love, the ability to think about the happiness and health of the unborn child. However, for some women in this situation, neither horror stories about long-term problems nor information about the harmful components of tobacco stop them from becoming addicted. But still, they should know how harmful smoking is during pregnancy. This knowledge did not appear out of nowhere, but reflects research data from scientists around the world on the effect of nicotine on the course of pregnancy and embryo development:

the ability to conceive in smokers is significantly reduced - in women there is difficulty in the movement of the egg in fallopian tubes and suppression of the action of hormones, and in men sperm lose motility;
the number of boys born decreases - it has been proven that the male embryo is more difficult to get used to the conditions of survival. Passive smoking, for example, reduces the possible birth of a son by a third;
a child of smoking parents is doomed to problems related to reproductive function;
smoking by the expectant mother makes the child addicted to nicotine;
smoking during pregnancy threatens premature placental abruption, leading to complications of childbirth with large blood loss or miscarriage;
children of mothers who smoke are premature and lag behind their peers in development;
developmental defects and various pathologies appear - of the face, limbs, internal organs;
tobacco smoke impairs lung function in a child, which is provoked by a lack of surfactant;
Cigarette abuse often causes sudden infant death syndrome;
Babies of mothers who smoke are most susceptible to various diseases.

How does smoking affect pregnancy?

Heavy smoking during pregnancy affects a woman's weight. A smoker's body weight is less due to a decrease in appetite as a result of an addiction and a decrease in the amount of food consumed.

Scientists have determined that the number of spontaneous abortions directly depends on the number of cigarettes smoked by the expectant mother. Infant mortality in childbirth of mothers who smoke increases by 30%, and the risk of an unfavorable course of labor in smokers doubles. Premature birth is another adverse consequence tobacco

How does smoking affect pregnancy and thiocyanate levels? Smoking up to twenty cigarettes daily leads to an increase in thiocyanate in the blood of the mother and, accordingly, the baby, which is determined by blood serum analysis. An increase in thiocyanate causes endothelial dysfunction, which is the main factor in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary processes.

The effect of smoking on pregnancy

Doctors have included the concept of “fetal tobacco syndrome” to determine the degree of influence of nicotine on the baby. A similar diagnosis in children is differentiated if:

the expectant mother smoked more than five cigarettes daily;
the woman had severe hypertension during pregnancy;
a symmetrical slowdown in growth was noted in a newborn at 37 weeks;
the senses of taste and smell are dulled, there is stomatitis;
observed increased coagulability blood;
there is a violation of hematopoiesis;
reduced immunity;
noted premature aging skin (formation of wrinkles);
antidiuretic effect.

Negative influence Smoking during pregnancy concerns primarily disturbances in the structure of the tissues of the placenta, which becomes thinner and its weight decreases significantly compared to the norm. Under the influence of nicotine, the placenta acquires a rounded shape and undergoes changes in the blood supply. Data pathological processes often contribute to premature rejection of the placenta, extensive hemorrhage in its tissue and fetal death.

Carcinogens from tobacco smoke activate spasms in uterine arteries, leading to dysfunction of the placental circulation and, as a consequence, insufficient oxygen supply to the fetus, which causes growth retardation. Increased content carbon dioxide in the blood can lead to hypoxia of the embryo.

It is important to note that smoking during pregnancy reduces the absorption of vitamins B, C and folic acid, which is fraught with problems when developing the baby’s central nervous system.

Does smoking affect pregnancy?

News about the birth of life does not always make a woman give up cigarettes. Many expectant mothers prefer to reduce the number of cigarettes/packs they smoke and that’s it.

The baby's reaction inside the mother's tummy was tracked by scientists who performed ultrasound diagnostics. It turned out that only when the pregnant woman intended to smoke did the child begin to shrink and grimace.

If you are still in doubt about whether smoking affects pregnancy, you should turn to the experience of medical representatives. Scientists around the world have been studying the effects of tobacco smoke on mothers and babies. In addition to physical pathologies, underdevelopment, intellectual and mental nature Smoking during pregnancy can cause complications social realization in future. The closed, unfavorable space in which the baby was during development leaves its imprint on the subconscious level for life.

Let's remember that cigarette smoke consists of approximately 800 components, thirty of which are poisonous - carbon monoxide, nicotine, cadmium, mercury, cobalt, etc. Therefore, tobacco intoxication is a constant companion of all smoking mothers and their children.

Smoking and planning pregnancy

Planning for conception means the readiness of a married couple to become parents. With this approach, both man and woman realize the importance of creating healthy, full-fledged development conditions for the future baby. Spouses deliberately check the condition of their body, get rid of existing problems, put their emotional condition.

It becomes obvious to such people that smoking and planning a pregnancy are incompatible things. Both future parents should give up the negative habit as early as possible. After all, the ability to reproduce reproductive functions in smokers is almost halved. In men, the quality of sperm decreases significantly, and in women, the number of eggs decreases. As it turned out, it is more difficult for smokers to get pregnant even with the help of IVF, and the number of attempts doubles.

Based on the fact that male body gets rid of nicotine faster than women, then you can plan conception three months after quitting smoking, provided that only the future dad was a smoker.

When can you plan to get pregnant after smoking?

A number of studies report that blood cleansing occurs after eight hours from smoking. It will take up to six months to completely remove nicotine toxins from the body.

Before pregnancy, you should give up cigarettes at least a month in advance, because nicotine significantly reduces the chances of possible conception. It should be noted that using a nicotine patch or chewing gum To combat tobacco addiction is possible only before conception.

About the negative effects of smoking on female body a lot has been said - heart and lung diseases, liver problems, decreased defenses, etc. How long will it take a woman to recover from an addiction? It all depends on the intensity of smoking, the state of the body systems, proper nutrition and emotional stability. How pregnancy will proceed after smoking depends on the presence of chronic diseases caused by addiction.

Smoking before pregnancy

Nicotine addiction is a common cause of infertility. Scientists have found that women who smoke have less viable eggs. This is due to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons entering organs and systems through tobacco smoke. A woman’s ability to conceive is reduced by half on average, which is determined by the frequency and number of cigarettes smoked.

Women who are addicted to cigarettes more often suffer from disruptions in the menstrual cycle, they do not experience ovulation and quickly experience menopause.

Passive smoking before pregnancy, especially when the father is also exposed to the negative habit, further reduces the chances of successful fertilization. Male smokers have problems with potency, quality and viability of sperm.

Smoking early in pregnancy

You smoked and didn't know you were pregnant. The news of new life within you brings joy and worry about possible harm. Nature showed concern for the future baby here too. Conception occurs approximately on the fourteenth day of the cycle. The first week is characterized by a lack of communication between the mother and the embryo, which develops at the expense of its own strength and reserves. The embryo is introduced into the endometrium of the uterus only in the second week of pregnancy, and when the delay occurs, the woman learns about pregnancy.

Smoking at the beginning of pregnancy disrupts all physiological processes in the mother’s body and negatively affects the formation of the internal organs and systems of the unborn baby.

It is easier to forget about a bad habit at the beginning of pregnancy than to do it at a later date.

Smoking in early pregnancy

Nicotine addiction prevents the organs of the unborn baby from “maturing” by replacing healthy cells with sick ones. The appearance of defective cells is due to tobacco toxins. Maximum nicotine damage is caused to the bone marrow, which requires a transplant after the baby is born.

The expectant mother may not suspect that pregnancy is occurring or console herself with excuses: quitting smoking will be stressful for the baby; for the first two weeks there is no connection between the mother’s body and the embryo.

Be that as it may, smoking in the early stages of pregnancy is selfishness and irresponsibility towards your child. Gynecologists and obstetricians unanimously say that it is better to forget about cigarettes even before conception. If the pregnancy was not planned, then the expectant mother should get rid of the addiction immediately after receiving the good news.

Smoking in early pregnancy

Smoking is considered the most harmful in the early stages of pregnancy, when all the organs and systems of the baby are formed. One puff delivers a significant amount of harmful substances to the embryo - nicotine, benzopyrene, carbon monoxide. Nicotine provokes fetal hypoxia, caused by the influence of carbon monoxide, which penetrates the placental barrier into the blood of the developing child and forms carboxyhemoglobin with hemoglobin.

The presence of nicotine in the body of the expectant mother significantly weakens the blood flow in the vessels of the placenta, thereby reducing the supply of nutrition to the fetus. Spontaneous termination of pregnancy, increase vaginal bleeding– common side effects tobacco on early.

Addiction to cigarettes at the beginning of pregnancy is fraught with the possibility of developing mutations in the newborn - “cleft palate” or “cleft lip”. The formation of the palate occurs just between the sixth and eighth weeks.

If you did not know about the life emerging inside you and continued to smoke, then you should get rid of the bad habit as quickly as possible. Ideally, you should not be introduced to cigarettes at all or give up the addiction until the moment of conception.

Smoking in the first days of pregnancy

Even passive smoking, first of all, has a negative effect on a woman’s body, worsening the condition of the lungs and immune system. Female smokers are most susceptible respiratory diseases, which is completely unnecessary during pregnancy.

It is believed that in the first days after conception there is no connection between mother and embryo. Therefore, smoking in the first days of pregnancy does not harm the unborn child. As a rule, most mothers find out about their new position after two or even five weeks after conception, continuing to smoke.

If you are unable to lead a completely healthy lifestyle, then there is nicotine in your blood, which has a negative effect on your organs and systems. The number of cigarettes smoked daily also matters.

Gynecologists recommend getting rid of addiction to tobacco as quickly as possible in order to avoid difficulties with the intrauterine development of the baby and complications during pregnancy, as well as during labor.

Smoking in the first weeks of pregnancy

Many women smokers often, unaware of pregnancy, continue to smoke their dose of nicotine. It is important to immediately abandon the negative attachment, after confirming the fact of conception.

The placenta becomes the home for future life for all nine months, providing the child with everything necessary for full development - oxygen, nutrients, protective antibodies. The formation of placental tissue is completed by the end of the twelfth week after conception, and smoking in the first weeks of pregnancy introduces various disruptions to the natural process. The embryo suffers from oxygen starvation and is poisoned by tobacco toxins.

Smoking at 5 weeks of pregnancy

In the fifth week of pregnancy, active fetal development occurs:

division of cells into groups to form various organs;
the origin of the prototype of the future nervous system (neural tube);
the formation of the most complex organ - the brain;
the heart begins to beat;
the circulatory system develops.

In the photographs, the embryo resembles a shrimp with bronchial buds, thyroid and pancreas glands, liver, kidneys and adrenal glands.

From the above, it becomes clear that smoking at 5 weeks of pregnancy is more than an irresponsible act. The expectant mother should remember that the beginning of pregnancy is especially dangerous due to the possibility of miscarriage. A woman needs to carefully monitor her health: take vitamins, eat right, do not get too cold or overheat, forget about medications and bad habits.

Quitting tobacco and alcohol will protect your baby from changes in DNA structure and congenital deformities.

The hormonal peak occurs precisely in the fifth week after conception. The embryo already has a connection with the mother's body through the umbilical cord and draws vital resources thanks to the nutrition and oxygen coming from the mother.

Smoking during pregnancy contributes to the penetration of toxic tobacco smoke into the baby, causing suffocation and severe intoxication. After birth, such babies become dependent on nicotine and may experience respiratory arrest and spontaneous death.

During this period, the placenta is actively forming, and the mother’s addiction can disrupt the natural physiological process. The consequences can be disastrous - changes in the circulatory system of the placenta, early detachment, bleeding and spontaneous termination of pregnancy.

Smoking at 6 weeks of pregnancy

In the sixth week, the baby resembles a tadpole with dark dots in the places of the future eyes and nostrils. The outlines of the limbs and hollows where the ears used to be are beginning to appear. Ultrasound detects the embryonic heartbeat, and blood begins to circulate in the developing body.

What are the harms of smoking at 6 weeks of pregnancy? Imagine a closed space where about four thousand toxic components are concentrated. Tobacco smoke containing:

nicotine, which constricts blood vessels;
carbon, which causes a lack of oxygen;
strong carcinogen - benzene;
hydrogen cyanide, used to poison rats;
formaldehyde.

Now realize that the enclosed space is your womb with a growing new life, which is forced to absorb all the toxic fumes. The saddest thing is that in this situation the baby simply does not have the right to choose.

Smoking at 8 weeks of pregnancy

Mothers should realize that smoking during the 8th week of pregnancy can cause pathologies in the formation of the baby’s nasopharynx. Many people have heard about problems such as “cleft lip” and “cleft palate,” but few people know that such congenital deformities are solved through complex surgical procedures. Therefore, smoking mothers should not continue to look for excuses, but are recommended to get rid of nicotine addiction.

Smoking during pregnancy deprives the embryo of sufficient oxygen and causes dysfunction in the mother's circulatory system. These facts give rise to changes in the baby’s mental development, often leading to Down syndrome after birth.

Smoking at 10 weeks of pregnancy

Most of all, poisons from tobacco smoke harm the embryo at the first stage of development, when the formation of all vital organs and systems occurs. The baby inside the mother's womb experiences a double dose of nicotine intoxication, and the small and delicate nascent organs are not able to withstand the destructive smoke.

So weak babies with congenital pathologies are born, susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. It’s not for nothing that some gynecologists equate smoking at 10 weeks of pregnancy to a crime. The risk of spontaneous death of the baby increases, and the chances of reproducing a healthy baby tend to zero.

At the end of the tenth week of gestation, the embryo enters the fetal stage, when its active growth begins. Despite the fact that the risk of birth defects is greatest in the first nine weeks of development, smoking at 10 weeks of pregnancy can negatively affect the further development of the baby’s internal organs. The formation of the nervous system continues with the development of reflexes (lip movement, sucking reflex). The liver, kidneys, brain, diaphragm are also at the stage of improving their functionality.

Mom's smoking during pregnancy causes irreparable physiological and mental damage to the health of the unborn baby. After birth, the child may develop diseased lungs, heart defects, mental retardation, and mental disorders.

Smoking at 12 weeks of pregnancy

The twelfth week ends the first trimester of pregnancy. The formation of all organs in the fetus has already occurred, the brain is almost formed. The child's skeleton reaches the ossification phase, characterized by the formation of bone substance. At this stage intrauterine development The thymus gland (thymus) functions actively, promoting the accumulation of T-lymphocytes (necessary in the future to fight infection), and the thyroid gland, which synthesizes iodotyrosine and regulates metabolic processes. Tissue development and growth continues under the influence of thyroid hormones.

Smoking at the 12th week of pregnancy will be absolutely inappropriate, since before the 14th week the active formation of the vital systems of the baby’s body occurs. The influence of nicotine affects primarily the natural development of organs. Carcinogens contained in cigarettes can cause physical abnormalities and mental problems. There is a high probability of miscarriage as a result of placental rejection due to disturbances in the circulatory system of the placenta.

Smoking at 16 weeks of pregnancy

The sixteenth week of gestation is the accelerated formation of nerve cells, neurons that began to form from the fifth week. Now five thousand new cells appear every second. The pituitary gland comes into play. At the sixteenth week, hemoglobin begins to be produced, and the digestive function of the liver is added to the hematopoietic function.

Breathing continues through the umbilical cord, so smoking at 16 weeks of pregnancy does not bode well except for further problems.

Each stage of intrauterine development is unique, created by nature to establish or improve the functions of the systems of a new organism. Your baby is already quite active: he is able to make faces, spit, makes swallowing and sucking movements, and turns his head. An ultrasound can capture his indignation at the incoming nicotine poison - grimaces, compression of the body.

Smoking at 18 weeks of pregnancy

At eighteen weeks, the brain continues to form, and adipose tissue is formed in the child. Gaining its strength the immune system, which began to produce substances that help fight viruses and infection. The baby in the mother's tummy picks up the penetrating light and sound vibrations.

If you continue smoking at 18 weeks of pregnancy and cannot control yourself, then the child will experience colossal intoxication from nicotine. An addiction is a factor that increases the risk of congenital pathologies.

Experienced smokers should ideally get rid of nicotine addiction by the twelfth week of embryonic development. Maternal instinct, willpower, or spontaneous cessation of a bad habit can help.

Smoking at 23 weeks of pregnancy

The twenty-third week is the period of the beginning of the formation of the fat layer in the embryo and active growth. The development of the blood vessels of the lungs indicates their preparation for respiratory function. The baby exhibits breathing movements, however, the lungs do not open. A small amount of amniotic fluid enters the baby’s respiratory system, which does not cause any harm and is quickly absorbed. Breathing “training” includes about sixty movements with a break of thirty to sixty minutes. This process is disrupted by smoking at 23 weeks of pregnancy, which causes hypoxia. There is an opinion that a cigarette smoked by a mother causes the baby not to breathe for up to half an hour.

Smoking during pregnancy in the sixth month provokes premature birth. Nursing such a newborn difficult process and is characterized by a high probability of death of the infant. Complications for smoking mothers may include a stillborn baby, placental abruption with heavy bleeding.

Smoking at 30 weeks of pregnancy

Doctors believe that getting rid of the addiction to tobacco even at the thirtieth week of gestation will help the baby gain the necessary weight. During this period of development, a fatty layer appears, causing the accumulation of calcium, iron, protein, and antibodies. The child's periods of sleep and wakefulness are identified, and the formation of characteristics in the nervous system and mental state occurs.

Smoking at 30 weeks of pregnancy often causes early placental abruption, leading to premature labor. These complications are resolved through surgery and are dangerous due to possible fetal death. Nicotine at this stage provokes a state of malnutrition - inconsistency physical development baby's organs during pregnancy.

Smoking at 33 weeks of pregnancy

The thirty-third week of pregnancy brings the long-awaited event of the birth of the baby closer. Mom-smokers should know that at this moment formation is taking place. pulmonary alveoli, and the liver acquires pronounced lobes and its cells are arranged in a strict order that determines the implementation of important physiological functions the body's primary chemical laboratory. The moment of independent insulin production occurs in the pancreas. The “adjustment” of all the baby’s internal organs is completed.

It becomes clear that smoking at 33 weeks of pregnancy will not bring anything good to the baby. Nicotine intoxication, insufficient oxygen and nutrients, developmental delay, organ dysfunction, congenital pathologies– all these are the consequences of tobacco smoke.

Placental abruption and premature birth are also the result of smoking during pregnancy at 33 weeks. Given pathological condition poses a serious threat to the baby's life and is fraught with severe blood loss for the mother.

Smoking in the first month of pregnancy

The first months after conception are characterized by the greatest vulnerability of the embryo, as all the main systems of the future baby are born.

As a rule, a woman finds out about pregnancy no earlier than four to five weeks. The body is in for a hormonal shock, eating habits change, and emotional instability and a number of physiological changes (vaginal discharge, nipple swelling, nausea, etc.). Some women experience an aversion to cigarette smoke during this period. But it also happens that the restructuring processes do not in any way affect the desire to take a couple of puffs.

Smoking in the first month of pregnancy is considered very dangerous due to the threat of miscarriage. The embryo does not receive enough oxygen, the process of physiological formation of organs and systems is disrupted. Passive inhalation of tobacco smoke is no less harmful, so teach your household members to go out into the air to “smoke”.

Smoking during the 5th month of pregnancy

By the fifth month of intrauterine development, the baby’s limbs are already well developed, and he enjoys testing them in movement. Fetal activity is replaced by periods of calm. The baby is able to cough and hiccup, which expectant mothers can detect. The baby accumulates brown fat in the womb, which allows it to maintain a constant body temperature. The fat layer under the skin provides the baby with protection from hypothermia and substances involved in vital processes. Formed in the skin sweat glands.

Mom’s smoking during the 5th month of pregnancy can cause a colossal disruption in subtle natural processes. If there is insufficient oxygen supply due to the action of nicotine toxins, the natural rhythm of development is disrupted.

At this time, premature birth will be absolutely undesirable, which can be provoked by active tobacco abuse. A baby at five months is completely unprepared to meet the outside world, and his chances of survival are negligible.

Smoking at 6 months of pregnancy

The fetus in the sixth month of development has a thin body, devoid of fat deposits, with developed limbs. Sweat glands begin to form in the skin, the eyes are still closed. This period is also characterized by the formation of papillae on the tongue, but the baby will learn to distinguish taste notes upon reaching the twenty-eighth week.

Wise nature conceived the consistent formation of a new life with the formation, development and, one might say, “ripening” of organs. Each stage of gestation is the finest physiological process, which smoking during pregnancy can bring about negative changes. Internal systems The baby is so easily vulnerable, and nicotine poison easily penetrates the placental barrier.

The baby has already developed facial expressions, and he reacts negatively to maternal smoking at the 6th month of pregnancy, which doctors were able to capture during an ultrasound scan. Some babies make faces, grimace, even hold their breath at the mere thought of their mother’s cigarette.

Smoking at 8 months pregnant

Systematic smoking during the 8th month of pregnancy increases the risk of possible complications during this period - uterine bleeding, prenatal condition, miscarriage, etc. A mother's addiction to cigarettes affects the development of the baby in her womb. Among the pathologies in the baby are low weight, cases of spontaneous mortality in the first days of life after birth.

When the mother takes another puff, the baby, who is in a closed and smoke-filled space, coughs and gags, his heart begins to beat faster, and the lack of oxygen deprives him of the opportunity to fully develop until the moment of birth.

Smoking at 9 months pregnant

The last month of gestation is preparatory, when the baby gains about 250g per week and descends lower in the pelvic cavity. The first training contractions appear, short and painless. During this period, it becomes easier for a woman to breathe.

Smoking in the 9th month of pregnancy is characterized by the following complications:

placental abruption and heavy bleeding, which is an indication for cesarean section;
possible exacerbation of hypertension;
late toxicosis;
premature labor;
the risk of a stillborn baby increases.

Smoking in the last month of pregnancy

The increase in the number of future mothers who smoke, sadly enough, is happening in all countries. Increase in number unmarried women, deterioration social conditions are the causes of cigarette and alcohol abuse. Moreover, expectant mothers are not stopped by warnings about a possible miscarriage or complications during pregnancy.

Smoking in the last month of pregnancy disrupts a woman’s peripheral blood supply, which in turn causes hypoxia in the baby (lack of oxygen). For this reason, fetal underdevelopment may occur and the risk of having a premature baby increases.

Carcinogens from tobacco smoke have a pathological effect on the psyche of the unborn child. The fact is that cigarette toxins provoke insufficient blood flow to the fetal brain. This is how abnormalities of the nervous system and mental disorders appear. The results of some studies indicate a connection between smoking during pregnancy and Down syndrome in the child after birth.

Heart defects, nasopharyngeal defects, inguinal hernia, strabismus - this is a list of common problems for babies whose mothers were addicted to smoking during pregnancy.

Smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy

X-ray exposure, alcohol consumption, intake medicines and smoking in the first trimester of pregnancy cause irreparable harm to the baby. To understand what this is connected with, it is necessary to remember the stages of the intrauterine formation of a child.

During the first month, the formation of the heart, lungs, brain and the formation of the umbilical cord begins, through which nutrition is supplied and waste products are removed. The second month is characterized by the formation of limbs and brain growth. The stomach and liver develop, and the development of other organs is noted. In the third month, the baby begins to move, which is not felt at all due to its small weight (about 30g) and size (approximately 9cm). This stage is the formation of the reproductive system.

It would be unnecessary to remind you about the importance of the processes taking place, the ban on smoking during pregnancy, a balanced diet, following all doctor’s instructions and taking vitamins.

Smoking in the second trimester of pregnancy

The fourth month of gestation is a period of active intrauterine growth of the baby. The navel cord enlarges and thickens to receive more blood and nutrition. During the fourth and fifth months, a weight gain of about two kilograms will appear. The expectant mother will begin to feel the first stirring in her stomach. In the sixth month, more is required large quantity nutrients, so a woman should eat a balanced and regular diet.

Smoking in the second trimester of pregnancy, when the placenta is fully formed and functioning, provokes insufficient oxygen supply to the baby. This contributes to the development of chronic or acute hypoxia, which disrupts the natural growth and development of the baby. Early maturation of the placenta, changes in its shape and thinning of the wall may occur. For these reasons, there is a threat of spontaneous birth and death of the baby.

Smoking in the third trimester of pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy poses a risk for both the expectant mother and the baby. A cigarette smoked leads to spasm of blood vessels in the circulatory system of the placenta, which causes oxygen starvation of the fetus. Therefore, even passive smoking at the last stage of a baby’s development causes irreparable harm to him. Children of mothers who smoke are susceptible to obesity, colds, allergic reactions, diabetes.

Smoking in the third trimester of pregnancy can provoke early labor as a result of placental abruption. Rejection of the placenta from the walls of the uterus should occur only after childbirth, therefore premature passage of the placenta is a pathology that poses a threat to the baby’s life. This condition is determined by bleeding, which worsens the woman’s condition.

Another problem for smoking mothers is long term is gestosis, which also causes a number of complications due to changes in the vascular system of the placenta - disorders embryonic development, premature labor.

Smoking in late pregnancy

Doctors say that it is always better to forget about smoking at any stage of pregnancy than to continue to persist in your unfavorable addiction. Quitting tobacco even in the last month can reduce the risk of possible complications for a woman and her child.

What are the risks of smoking in late pregnancy? First of all, fetal malnutrition, which is manifested by a discrepancy between the characteristics of physical development and gestation period. Vascular spasms, leading to a decrease in blood flow to the uterus and a limitation of nutrients supplied to the baby, cause malnutrition.

The entry of carbon monoxide into the mother's body is a factor causing oxygen starvation in the child. Newborns with this syndrome are behind in weight, have difficulty gaining it and require intensive care and special care.

Smoking during pregnancy, which is approaching its end, causes a delay in the formation of certain organs in the baby - the liver, kidneys, and brain. These mothers are more likely to have stillborn babies or die during the first weeks of life. Medical workers familiar with sudden infant death syndrome, when death occurs for no apparent reason, often in a dream.

Enjoying nicotine before imminent birth often provokes gestosis, the development of which to eclampsia threatens the life of the mother and baby. Preeclampsia is characterized by changes in the vascular system of the placenta, which causes inhibition of fetal development, placental abruption, provoking premature labor.

Consequences of smoking during pregnancy

Predict everything negative phenomena from active and passive smoking during pregnancy is quite difficult, since some of the pathologies in the child appear years later.

Smoking four cigarettes daily is already a serious threat in the form of premature labor. Smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk factors for perinatal mortality.

In children, with an increase in the intensity of maternal smoking, a decrease in body length, head circumference and shoulder girdle size is observed. The consequences of smoking during pregnancy extend to stagnant processes in physical, intellectual and emotional development. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are most susceptible to bronchitis and pneumonia.

Severe anomalies in congenital infants that develop as a result of maternal smoking include:

defects in the development of the neural tube (dysraphism);
heart disease;
disturbances in the formation of the nasopharynx;
inguinal hernia;
strabismus;
abnormalities in mental development.

Tobacco abuse affects the appearance of trisomy (Down syndrome).

Pregnancy and smoking: how to quit?

Incompatible concepts are pregnancy and smoking. How to quit a bad habit? It turns out it's not that difficult. If you lasted the first twenty-four hours, it means you practically won. It remains to control yourself when meeting with friends, in moments nervous tension, overwhelming boredom, etc.

Ladies for whom the daily norm was more than ten cigarettes daily are not advised to give up smoking abruptly. Pregnancy is stressful for the body, and changes in an established lifestyle, which includes smoking, can add stress to your physical and emotional state. Quickly quitting tobacco can reduce heart contractions and activate muscle contractility, which can lead to spontaneous abortion. Therefore, if you are an experienced smoker, stretch out the process of “quitting” cigarettes over time (approximately three weeks). Reduce the amount of smoking every day and develop the habit of not finishing a cigarette until the end - satisfying your nicotine hunger with a couple of puffs is enough.

Passive smoking during pregnancy

Toxins from cigarettes enter the human body through tobacco smoke. The smoker himself absorbs no more than 20% of harmful substances; he releases the rest of the carcinogens into the surrounding air, poisoning bystanders. One hour of passive smoking is enough to receive a dose of nicotine, which provokes diseases of the lungs and cardiovascular system, developing the formation of cancerous tissue.

A factor influencing premature labor and lack of oxygen in the fetus is passive smoking during pregnancy. The penetration of cigarette smoke into the fetus increases the risk of developing pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma after birth. Children whose mothers unwittingly inhaled tobacco smoke during pregnancy are more likely to suffer from allergies and have weakened immunity.

Smoking hashish or marijuana during pregnancy

Marijuana is a smoking mixture of the dried plant “Cannabis sativa” with the main chemical component – delta-9-hydrocannabinol, which promotes changes in consciousness.

Hashish is a substance made by pressing the cannabis herb, with the main ingredient being delta-9-tetra-hydrocannabinol. In terms of its psychoactive effect, hashish is considered a stronger drug than marijuana.

However, the effects of psychotropic products are similar: increased heart rate, weakened tone and dilation of the bronchi, redness of the eyes. Narcotic substances affect the "pleasure centers" in human brain, leading to a temporary feeling of euphoria. Retribution will come in the form of memory problems, impaired coordination of movements, toxic psychosis and other changes.

Smoking hashish during pregnancy often provokes prolonged labor. The negative impact of the substance on the baby concerns slow growth and development, decreased reproductive functions during adult life, problems with the nervous system and vision.

Studies have shown that children of mothers who preferred to smoke marijuana during pregnancy exhibit distorted reactions to visual stimuli, have an increase in tremors (active movements of the limbs as a result of muscle contractions), and are screamers. All these facts may indicate the presence of problems in the nervous system.

The consequences of marijuana for growing children and schoolchildren indicated:

behavioral disorders;
decreased language perception;
difficulty concentrating;
memory weakness and difficulty solving visual problems.

Smoking and alcohol during pregnancy

Smoking and alcohol during pregnancy are explosive mixture, a double threat to the life and health of the child.

Abuse of alcoholic beverages increases the likelihood of various types of abnormalities in the baby. Alcohol that reaches the fetus remains in the fetal body twice as long as in the mother’s blood. Even moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy will not guarantee the absence of mental and physical abnormalities in the newborn.

Smoking during pregnancy and drinking alcohol are factors in spontaneous abortion, premature birth and complications during labor.

Simultaneous exposure to ethanol, acetaldehyde and nicotine on an embryo, especially in the early stages, can disrupt protein synthesis and lead to irreparable changes in DNA, causing brain pathologies.

Smoking during pregnancy is a conscious imposition of one’s will on an emerging new personality; the same as offering a child a cigarette or a shot of vodka. If you still don’t understand what it’s like for the little one inside you with tobacco smoke, look around you, find someone in your immediate environment who can’t stand cigarette smog, and watch him as you puff. Most likely, the poor fellow will hold his breath for a while, his face will distort into a grimace, he will begin to wave his hands near his nose, expressing dissatisfaction in every possible way. But this person there is a choice - he can move away from you, which your unborn child cannot do.

There are often lovers of a bad habit who do not part with a cigarette even while waiting for the baby. But smoking during pregnancy is contraindicated for any woman.

Unfortunately, a quarter of pregnant women continue to smoke systematically.

Perhaps they have no idea about the consequences for the baby.

And many are sincerely mistakenly convinced that it is impossible to quit abruptly, because a fetus that has received a dose of nicotine should not be deprived of it, since this can harm it.

When to quit

Of course, ideally, to endure absolutely healthy child, it is generally undesirable for a woman to start smoking.

Actually, just like having other similar addictions, since they can generally deprive her of the opportunity to become a mother.

If you do get hooked on nicotine, you need to quit the bad habit before conception.

It is advisable to have a baby only after three years from the moment you stopped smoking.

The reality is this: a smoking woman, being in an interesting position, sometimes simply continues to smoke.

The danger of the situation is as follows: at this stage, all the main organs and systems of the embryo are formed, that is, nicotine already affects the baby.

However, do not despair: it is never too late to stop smoking, especially if it concerns not only you.

Scientists have come to the conclusion: a woman who stops a bad habit in the early stages of pregnancy will reduce the risks of giving birth to an unhealthy heir to a minimum.

Even after giving up while in the ninth month, your baby will literally breathe a sigh of relief. After all, he will finally begin to receive oxygen in the volume he needs, affecting the acceleration of the pace of development.

The statement is often heard: smoking during pregnancy does not affect as much as a sharp refusal if conception has occurred.

Allegedly, by quitting smoking, the pregnant woman’s body will begin to intensively cleanse itself, and the process will affect the baby, who may ultimately be seriously harmed.

Any self-respecting doctor can refute this stereotype. Let me also explain in passing: reducing the number of cigarettes smoked for a long time will not reduce the nicotine content in the female body.

That is why an adequate expectant mother must urgently quit smoking.

It is well known: literally after one puff, nicotine instantly “gets” to the child, and five cigarettes a day is quite enough for the first consequences to appear.

However, if a woman needs a pack of cigarettes or more per day, all risks increase. For example, a baby will be born with a body weight that will be one third lower than normal.

How does smoking affect

in the first trimester

From the moment conception occurs until the moment the embryo attaches to the wall of the uterus, the consequences of maternal smoking are minimal for it.

But immediately after implementation in uterine wall the situation is changing dramatically, because he immediately receives a portion of toxins that have accumulated in the body.

It is believed that it is at this stage that the influence of nicotine is decisive; there is a danger of causing the most serious harm to the fetus, because it is in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy that the most important organs and systems.

Just imagine: the most serious processes take place in the constant presence of nicotine, carbon monoxide, tar, hydrocyanic acid, and various carcinogens (about 2,500 components in total).

In particular, it is believed that developmental defects such as “cleft palate” or “cleft lip” are formed, among other things, due to maternal smoking.

The baby may develop one of these pathologies, because it is during this period that the formation of the maxillofacial apparatus occurs.

Is it worth talking about the consequences for the nervous system and gastrointestinal tract of the fetus that appear during the first trimester.

It happens that smoking has a completely fatal effect: in the first three months interesting situation pregnancy may slow down or even stop.

Twice as often literally a few weeks after conception occurred.

If such mothers still drink, then the likelihood of miscarriage increases 4 times!

in the second and third trimesters

After the first three months of pregnancy, the consequences worsen.

Even a formed placenta, which is capable of retaining a variety of poisons and toxins, cannot save you from nicotine and other substances contained in tobacco.

On the contrary, it is seriously affected during smoking, and therefore is not able to fully fulfill its purpose.

As a result, the fetus chronically suffers from a lack of oxygen, and the placenta itself can “grow old” prematurely. The situation is likely to lead to fetal death or premature birth.

The child is not even able to gain the required weight and grow to 50 cm.

The taste of amniotic fluid becomes specific for a long time. Often during a smoke break you will - they say: the baby inside you is suffocating due to the developing vasospasm.

Passive smoking

Doctors believe she is pregnant mandatory It is necessary to exclude the possibility of passive smoking.

After all, even a smoker is protected much more than the one who stands next to him: he is saved by the filter, and you are forced to inhale everything harmful substances in its purest form.

In India, for example, a pregnant woman is officially allowed to beat someone who decides to smoke in her presence.

Passive smoking has an effect on the fetus - a fact that has long been scientifically proven.

The consequences can be truly dire. The smoke you inhale causes the following:

grows by 13% possible risk formation of developmental anomalies in the baby ( diabetes, heart defects, leukemia);
the likelihood of stillbirth increases by 23%;
the risk of premature birth increases significantly;
the likelihood of a possible miscarriage increases;
slow weight gain and growth compared to other children;
the likelihood of gestosis increases, having a serious impact on the development of the fetus.

Take a close look at these consequences - they are almost identical to those that await you if you smoke yourself.

Those. Inhalation of smoke in this case is equivalent to active smoking. 60 minutes of inhalation is equivalent to one cigarette.

Terrible consequences

Scientists, having studied the effect of smoking on a child, came to conclusions that simply cannot but shock.

A born boy is highly likely to become a criminal if the woman was unable to quit.

The risk doubles.

It is clear to everyone that smoking and pregnancy are two incompatible concepts. Unfortunately, smoking during pregnancy is a pressing problem for many women, and not all of them understand the risk to the unborn child. But the harm from this habit can affect not only the unborn child, but also interfere with the process of conception itself.

Let's talk in more detail about the consequences of maternal smoking before pregnancy for the unborn child and how smoking affects pregnancy.

Pregnancy and smoking. Smoking before conception

Smoking is one of the causes of infertility. Scientists have proven that a smoking woman's eggs die more often, and this happens under the negative influence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which enter the body along with tobacco smoke. Thus, smoking reduces the likelihood of conception by approximately half (depending on the woman’s smoking history).

By the way, quite often women who smoke experience irregularities in the menstrual cycle; accordingly, ovulation occurs less frequently, but menopause occurs earlier.

Smoking negatively affects not only the health of women, but also the health of men. After all, the quality of sperm in men who smoke is worse than in non-smokers. It contains a much smaller number of viable sperm. And in general, men who smoke often suffer from impotence. What can we say about the health of future offspring...

Pregnancy and smoking. Smoking in early pregnancy

If a woman is not planning a pregnancy, and does not stop smoking during this period, and also does not take too much care of her menstrual cycle, then she may not immediately notice that she is pregnant. What are the dangers of smoking in the early stages of pregnancy for the unborn child? As you know, the first weeks of pregnancy are the most important and dangerous in terms of the development of all kinds of complications and intrauterine pathologies. Even an ordinary climate change can provoke miscarriage or fetal death, let alone pregnancy and smoking, especially if a woman smokes more than five cigarettes a day.

Especially great harm can be caused to an unborn child if a woman has a long history of smoking and is over 35 years old. At this age, even without smoking, the risk of having a full-fledged and healthy child is reduced. But smoking and pregnancy at this age are very, very dangerous combination, because bearing a child involves increased load on the cardiovascular system, and in a smoking woman it is weakened. This leads to a constant exacerbation of chronic diseases and the emergence of new ones.

It is important to know that after each cigarette smoked, the blood vessels remain in a compressed state for some time and at this time the child receives an insufficient amount of oxygen and nutrients, which in the early stages can even cause the death of the child.

In later stages, chronic fetal hypoxia (lack of oxygen) often becomes the cause of the development of various diseases. It has already been scientifically proven that pregnancy and smoking often cause the birth of children with such congenital physical defects as cleft lip, cleft palate, etc. Such developmental defects are often explained precisely by the lack of oxygen during intrauterine development.

Pregnancy and late-term smoking

Smoking more than five cigarettes a day during pregnancy provokes such a very dangerous complication as placental abruption. When a pregnant woman experiences placental abruption, profuse bleeding, which can only be stopped surgically. In late pregnancy, doctors often resort to emergency caesarean section, as a result of which the baby can be saved. But often such children remain disabled for life, since placental abruption causes acute hypoxia in the fetus.

The combination of “smoking and pregnancy” provokes an exacerbation of hypertension and often becomes the cause of gestosis (late toxicosis of pregnant women). This condition requires timely treatment, otherwise it threatens the health of the mother and unborn child.

Smoking during pregnancy often causes a woman to be unable to carry a child to term. Thus, pregnancy and smoking are a dangerous combination in which a woman often experiences premature birth. It is also good if you manage to carry the child to such a period when he can survive. And if not? Is it worth the risk? And it’s probably not worth talking about the difficulties of caring for premature babies, as well as what health problems they subsequently have.

Women who smoke often experience dystrophic changes in the placenta that occur as a result negative impact harmful substances contained in tobacco. A poorly functioning placenta cannot fully supply the baby with all the nutrients and oxygen it needs. That is why, according to statistics, children of smoking women are usually born with less weight than those of non-smokers.

In especially severe cases, stillborn children are born even in late pregnancy. And smoking plays an important role here. In combination with other unfavorable factors such as infectious diseases and alcohol, smoking is one of the main reasons leading to intrauterine death fetus

Pregnancy and smoking. What happens after birth?

We have found out how smoking affects pregnancy. But what about figuring out what happens to babies whose blood has been exposed to harmful substances throughout pregnancy? Such children have a fairly high risk of developing various diseases pulmonary diseases(pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis). If, after birth, the child continues to inhale tobacco smoke, this risk increases several times.

Surely, every woman knows what sudden infant death is and is afraid of it. This is when, for unknown reasons, a baby's heart stops beating. Exact reasons This phenomenon is unknown, but according to several tests, such a dangerous combination as pregnancy and smoking is not the least important.

Pregnancy and smoking: quit or not?

After we have figured out how smoking affects the early and late stages of pregnancy, as well as the health of the child after birth, you need to decide whether you want a similar fate for your unborn child? But now they say on every corner that sudden throwing is also harmful to the unborn child? Yes, unfortunately, this is true. If the mother smokes a lot, then you should not quit abruptly, as this is fraught with severe stress for the mother, which, naturally, will not have any effect. positive influence for the fruit. But, nevertheless, it is necessary to quit, you just need to do it gradually. You just have to remember that nicotine addiction disappears very quickly - just a few days are enough. The psychological one, of course, will be much more difficult to cope with, but you must admit that your incentive is not weak - the health of your unborn child.