Smoking during pregnancy not only affects your health, but also affects your baby's health before, during and after birth. Nicotine, carbon monoxide, and many other poisons inhaled through a cigarette travel through the bloodstream and go directly to your baby. Therefore, if you were unable to quit smoking before becoming pregnant, you should try it during pregnancy to protect the health of your son or daughter.
Protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do to give your child a healthy start in life. Cigarettes can restrict your baby's essential oxygen supply. As a result, your baby's heart will beat faster every time you smoke.
Smoking during pregnancy
Smoking not only harms the health of the future mother, it also has a very negative effect on the health of the baby inside. Let's see the Consequences of smoking during pregnancy:
- Reduces the amount of oxygen in both your body and your baby's
- Increases the baby's heart rate
- Increases the chances of spontaneous abortion or stillbirth
- Increases the risk that the baby will develop respiratory problems, that is, problems with their lungs
- Increases the risk of birth defects
- Increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome
- Increases the chances of having problems with the placenta, such as placental abruption or placenta previa
The more cigarettes you smoke each day, the greater the chance that your baby will develop any of these and other health problems. There is no safe level of cigarettes that can be smoked during pregnancy, so it is best to leave it immediately.
How does secondhand smoke affect pregnancy?
Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from a burning cigarette and the smoke exhaled by a smoker. The smoke that burns at the end of a cigarette, actually, contains more harmful substances than the smoke inhaled by the smoker. These substances are tar, carbon monoxide or nicotine, to name a few.
If you're regularly exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy, you'll have a higher chance of stillbirth, a low birth weight baby, a baby with birth defects and other pregnancy complications. Babies and children exposed to secondhand smoke can also develop problems such as asthma, allergies, and more frequent lung and ear infections.
How will I feel when I quit smoking during pregnancy?
The benefits of not smoking begin within a few days to stop smoking. after quitting smoking, your heartbeat and your baby's heartbeat will return to normal. Normal heart function means your baby will be less likely to develop breathing problems.
You may have withdrawal symptoms because your body is used to nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes. You may want to smoke, feel irritable, feel very hungry, cough often, have headaches, or have trouble concentrating. But you should not worry because these symptoms are temporary, they will disappear in about two weeks. It is important that you stay in control if withdrawal symptoms appear. Remember that it's just your body getting used to being without cigarettes. Even after withdrawal ends, you may feel an urge to smoke from time to time. However, these cravings don't last long and will go away even if you don't smoke.
Can I use nicotine patches during pregnancy?
Nicotine gum and patches release nicotine into the bloodstream of a smoker who is trying to quit. Although these products can reduce withdrawal symptoms and decrease cravings, the safety of these products has not been well evaluated in pregnant women.
Some specialists recommend that pregnant women consider using nicotine gum and patches as a last option, when all other attempts have failed. The best approach, however, is to eat a healthy diet, exercise, seek support from friends and family, and entertain yourself with hobbies..