Smoking is injurious to health. This statutory warning that you get prior to watching any movie should be the prime objective of your life, especially when you are pregnant. Smoking, whether you are doing it actively or inhaling secondhand smoke, is equally harmful to your unborn baby.
The toxins present in the smoke of a cigar or cigarette reside in the air for hours after the actuarial burning of it. Coming in contact with this residual tobacco smoke can harm the growth and well-being of your unborn baby. Let then understand the effects of passive smoking on pregnancy to avoid it altogether.
What Is Passive Smoking?
Passive smoking is when you don’t smoke but get the harm of it through the air that you inhale. When a person smokes a cigarette or a cigar, a lot of smoke circulates in the air that indirectly enters the lungs of others around. The inhaling of this secondhand smoke is called passive smoking. Not only is it harmful for babies in general but also for pregnant women leading to premature birth, low birth weight, and even sudden infant death syndrome (1)
How Is Smoking Harmful To Your Body?
Smoking regularly does not only make you addicted to it, but it has several other health implications too. There are more than 100 harmful chemicals in tobacco that can damage your body by (2);
- Nicotine, the prime substance of tobacco, narrows the pathways of veins and arteries.
- Tar gets stored in your lungs, making it harder for you to breathe
- Phenols present in it kill your nostril hairs and clean particles from your airways
- Carbon monoxide reduces oxygen rates in your blood
- Chemicals causing rapid abnormal growth of cancerous cells leading to 16 types of cancer
How Can Smoking Harm Your Pregnancy?
Whether you are a passive smoker or an active one, smoking is immensely harmful to your pregnancy. The first thing is that smoking will not get you pregnant. Smoking is directly linked to a lack of fertility both in males and females. The effect of smoking is so glaring for pregnancy that doctors suggest quitting smoking at least 3 months before and thereby trying for conception (3). Smoking during pregnancy can directly put your baby’s life at risk.
How Can Smoking Affect Your Baby?
There are multiple harmful effects of smoking on your unborn baby. From premature births to birth defects and even infantile deaths, smoking has serious effects on babies during pregnancy (4).
- Smoking can slow down the growth of your baby, leading to a low birth weight and stunted growth during birth.
- It may lead to health complications leading you to deliver much earlier than your due date.
- The toxins that the baby gets if you smoke during pregnancy can damage their lungs and brain forever.
- Smoking increases the risks of abnormal bleeding during childbirth, putting both you and your baby’s life at risk.
- It increases the risk of birth defects in babies, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
- Exposure to smoking during pregnancy and after birth increases the chances of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in babies.
What Is Secondhand Smoke?
Passive smoking is also known by the name secondary smoking, and the smoke that you inhale passively during this is known as secondhand smoke. Therefore, secondhand smoke is smoke that contains the harmful burning smoke of cigars, cigarettes, hookahs, or pipes. This secondhand smoke contains 7000 types of chemicals, out of which 70 are directly cancer-causing chemicals (5).
Risks Of Second-Hand Smoking On Pregnancy
Quitting smoking during pregnancy, therefore, is not enough. Someone smoking aside can harm your pregnancy at an equal velocity. The harmful effects of secondhand smoke in pregnancy are similar. This increases the chances of;
- Miscarriages
- Preterm birth
- Low birth weight
- Sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS
- Cognitive and behavioral deficiencies in the child
What Are Some Tips To Help You Quit Smoking?
Quitting smoking is not easy. However, the below tips will help you cope with it;
- Try nicotine-replacing products after consulting your doctor
- Try to chew pickles, celery, carrots, or sugarless gums to keep your mouth busy and mind diverted from the craving to smoke
- Try breathing exercises to relax and control your mind
- Avoid situations and friends who eventually lead you to smoke
What Is Thirdhand Smoke?
When somebody smokes in a confined place, the smoke remains there for quite a few time. Thirdhand smoke is, therefore, basically an aged secondhand smoke. It contains around 250 types of chemicals (6). When you inhale this air unknowingly, it can harm your body too.
Risk Of Third-Hand Smoking On Pregnancy
Thirdhand smoking, though not that much, yet harmful for your pregnancy. The effect of thirdhand smoke can result in respiratory defects, weakness, and hindered development of fetal lungs. This can also lead to SIDS.
Smoking during pregnancy, may it be active or passive, is extremely harmful to you and the baby you are holding inside. Inhaling the vengeful air containing nicotine for a considerable duration can directly impact the growth and well-being of the baby inside you. Therefore, carefully avoid the air and people who smoke around you.
FAQ’s
1. How Does Passive Smoking Affect Unborn Babies?
Regular exposure to passive smoking can directly cause preterm delivery, low birth weight, stillbirths, and SIDS. it can indirectly affect the functionality of the lungs of your unborn baby, increasing their chances of getting respiratory problems later on.
2. Is Secondhand Smoke Bad For You When Pregnant?
Yes, long-time exposure to secondhand smoke is extremely harmful to you during pregnancy. It may lead you to placenta previa, preterm labor, and abnormal bleeding, which are equally harmful to your life as it is for your baby.
3. How Does Smoking Affect The Foetus During Pregnancy?
Smoking during pregnancy can expose the fetus to harmful toxins that may result in its growth retardation. The carbon monoxide present in the smoke of a cigarette can increase the chances of birth defects, including cleft palate and cleft lips.
4. How A Fetus Is Harmed When A Pregnant Woman Smokes?
When a pregnant woman smokes, the fetus gets harmed internally as the toxins directly pass through the bloodstream. It can, therefore, lead to growth retardation, damage to the brain and lungs, and even birth defects.
References
- NHS, Passive smoking – https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/passive-smoking-protect-your-family-and-friends/#
- australian Government,Effects of smoking and tobacco – https://www.health.gov.au/topics/smoking-vaping-and-tobacco/about-smoking/effects#
- Liu B, Xu G, Sun Y, Qiu X, Ryckman KK, Yu Y, Snetselaar LG, Bao W. Maternal cigarette smoking before and during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: A dose-response analysis of 25 million mother-infant pairs. PLoS Med. 2020 Aug 18 – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7446793/
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US) Office on Smoking and Health. The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); 2014. 9 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK294307/
- CDC,About Secondhand Smoke – https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/secondhand-smoke/index.html#
- Northrup TF, Jacob P 3rd, Benowitz NL, Hoh E, Quintana PJ, Hovell MF, Matt GE, Stotts AL. Thirdhand Smoke: State of the Science and a Call for Policy Expansion. Public Health Rep. 2016 Mar-Apr – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4765971/
