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Pregnancy and Smoking
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Surgeon General's warning:
"Smoking by pregnant women may result in
fetal injury, premature birth and low birth
weight". Smoking deprives the fetus of
needed oxygen. The carbon monoxide in smoke
reduces the ability of blood to carry enough
oxygen to the fetus. Smoking causes the
umbilical arteries to narrow so less blood
gets to the fetus.
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Between 19 and 30% of
pregnant women in the US smoke. Smoking
causes 40% of miscarriages in women who
smoke for than a pack a day. Smoking causes
one-third of all low birth weight babies.
Smoking causes 14% of premature births.
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The more women smoke while
pregnant, the greater the reduction in her
baby's birth weight. The GOOD NEWS is that
babies of smokers who quit early in
pregnancy do as well as babies of
non-smokers.
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It is easier for a pregnant
smoker to quit if those around her do not
smoke. Second-hand smoke has been shown to
be especially dangerous to pregnant women
over 30 (Am. Journal of EPI 1997) -
non-smoking women over age 30 exposed to
second-hand smoke at home were twice as
likely to deliver a premature or low birth
weight baby than a same aged woman who lived
in a smoke free household.
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Nicotine passes into breast
milk exposing the nursing child to that and
chemical poisons. Nicotine poisoning has
been reported in a 6-week-old infant whose
mother smoked 20 cigarettes a day. The
symptoms were restlessness, vomiting,
diarrhea, and rapid heart rate. The symptoms
subsided when the mother stopped smoking.
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Parental Smoking is costly.
In the July '97 issue of Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine,
researchers estimate that parental smoking
results in $4.6 billion in direct medical
costs and $8.2 billion in loss of life costs
in the US each year. These figures include
costs for treating the effects of children's
low birth rate, asthma, ear infections and
fire-related injuries.
What You Can Do as a Parent/Family
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If you are pregnant and
smoke, get help to quit. If you smoke and
live with a pregnant woman, - QUIT. If you
don't quit, never smoke around a pregnant
woman. She is breathing for two!
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