AVOID SMOKING WHILE YOU ARE IN PREGNANCY
For safety and healty of our be born baby, please stop smoking. As we know,
there are approximately 4000 poisonous chemicals gas at the smoke of one cigarette.
Some of that could kill or injure our baby and also could increase the risk
of miscarriage. Among the many poisonous gases in cigarette smoke are nicotine
(an addictive drug known to narrow blood vessels), carbon monoxide (an oxygen
robber), benzene (a potential carcinogen), ammonia, and formaldehyde. The harmful
effects of cigarette smoke on you and your baby increase with each cigarette
smoked each day.
Some of the detrimental side effects of smoking during pregnancy include:
- Smoking robs babies of nourishment.
Many studies have shown that infants of mothers who smoke have lower birth
weights. The poisonous nicotine narrows uterine blood vessels, thus reducing
blood flow to the baby in the womb. Less blood flow means less nourishment
and, therefore, less growth for your preborn baby.
- Smoking robs baby of oxygen.
Besides restricting blood flow to the womb, maternal cigarette smoking and
breathing second hand smoke decreases the amount of oxygen available to the
baby from the blood. The level of carbon monoxide in the blood of pregnant
women who smoke is 600 – 700 percent higher than in those who don't
smoke. Carbon monoxide is an oxygen blocker, meaning it prevents blood cells
from carrying a full load of oxygen. Lack of oxygen can affect the development
of every organ in the baby's body.
- Smoking injures little brains.
New studies suggest that the developing baby's brain is injured not only by
lack of oxygen, but also by the chemicals in cigarette smoke, which may be
directly poisonous to developing brain cells. Children of mothers who smoked
during pregnancy, especially those of mothers who smoked more than one pack
a day, have been found to have a smaller head circumference as infants, decreased
mental performance scores at one year, reduced IQs, and diminished academic
performance scores in school compared to the children of mothers who did not
smoke.
- Passive smoke hurts babies.
New research shows that when pregnant mothers are exposed to second-hand cigarette
smoke, their babies are at risk of having lower birth weights and show an
increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), just as the babies
of smoking mothers do. If father and mother both smoke, the risk of SIDS is
nearly double.
NO SMOKING ALLOWED
The bottom line is DO NOT SMOKE. If you smoke, seek help today and quit. It's
easier to quit than be faced with a baby who has problems because of maternal
smoking not to mention the guilt you will feel knowing this can injure the baby.
Insist that those around you respect life your growing baby and not smoke in
the same room with you. If you work in a smoke-contaminated environment, ask
for a reassignment (pregnant women have a legal right to work in a smoke-free
environment).
STOP SMOKING ADDICTION WITH 8 WAYS
While it's best to never smoke or to stop smoking before you become pregnant,
the earlier you stop smoking, the healthier you and your baby are likely to
be. Smoking is not a habit, it's an addiction. You can break habits fairly easily,
but addictions are harder to kick. To stop smoking, try these suggestions:
- Convince yourself. The facts are solid—statistically,
the chances are high that your pregnancy will be more complicated and your
baby less smart and less healthy if you smoke while pregnant.
- Try stopping cold turkey. The best time to extinguish your
last cigarette is the moment your pregnancy test turns positive, and some
women do just that. Others find that sudden cigarette withdrawal makes them
extremely anxious, and this is not good for baby either. A gradual weaning
may make more sense. Some "lucky" women find that a natural aversion
to the smell of smoke forces the issue, and the quit.
- Try goal setting. If you can't quit on the first day you
know you're pregnant, set a goal for tapering off, say by day 10. Plan a reward
for your efforts that day. You might calculate how much money you would save
in a year of not smoking and spend it on something special for yourself or
your baby.
- Cut down on how much poison you inhale. As you attempt
to stop the smoking addiction, try taking fewer puffs. Or smoke only the first
half of the cigarette. (More poisons are concentrated toward the end of the
cigarette.) Better still, don't inhale. This can cut down your nicotine dose
by a half.
- Make it inconvenient to smoke. Buy only one pack at a time.
Leave the pack somewhere inconvenient, like in the garage.
- Fill the void. Think about what led you to start smoking.
Once you identify the psychological reasons that may have led to this physiological
addiction, the easier it might be for you to stop, or at least find a safer
substitute habit.
- Try healthier substitutes. If you need to hold something
and keep your hands busy, try writing, drawing, painting, or working crossword
puzzles. If you need something in your mouth, try chewing on carrot or celery
sticks, cinnamon sticks or straws, try sucking on ice, healthy popsicles,
or hard candy. Nibble on sunflower seeds or granola. Chew gum. If you smoked
for relaxation, try listening to soothing music, reading, or paying for an
occasional massage. Take a walk. Go swimming. If you smoked for pleasure,
indulge yourself in fun at a non-smoking place: go to a movie or a non-smoking
restaurant, go shopping, go visit a non-smoking friend.
- Get professional help. If after two weeks you have made
no progress on your own, you might want to contact a local quit-smoking resource
or seek professional help to resolve deeper issues.
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