What exactly happens to your fetus when you smoke?

Question

No funny answeres please. I am looking for real proven pacts. Some people (doctors included) say dont smoke while pregnant and others say the stress of quitting will send you over the edge and could make you miscarry. So please tell me who is right and who is wrong. What actually happens? Many women smoke while pregnant others quit cold turkey. How can someone quit cold turkey without their stress going through the roof? I need help on this one.

Answer 1

First you cannot go cold turkey. It will actually do more harm than good, just like you said, the stress factor goes through the roof. What it does though is sends less oxygen to the fetus (via your blood), but I mean it does the same thing to you, and it also makes it more likely that your child will have asthma.

Answer 2

I've been pregnant 4 times and I smoked during 3 of my pregnancies. The first pregnancy I didn't smoke but I miscarried. Second, I smoked, had a 6 lbs 7.5 ounce baby girl who was perfect, has no health problems, only cried when she was hungry, needed changed, or was hot/cold, my third, I smoked, had a 7lbs 2.5 ounce baby girl. She was also perfect, has no health problems. I did have placenta abruptio with my third pregnancy. That was because of how close I had gotten pregnant after I had my first child. Like I said before, I only quit cold turkey with my first pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. When I was pregnant with both of my daughters, I didn't quit but I cut down from a pack a day to 4 ciggarets a day. The last pregnancy resulted in miscarriage. I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was miscarrying. I think there are risks to smoking, but there are a lot of other factors to be considered other than just smoking.

Answer 3

I tried looking this one up for you, but is hard to find cold-hard facts and not the psychotic anti-smoking industry's propaganda.

Here is what I know from two years spent as a biology student, having a nurse for a roommate, and a pregnant best friend who was a med tech:

Smoking is harmful for your unborn baby. True True True...however....things you inhale do NOT make it to the fetal bloodstream until the fetus is at 5 months gestation. This means you don't have to quit cold turkey. You can quit slowly during the first trimester of your pregnancy and not have to worry about the baby's health being adversely affected.

Oh, and quitting cold turkey does not cause enough stress to miscarry a baby. Stress alone rarely causes miscarriages. If stress were a major cause of miscarriage you simply wouldn't see all the pregnant teens running around that you do. Believe me, if anyone knows true stress it's them.

Answer 4

My mother smoked through 4 pregnancies and all 4 kids were under 6lbs at birth. The 1st had pneumonia days after being born but is fairly healthy now, the 2nd is the healthiest...no health problems. The 3rd died at birth weighing in at a whopping 1lb after being carried close to full term. I'm the baby, born at 3lbs 1oz with a heart murmur and an irregular heartbeat that caused several problems growing up but was not diagnosed until I was 18.

Please speak to your obstetrician immediately. Stress can be relieved by spending time with friends, keeping a journal, meditation, or a hobby. My sisters and I were blessed not to have any major issues but it's a chance I would never take.

Answer 5

Smoking when pregnant speeds up the babies heart beat and leads to numerous respiratory problems in babies. It can also cause preterm labor and low birth weight making it harder for the baby to survive. If you are pregnant and smoking ask your doctor for suggestions. From what I know and have experienced the best thing to do is to quit. But quitting cold turkey is hard on you and the baby. You need to slowly ween yourself off cigarettes and stay away from those that do smoke. The quicker you can quit the better for you and the baby.

Answer 6

With every cigarette
LESS OXYGEN
your circulating oxygen levels drop so then that is carried over to the baby via the placenta and it is in a state of hypoxia this in turn
AGES and DAMAGES the PLACENTA
Making it hard and calcified which also lessens the flow to the baby making it smaller and growth restricted because your cutting its essential flow. Some women think they can smoke and keep their babies smaller but in effect they are starving them not only of food but oxygen too.

WHen we deliver smokers babies we take the students out to show them infarction and calcification on the placentae so they can see what damage is done

LONG TERM EFFECTS
Asthma
ADD
ADHD
Develomental Delay
Miscarriage
just to name a few of many

Baby is also Nicotene addicted and will go through the withdrawl symptoms after birth, snuffly agitated, high pitched cry, irritable, poor feeding, Loose bowels, weight loss

Giving up in pregnancy DOESNT CAUSE MISCARRIAGE, i have many clients who have successfully given up
Stop trying to justify your habit and think about your baby instead of yourself, its a good deterrent if you know you will have an asthmatic ADD ADHD monster to deal with for 18yrs to come

Answer 7

I know about this as I am an older mum and being there done that. my first baby is now 23 years old and my youngest is 5 years old. So back in the old days they would say the worse that could happen to the baby if you smoked was you would have a smaller baby. I smoked all the way though them days. I gave birth to a 8 lbs 2 oz baby girl. Now days I gave up during the pregnancy for most of it (mum passed away) and took it back up again for a short time.

but I found giving up for the baby was easy no stress I just went on as normal including the stress of losing my mum. What you do is thing about what is the best for the baby. Do you really want him/her to be smoking before they are born. like I said in our days we did not have much information.


now going on the size of baby for me been born me smoking and not smoking. like I said my first was 8 lb 2 oz my next one (smoked) was 7 lb 14 oz the next one (smoked) 8 lb the next one (smoked) was 10 lbs the next one (did not smoke for most of it) 9 lb 14 oz.

Answer 8

I quit cold turkey right when I found out...although, I really only smoked a few times a month before that...No matter what, you should quit for yourself and the baby...I think that is reason enough...It is a horrible habit and very dangerous...pregnant or not.

Answer 9

I quite smoking when I found out I was pregnant, it was stressful, but it's better than having your baby suffer. Low birth weight & attention problems are both things your baby will have if you smoke. Just take it one day at a time. And remember that you're doing it for your baby.

Answer 10

My mom smoked with all 4 of us kids and we all have ADD, and one of my sister's has severe Asthma, and at 42 she still has attacks that send her to the ER. Smoking contricts blood vessels and can reduce the ammount of oxygen to the placenta. It has been proven that a lack of oxygen to the placenta can cause learning disabilities. I have heard that some doctors will tell their patients to use the patch, but you would have to check with your OB on that. I would think the patch would be better than smoking because the patch would not have all the tar and other bad stuff in it.