Smoking while pregnant. (read more)?

Question

Does anyone know where I can find a video or picture or smoething of how oxygen is cut off to the baby when you are pregnant. Does the smoke actually go in a nd surround the baby in the uterus or does it just cut off the supply. My friend is pregnant also and she smoked and I cant seem to explain to her how important it is to not smoke. Someone help me find a video or picture or something thank

Answer 1

no the smoke doesn't go in the uterus. do you breath with your uterus? no. i'm sorry i don't know where you could find something like that try googling it. or like check on ebay or amazon.

Answer 2

Tobacco smoke contains more than 4000 harmful chemicals, of which a number of them are known carcinogens in humans, whilst others are highly toxic and poisonous.

The chemicals that most affect the foetus and its healthy development are nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide, although arsenic, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde and creosote are in no way good for the baby to inhale either.

When an expecting mother inhales tobacco smoke from a cigarette, some of the chemicals are exhaled immediately and leave the body, but others stay in the body and make their way into the placenta. The unborn child, as well as inhaling the mainstream smoke that the mother breathes in from the cigarette, which stays in her body, it may also inhale any secondhand smoke that is in the air. This would mean that the growing foetus would be negatively affected by two different types of smoke. Once the baby is born, it would no longer be affected by the mainstream smoke that the mother inhales, however if the mother continues to smoke, the child will suffer the effects of secondhand smoke and become a passive smoker itself.

The unborn child in the womb relies on the mother for its food, nutrients and oxygen in order to develop and grow healthily before the birth. The placenta is the tissue that connects the foetus to its mother and from where it receives all it needs for its correct development whilst it is in the mother's womb.

On smoking several things happen. Firstly, there is a reduced supply of oxygen, due to the increase of nicotine and carbon monoxide in the mother's bloodstream. This means that there is less oxygen available to the baby, as the harmful substances replace it. The baby will begin to move slower after the mother has smoked a cigarette and the baby's heart will have to work faster, as it tries to breathe in more oxygen. Consequently, its breathing and movement will be altered. In other words it will suffer unnecessary stress.

As well as a reduced amount of oxygen, the nicotine constricts the blood vessels in the mother's side of the placenta, thus preventing the blood supply, oxygen and the necessary amount of nutrients and food from reaching the baby, which will result in the slow growth of the foetus.

As a result the foetus will not develop or grow as well as it should and this can lead to the birth of a low-weight baby and all the risks and complications that this could entail. A low-weight baby is more likely to be placed in intensive care once it has been born.

Not only this, once the mother has given birth, she will cut off the supply of nicotine to her child and shortly the baby will begin to suffer the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Even if the mother does not smoke but the baby is exposed to passive smoking from the father, the growth and development of the foetus can be affected.
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Effects on the mother and the pregnancy
Smoking throughout pregnancy does affect both mother and child and can lead to complications that could have been prevented had the mother stopped smoking.

Fortunately some mothers suddenly develop a strong distaste for smoking when they become pregnant and are easily able to give up smoking for the nine-month period or longer.

If you quit smoking within the first 3 months of being pregnant, you are greatly increasing the probability of giving birth to a normal and healthy baby.

Answer 3

You've gotten a few good links here, so I'm just going to put my 2 cents in... okay so maybe it's more like 5 cents, lol.

When you smoke a cigarrette it causes the blood vessels in your body to constrict (pregnant or not). If you are pregnant, the blood vessels in the umbilical cord constrict as well, which is how the oxygen/nutrients to the fetus are diminished. This is why often times babies born to moms who smoked have low birth weights. They just didn't get the proper amounts of oxygen and nutrients that they could/should have. It also increases chances of allergies in the child, as well as learning disabilities, placental complications in the mother, stillbirth, and a very long list of other complications. In early pregnancy, it even increases the chance of ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage.

I remember a child birth class I attended once, and my midwife talked about the dangers of smoking. She said that once a mother has delivered, she can always tell if that mother has smoked during her pregnancy. She said that the placenta actually stinks, and as soon as the baby's head begins to crown, the stench begins to fill the room. She said the placenta of a smoking mom looks and smells very different than a nonsmoking mom.

The placenta acts as a sort of filter, so it makes sense that it would stink if it were filtering out nicotine and all the other harmful substance contained in cigarrettes, and it also explains why so many mothers who smoke have placental complications. There are enough toxins in our modern world anyway, there's no need to overload yourself with poisons like that... pregnant or not, but especially when you are in charge of another human being's development.

If your friend wasn't pregnant, and someone offered her 1 million dollars to stop smoking for 40 weeks... would she do it? Probably... right? The health of her child is in her hands... that's something that is priceless. You and your friend may hear some people saying.. "Oh I smoked with my kid and he/she is okay"... although they may appear to be fine, there are most likely problems that you can't see. Besides, as parents aren't we supposed to want the absolute best that we can give our children... not just okay?

I hope your friend reconsiders her decision to smoke. It's such a short time for her... not even a year of her life, but the effects of her actions will be felt by her child for the rest of that childs life.

Answer 4

Smoking while pregnant puts both mother's and baby's life at risk. Currently, about 13 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. smoke during pregnancy. If all pregnant women stopped smoking while pregnant, there would be an estimated 10 percent reduction in infant deaths in this country, according to the U.S. Public Health Service. Smoking while pregnant should be a cause for concern. Cigarette smoke contains more than 2,500 chemicals, with nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide thought to be the most dangerous to the fetus.

Answer 5

well sorry i can't help but i can however tell you that it won't due you any good to show this to your friend. with my youngest dsughter i tried to quit several times and was unsuccessful. she is fine has no health problems other than the common cold once in a while. you'd think that the baby would be enough motivation but that's not always the case. it's very hard to quit. i was able to cut back to a 4 a day. please know that i don't think it's okay to smoke while your pregnant. this pregnancy i'm (4 weeks 5 day) i called the dr. to see if she had any suggestions she said not to quit in one day that it would be stressful on the baby and that i should cut back slowly. i was smoking almost a pack a day i'm now down to 4 cigarettes a day. the only person who can make your friend quit is your friend and if you keep pressuring her you very well may lose your friend even though you are looking out for her and the baby.

Answer 6

It slows the oxygen to the baby. The smoke goes into your lungs, not into the uterus. Theres no photos that can show what it does.

Answer 7

Pot smoking is concept to reason low delivery weight and will enhance her probability for a c-section. it is likewise believed to reason neurological problems to the fetus. THC does pass the placenta into the newborn's blood flow this could be a certainty and you will locate all varieties of evidence of that on the cyber web to coach her. i think of the morning ailment excuse is merely her way of attempting to justify smoking. If she claims that's her merely reason, then she shouldn't proceed to smoke while the morning ailment is going away.

Answer 8

The nicotine along with other chemicals flow threw the blood stream. It doesn't literally smother the baby in smoke.

Answer 9

I can't find it on-line but Kaiser had this great flyer that had photos of babies...just after birth and inutero...that were born with fetal tobacco syndrome. I hung these disgusting pictures all over my house to help me quit while I was pregnant.

Answer 10

It should be enough to know the dangers..... I have 3 friends that smoked while pregnant, all of their children had problems at birth, prematurity + RSV!! Tell her to not be a dumb^&*( and listen to the facts!

Answer 11

Some people just are not going to listen to that. Their addiction is too strong. My mother-in-law smoked through all of her pregnancies, including the last one two years ago. Thankfully the baby was alright but no one could convince her to quit.

Peace,
Jenn