SMOKING CIGARETTES

Is it odd to see a pregnant woman smoke?

Major effects of cigarette smoking has been linked to heart disease and lung cancer and it is known that women who smoke while pregnant are prone to preterm labour, Preterm birth is also known as a premature birth, this is giving birth to baby fewer than 37weeks.

Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general.

Cigarette smoking causes about 480,000 or more deaths each year, majorly in the United States.

It causes more deaths each year than the following;

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Illegal drug use

Alcohol use

Motor vehicle injuries

Firearm-related incidents

DRINKING DURING PREGNANCY

IS ALCOHOL A PROBLEM DURING PREGNANCY?

As a pregnant woman, when you drink alcohol, it rapidly reaches your baby through the placenta through your bloodstream. Drinking of Alcohol can cause miscarriage and also premature birth. Too much alcohol can even increase the risk of your baby being stillborn.

Too much intake of alcohol during pregnancy can permanently damage your developing baby’s cells. This could affect how your baby’s face, organs and brain grow, It can cause them to have low IQ as well. It can also damage your baby’s nervous system, meaning that your baby develops a fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is at the extreme end of the spectrum of disorders. Babies with FAS tend to have facial defects, be born small, and carry on being small for their age. They also have learning difficulties, poor muscle tone and coordination, and behavioural problems, for the rest of their lives.