If you’re pregnant and you smoke, quitting is the only way to avoid harming your baby and yourself. Smoking during pregnancy can cause premature birth, low birth weight, and other problems for you and your baby.
If you can’t quit, your doctor can help you find ways to manage your symptoms.
How Smoking While Pregnant Affects Your Baby?
Smoking during pregnancy can cause low birth weight, premature birth, and other health problems for your baby.
Smoking while pregnant also increases your risk for cesarean delivery. This is an effective way to deliver your baby. But it can also increase your risk for a complication known as placenta previa.
Placenta previa is a condition in which your placenta partially or completely covers your cervix and prevents labor. If you have placenta previa, you may experience bleeding or pain.
These complications may cause your baby to move into the birth canal prematurely.
Smoking While Pregnant Can Also Increase Your Risk for a Stroke
Smoking while pregnant also increases your risk for a stroke. This is a serious condition that can cause bleeding in your brain or blood vessels. It can also cause weakness in your face or limbs.
Your risk for a stroke may be higher if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or another condition that increases your risk for stroke.
While quitting smoking may help ease some of these symptoms, your doctor can help you find ways to manage your condition while you’re pregnant.
How Smoking While Pregnant Can Harm Your Baby?
Smoking during pregnancy can also damage your baby.
Smoking can cause your baby to develop fewer or fewer connections between the brain cells. This can affect the way your baby learns and develops.
For example, smoking during pregnancy can affect the development of your baby’s lungs.
Smoking while pregnant also increases your risk for certain health conditions in your baby. These conditions include:
- Down syndrome. This syndrome is a developmental disability. It causes problems with your baby’s cognitive and physical development.
- Hearing loss. Smoking during pregnancy also increases your risk for hearing loss in your baby.
- Obesity. The effects of smoking on your baby’s health are related to your baby’s weight. If you smoke, your baby may develop obesity later.
- Fetal growth restriction. Smoking during pregnancy can also affect your baby’s growth and development.
- Premature birth. Smoking during pregnancy can also cause preterm birth and low birth weight.
Pregnant women who smoke have a higher risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and early delivery.
Smoking While Pregnant Can Affect Your Child’s Development
Smoking during pregnancy can also affect your child’s development.
Smoking while pregnant may cause your child to have a lower birth weight. And it may affect the way your child learns. It can also cause your child’s lungs to develop and to work better.
If you smoke while pregnant, your child may begin smoking or develop a smoking habit later in life.
How to Quit Smoking While Pregnant?
Even if you can’t quit smoking while pregnant, quitting may help ease some of your symptoms. You may also be able to quit more easily if you have support from a healthcare provider.
If you’re trying to quit:
- Stay motivated. Find reasons to stay motivated and stick to your plan.
- Choose the right quit method. You can quit smoking by using a nicotine replacement therapy, or a combination of a nicotine replacement therapy and a prescription medication.
- Quit on your own. If you can’t quit smoking on your own, your doctor can help you find ways to manage your symptoms.
If you need to quit:
- Choose your quit day. It’s important to set a quit date. Don’t wait until it’s too late to quit.
- Choose a quit method. Quitting smoking on your own may not be enough to get you through pregnancy.
- Make a plan. Think about how you’re going to quit and consider what you might need to quit for.
- Create a quit plan. Make a list of all of your concerns. Then, make a plan for quitting.
- Find a quit buddy. A quit buddy can help you stay motivated and motivated.
- Get support. Talk to your partner, family members, friends, or other people you trust about your plan to quit smoking while pregnant.
- Find a plan to manage your symptoms. If you need to quit, find ways to relieve your symptoms.
- Quit cold turkey. If you can’t quit on your own, your doctor can help you find ways to quit.
Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to have a cesarean delivery. This is a common surgery that’s performed to deliver your baby.
You may also be more likely to have a complication known as placenta previa. This is a condition in which your placenta partially or completely covers your cervix and prevents labor.
If you have placenta previa, you may experience bleeding or pain.
How to Quit Smoking While Breastfeeding?
If you’re trying to quit smoking while breastfeeding, your baby will be exposed to nicotine while you’re breastfeeding.
If you need to quit smoking while breastfeeding, avoid smoking around your baby. You may need help from a healthcare provider to quit.
If you’re trying to quit smoking while breastfeeding:
- Talk to your healthcare provider. Ask if quitting while breastfeeding is safe for your child.
- Take your medication. If you need to quit smoking while breastfeeding, you may also need to take medication.
- Choose your quit day. Choose a quit date if you can.
- Choose a quit method. Quitting smoking while breastfeeding may be easier if you use a nicotine replacement therapy.
- Create a quit plan. Make a plan for quitting.
The bottom line
Smoking during pregnancy may harm you and your baby. It’s important to quit smoking if you can. It’s also important to quit if you need to because you’re pregnant.
The longer you smoke, the more likely it is that you’ll harm your baby. Even if you can’t stop smoking, you can
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