Smoking While Pregnant

While quitting smoking can help you become healthier at any point in your life, it can be especially important while you are pregnant. When a mom smokes, so does her unborn baby. Choosing to smoke during pregnancy can cause a number of negative health issues for your baby.

First, let’s look at how smoking affects your body. When you draw smoke in with your mouth, you are putting yourself at risk for accelerated tooth decay, gum disease, and discolored teeth. Once in your lungs, the smoke inflames the lining of the bronchi. You are ten times more likely than nonsmokers to get lung cancer and emphysema.

Due to the effects of nicotine and carbon monoxide on the heart and circulatory system, you are more at risk for heart attacks and strokes. Lastly, it can even hurt your gastrointestinal system, leading to ulcers, pancreatic cancer, and bladder cancer.

If you are pregnant, these negative effects can be transferred to your baby. Nicotine and carbon monoxide enters your bloodstream and can travel to the placenta. This blocks nutrients and oxygen from getting to your baby. Thus, your baby can be born with a low birth weight and even respiratory problems. Studies have shown that 20%-30% of low birth weight babies are born to smokers. Additionally, smoking mothers account for 14% of premature deliveries and 10% of stillbirths.

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If you choose to smoke during your pregnancy, you can be putting your baby at risk for long-term lung problems and even the chance of stillbirth. Should your doctor fail to warn you about the risks of smoking while pregnant, this can harm your child.

When doctors and other healthcare providers are negligent in caring for you and your child, this can result in birth infections and other injuries. For more information regarding birth injury law, contact a practiced Philadelphia birth injury lawyer from Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C. today at 215-238-1130.