My husband is a smoker, and this worries me a lot. During my pregnancy, he always manages to smoke outside the house. But most of the time, I can still smell the tobacco after he finished smoking, even after he has brushed his teeth.
Smoking in fact should be avoided at all. Pregnant women should quit smoking to reduce the risk of premature delivery and of having a low-birthweigh baby. The spouse should do the same too, all in the name of the baby.
Studies have shown that smoking by parents has been linked to:
- an increased risk of SIDS / Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant that is unexplained by the baby's medical history, and is the major cause of infant death between the ages of 2 weeks and 12 months),
- more respiratory illnesses (colds, flu, bronchiolitis, asthma) and ear infections during the first year of life,
- impaired lung capacity, as well as
- an increased risk of tooth decay later on in childhood.
Not only are the children of smokers sick more often than children of nonsmokers, but
their illnesses also last longer. They are also more likely to be hospitalized in the first three years of life. The more smokers in the household, the more severe the negative effect, since the amount of smoke a child inhales is related to the number of smokers the baby is exposed to on a regular basis.
And what seems to be quite safe for the mother or spouse to smoke outside the house, it is totally untrue! Do note that the above risks
ARE NOT eliminated even when parents step outside the house to light up. Researchers have found that children in households with smokers who smoke
only outside are still exposed to
70% more damaging lung particles than those in nonsmoking households.
So quitting smoking keep your child healthier in their childhood. Quitting obviously will not be easy. As they would with any drug addiction, your body and your mind will align against you. But, if you are determined to fight back,
for your sake and your baby's sake, you can triumph over both! The best time to give up is now, before baby is born. So your newborn will come home from hospital to clean, breathable air.
It is not uncommon for pregnant women to suffer from depression. Sadly, there is not enough available therapy out there that is safe for pregnant mom and the fetus.
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