World Lung Day: Shocking side effects of the passive smoking in a pregnancy.

World Lung Day: Shocking side effects of the passive smoking in a pregnancy.

Know the side effects of the  passive smoking during in a pregnancy for a yourself and for your baby, and try to the  maintain a smoke-free environment.

Smoking is not just injurious to the smoker’s health, but also for a everyone else around in the person. This World Lung Day, let us find out the side effects of the passive smoking for a pregnant woman and how it impacts the mother and baby.

Passive smoking is is the inhalation of the tobacco smoke, called secondhand smoke,or environmental smoke, by a person other than the intended active smoker. Third hand smoking is the inhalation of the smoke left behind by a cigarette on objects like a clothes, furniture or a rugs. So, yes, even non-smokers can be a affected adversely.

Exposure to the tobacco can affect all stages of the  pregnancy, says Dr Anagha Danny Laliwala, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Marina Hospital, Byculla, Mumbai. The expert tells us all about how passive smoking can be a harmful for a pregnant woman.

How does tobacco smoke affect in a pregnancy?

Cigarette and cigars are made of the tobacco leaves. Tobacco smoke contains approximately 7,000 chemicals out of which almost 250 are harmful.

Nicotine: This works on a brain and in a adults is a responsible for a addiction. In babies it hampers the development of the fetal nervous system.

Carbon Monoxide: It lessons the amount of the oxygen received by the body. Thus affecting overall growth of the baby.

Tar: It has a carcinogenic and teratogenic compounds which cause oxidative damage and birth defects

Cadmium and heavy metals are also source of the  growth restrictions in a babies.

All these compounds can cross in the placenta, and through in the umbilical cord, can pass to the baby. Breathing even little smoke can be a harmful for the mother and child.

Also a read: Is secondhand smoke as a dangerous as a active smoking? Let’s find out

Side effects of the passive smoking on the baby

In a first trimester or the first 3 months of the  pregnancy, exposure to the smoke increases chances of the miscarriage by a 11 percent and EC topic in a pregnancy. EC topic pregnancy is a  implantation of the fertilized egg outside of the uterus. It always ends in a pregnancy loss and can have a serious and dangerous problems for a pregnant mother.

Birth defects: Babies who are exposed to the tobacco smoke when in a womb, are prone to the various birth defects, especially cleft lip and cleft palate or a both which causes trouble feeding properly and needing surgery after a birth.

Low birth weight in a babies: Carbon monoxide and heavy metals in a smoke can keep in the developing baby from a getting enough oxygen and harm unborn fetus.

Premature births and premature rupture of the membrane: Chances of the delivery before a 37 weeks of the gestation are high leading to the prolonged N I C U stay and life long consequences.

Still births: The babies may be a Still born.

Placental problems leading to the bleeding in a pregnancy: Abrupt placental, which is a premature separation of the placenta and Placenta Praetorian, which means abnormal implantation of the placenta, leading to the vaginal bleeding and increased risk of life to both mother and baby are common.

Problems for in the baby after birth:

SIDS: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or a unexpected death in first few days of the birth.

Respiratory problems: Like a asthma, allergies, bronchitis, sinusitis, ear infection and pneumonia

Learning deficiencies, behavioral deficiencies, A D H D.

Side effects of the  passive smoking on a mothers

Mothers are prone to the infections, bleeding and mental issues in a pregnancy due to the passive smoking. Later in a life they can be at the higher risk for a certain cancers, cardiovascular diseases and lung problems.

Also a read: 6 things that happen when you smoke during in a  pregnancy

How to the avoid passive smoking

Education and counselling to the  increase awareness of the  risks of passive smoking to  the mother and unborn child is a needed. Mother, husband or a partner, household members and caregivers also should be a included in the discussion.

Do not allow people to smoke in your house or your car even if windows are kept open as the smoke lingers in air and settles on furniture, clothes and rugs leading to the being inhaled later on as third hand smoking.

You should exercise to your right to ask people who smoke to the step outside. If you travel, choose a restaurants, hotels and maybe even rental cars which are smoke-free.

Lots of the studies are available to prove in the side effects of the passive smoking in a pregnancy. We as a society need to take care of the health of the mothers and our future generations.