Anything that a pregnant woman ingests into her body travels to the baby by way of the blood stream. When a pregnant woman smokes, her body and lungs absorb the nearly 2,500 different chemicals present in cigarette tobacco. These same chemicals are absorbed into the mother's blood stream and travel to the baby via the umbilical cord.
Smoking can cause the baby to be born with respiratory problems because these chemicals get into the baby's blood stream and lungs. The affects are much like the lung problems that smoking causes the actual smoker, only they react much worse and quicker in an infant's tiny lungs.
The chemicals can cause low birth weight because the baby is deprived of much-needed oxygen in the blood to grow healthy. The slow growth period and small birth weight can cause the baby to have many problems after he is born. Physical and/or learning disabilities are possible.
The baby can be subjected to nicotine withdrawal symptoms shortly after birth. She will experience the same irritability and stress that adult smokers endure when they try to quit smoking. The infant will cry for no apparent reason and may refuse to nurse due to her irritability. Refusing to eat can lead to malnourishment, which will further increase the child's health problems.
Babies that have been subjected to cigarette smoke and chemicals in the womb may have severely weakened lungs and may be susceptible to respiratory infections, asthma and bronchial problems.
The severity of birth defects depends on the number of cigarettes the mother smokes and the duration. Smoking during the first trimester runs a great risk of the baby being born with congenital heart defects and possible mental retardation.
The baby may appear normal and healthy at birth, and the mother may continue to smoke. This will cause further damage to the infant's delicate lungs as he inhales the secondhand smoke. Under-developed lungs may not be able to handle the stress of the smoke and chemicals and the child could go into respiratory arrest.
To prevent smoking-related health issues in babies, women should cease smoking months before they become pregnant and should not allow smoking around either herself during pregnancy or the baby after he is born.
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