Smoking While Pregnant: A Selfish Act
Perhaps one of the most irresponsible things you can do while pregnant is smoking. Smoking has extremely dangerous consequences, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not. However, for pregnant women, smoking holds additional consequences. Furthermore, it can severely damage the health of the unborn child! If you will not quit smoking for your own sake, then do it for the sake of the innocent life inside of you.
Extended Effects
For women who smoke while pregnant, the dangerous effects of smoking are even greater. It can lead to a numerous amount of complications related to the pregnancy. For example, women who smoke while pregnant are much more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy, which is where the egg is implanted in somewhere other than the uterus. In some cases, this requires for the baby to be surgically removed very early on in the pregnancy!
Another complication that can occur as a result of smoking while pregnant is placental complications. The risk of having placental complications doubles if the mother is a smoker. Such conditions include placenta previa and placental abruption, both of which can endanger the life of the mother and the life of the baby as well. Other pregnancy complications that can occur as a result of smoking while pregnant include: increased risk of miscarriage, increased risk of stillbirth, and increased vaginal bleeding.
A Baby is Born
A newborn is the most innocent creature of all. Of all people, they deserve to suffer the consequences of smoking while pregnant the least. However, they will suffer if their mother smokes during her pregnancy. Many of the consequences of smoking while pregnant are not just for the mother, but for the baby as well! A baby whose mother smoked while pregnant is more likely to be at a low birth weight. Smoking can also increase the risk that the baby will be prematurely born., and babies of mothers who smoked while pregnant are more likely to have birth defects such as a cleft lip.
Even if the baby is born on time and with no birth defects, they are still not out of harm's way. Babies who have a low birth weight are more at risk during their first few moths of life, and babies of smokers are more likely to die of SIDS than other babies. Additionally, studies have shown that smoking while pregnant can cause the child to have behavioral problems later on in life.
A Selfless Act
When you are the only person that you have to worry about, saving yourself from the consequences of smoking is not considered to be a noble or exceptional act. However, the minute you save the life of an innocent child by quitting the habit, you have performed a selfless act.
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