We've looked at studies that researched the effects of smoking on pregnant women and their babies. We all agree the results were less than desirable - low birth weights, high risk for bleeding during delivery, physical/physiological complications to the unborn child, learning and developmental difficulties, SIDS and the list goes on and on. What about secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure to pregnant women. Do their unborn children face the same hurdles?
A new study in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecological and Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN) looked at this relationship. They evaluated nicotine in the maternal hair as a biomarker for SHS exposure of women who were either 1) nonsmoking, but exposed to SHS, 2) passive smokers, or 3) regular smokers. This study enrolled 210 pregnant women.
There results showed that women exposed to prenatal SHS had a much greater risk for delivering their baby preterm (early) and they were more likely to have immediate newborn complications when compared to nonexposed women. Now passive smoking mothers had children who were at a greater risk for developing respiratory distress complications and being admitted to the neonatal ICU. Interestingly, these were greater risks than were seen in children delivered from regular smoking mothers.
They concluded that passive smoking women and SHS exposed women with hair nicotine levels greater than .35 ng/ml were more likely to lower birth weight babies, shorter babies and preterm babies (1 week).
So if you're pregnant, don't feel bad about avoiding the smoke filled restaurants or any other venue that has cigarette smoke floating in the air. Let those protective instincts loose and get out of there. And if you are only a passive smoker and think that a couple of cigarettes here or there won't hurt your unborn child, think again. The evidence is there.
That's what we try to do here at this blog. We want to bring you the evidence so you're excuses will be taken away. They say ignorance is bliss. But in this case, ignorance could be disastrous for you and your child if you don't take the steps needed to bring about a healthy environment into your life.
Yet more proof that smoking is just flat out bad for you. So if there was ever a time to stop smoking, now would be the time. Here are some stop smoking tips to help you quit.
