Imagine this: a woman learns she is about to become a new mother. Words cannot describe the amount of love and joy she already feels for her soon to be child. She now knows her fetus will depend on her body until it is born. It will need her in order to grow and become healthy enough to survive in the harsh world outside of the womb. But, let us imagine this new mother is a smoker; she now has a decision to make for herself that affects her baby directly. She could continue to smoke and potentially give birth to a baby with complications like birth defects, or she could quit smoking for the sake of her baby’s health and personally manage the side effects accompanying quitting. To most people, her decision should be obvious, especially when …show more content…
In the 1970s and 1980s, smoking was very common, 30-40 percent of pregnant women smoked during this time in the United States alone (Lee 193). That statistic was lowered to 16 percent of pregnant women smoking as of 2012 (193). Rates of prenatal smoking have began to decline due to the negative societal view on the action, and because of the increased tobacco warnings and a more widespread knowledge of risks (Oaks 68). With more education, societal pressure, and possibly the addition of new laws or restrictions, the act of smoking while pregnant will hopefully become …show more content…
There are many risks attributed with smoking; in fact, “Some researchers believe the use of cigarettes during pregnancy compares to the use of cocaine when looking at health risks” (Oaks 68). The abundance of chemicals and harmful carcinogens that are transmitted through cigarettes are easily passed to the embryo, which directly affects the fetus (Lee 193). Prenatal smoking can result in many complications, and it has been linked with numerous negative effects. It has been linked with fetal zinc deficiency, which is very harmful because zinc is essential for fetal growth and development (Jaakkola 560). Low fetal tissue oxygenation can arise from reduced blood flow and an increase in fetal carboxyhemoglobin in the placenta due to inhaling carbon monoxide and nicotine while smoking (560). Maternal cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk for neural tube defects (Suarez 398), such as spina bifida and anencephaly, that affect the brain, spine, or spinal cord. Anorectal atresia occurs in around one in 500 live births, and there is now evidence supporting the cause of this being to prenatal smoking and exposure to smoke during pregnancy (Miller 509). Anal atresia is a congenital birth defect where babies are born with an imperforate anus, which can result in the child having problems with bowel control and constipation. Smoking and exposure to smoke while pregnant has
However, there were many reasons that people might think of of not wanting to stop smoking. For 16 year olds, a reason could be that they enjoy it and that their friends do it and they haven’t received any problems. Even though this is all true, it might not happen to their friends but it could happen to them. Furthermore, they could also think that it could help them deal with the stress that they might be experiencing due to their GCSE exams, although, we can prove that nicotine doesn’t help relax but it is instead a stimulant. For pregnant women, they could feel that they saw a relative smoke during their pregnancy and that their baby was a healthy weight and had no health problems, but this isn’t necessarily applicable to every pregnant mother.
Corresponding to other controversies, there are factors that will pay a role in whether mothers will decide to smoke or not. Mothers who work at a job like fast food or a factory are five times more likely to smoke than mothers who have a job like nurses or people who work in an office. Likewise, teen mothers who are in school and working are six times more likely to smoke than a mother over the age of 35. Regardless the age of the mother, smoking will still have the devastating effects on the baby. Although, there are factors that have a say in whether a mother will smoke or not, it is always a choice.
The relationship between maternal smoking and fetal development shows that smoking raises the risk of early miscarriage and stillbirth. In the early stages of fetal development, cigarette smoke may cause genetic damage to the unborn baby. Smoking can change the lining of the uterus making it harder for the implantation of the fertilized egg. The dangerous chemicals found in cigarettes can cause a mother’s placenta to separate from the womb at a premature time. Smoking later in pregnancy appears to decrease the placenta’s ability to deliver nutrients to a developing baby. Some evidence even indicates that heavy smoking by
Originally these recommendations were published in the journal “Annals of Internal Medicine” in 2015. In this article, the behavioral recommendations in which our Capstone project we will be focusing on, listed counseling, feedback, health education, incentives, and social support as effective interventions (Siu, 2015). Telephone calls provided by train staff proved to be effective in smoking abstinence. As our group continues to form our project, this information will be a motivational tool for us in hopes of reducing the number of pregnant smokers in Carter County.
According to Hill, Young, Burley, Carter & Lang (2013), smoking amongst teenage girls is the most popular risk factor during pregnancy. The numerous effects of smoking while pregnant are (a) premature births (b) still births (c) miscarriages and (d) low birth rates. There are fifty seven percent of teenage mothers that smoke
Introduction: A lot has been said about the relation between maternal smoking and infant mortality in the recent past. According to a report from CDC, the infant mortality rate for 2013 was 5.96 infant deaths per 1000 live births. Sudden infant death syndrome was found to be the 4th leading cause of infant mortality (Kochanek, Xu, Murphy, Miniño, & Kung, 2011). Maternal cigarette smoking is an
Throughout the embryonic stage, 2 weeks to 8 weeks, many important developments are forming. “The embryo develops three layers, which ultimately forms a different set of structures as development proceeds. The layers are as follows: Ectoderm- skin, hair, teeth, sense organs, brain, and spinal cord. Endoderm- digestive system, liver, pancreas, and respiratory system. Mesoderm- muscles, bones, blood, and circulatory system” (Feldman, 2011 pg. 59). In this stage nicotine affects several of these developments. Nicotine can affect the growth of the lungs, causing problems later. It can also affect the tissue and skeletal growth, placenta blood flow and oxygen deprivation, and restrict the nutrients a fetus receives due to constricted uterine blood vessels. “It may primarily affect fetal peripheral tissue and skeletal growth. Fetal femur length is already affected from the second trimester onwards. Recently, it has been shown that first trimester fetal growth, as measured by crown-rump length, is also affected by maternal smoking” (Bakker,
The transtheoretical model is a widely used concept with the intent of producing a behavioral change of an individual. This model is a gradual process that requires the initiative of the person realize the issue and make steps towards accomplishing his/her goal. This model encompasses six stages: Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action, Maintenance, and Termination. In the pre-contemplation stage the pregnant/non-pregnant woman has no intent to take action possibly due to unsuccessful attempts in the past or being uninformed (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). A pregnant or non-pregnant woman in the pre-contemplation stage may have a strong addiction to smoking and engages in the behavior as a coping
Some of the common things that are seen happening to babies when the mother smokes is babies born prematurely, too small or dying off before they are even born at all. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, including things like cyanide, lead, and at least 60 cancer-inducing compounds (Chris Woolston). When the baby’s only source of oxygen and nutrients is via your bloodstream, they will be consuming this toxic brew from the cigarettes because it goes no other place than the very bloodstream your unborn child feeds and breathes from. Out of those 4,000-plus compounds there are two in particular that are especially dangerous to your baby: nicotine and carbon monoxide. These toxins account for just about every smoking-related complication in pregnant. (Ob-gyn James
When pregnant its very important to be good to your body and make sure you don't drink alcohol, get bad foods, take certain medicines, eating certain foods, or a number of things that can hurt the development and growth of a baby. When pregnant its important to not have bad habits like drinking or smoking, its important to eat healthy foods or exercise. One thing that is really bad to do when pregnant is smoke. Smoking can have many different effects on a baby. In this paper I will be talking about the effects it can cause on the baby.
As her emotions run through the image of being barefaced with the cigarette. The words are more prevailing “A mother can be her baby’s worst enemy”. As the mother looks convinced, she knows what harm she is doing to herself and her child. The caption on the photo uses pathos, using meaningful language to get the message across of anti-smoking during pregnancy.
Moreover, smoking particularly adversely affects women's reproductive health, and smoke exposure on children has had detrimental and some sometimes fatal effects on children. Many studies have examined and outlined the adverse effects of maternal smoking on both the mother as well as on the baby and/or infant ( Hofhuis, de Jongste, & Merkus, 2003 & Woolbright 1994). Many states such as Alabama required documentation on birth certificates of tobacco use of mothers (Woolbright, 1994). Despite the Surgeon general's warning that maternal smoking may result in premature birth, fetal injury, or dangerously low birth rate, fifteen to thirty-seven percent of pregnant women still smoke (Hofhuis, de Jongste, & Merkus, 2003). Mothers who smoke
Ob-gyn Robert Welch, who is on the committee of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Providence Hospital in Southfield Michigan, has helped thousands of women realize their dreams of a healthy baby. He states that “‘Smoking cigarettes is probably the number one cause of adverse outcomes for babies’”(Woolston). He has seen the complications many times with the same outcome every time. Babies are born prematurely, born to small, or die before they can be born at all.
Additionally, women who actively smoke during their pregnancy are more likely to have a miscarriage. Scholar Schwartz claims that “as many as 7.5% of all miscarriages” are caused by smoking (par. 1). For that reason, women who do not smoke while they are pregnant decrease the odds of becoming a part of that percentage. Miscarriages have always been an obvious result of smoking during pregnancies, but it is still a growing problem (Scwartz par. 4). Because of
Nicotine, which is an alkaloid derived from the tobacco plant, is a potent chemical that has powerful effects on the human body, especially when administered rapidly or at high doses. Prenatal exposure to nicotine is associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, including altered neural structure and functioning, cognitive deficits, and behavior problems in the offspring (9). At least 20% - 30% of pregnant women are estimated to smoke cigarettes, although smoking is associated with low birth weight, prematurity and infant mortality. In the United States, smoking accounts annually for estimated fetal deaths ranging from 19,000 to 141,000, for 1,900