Chris Woolston: Article Analysis

Smoking during the first trimester of pregnancy could lead to the placenta not developing fully. As the placenta carries oxygen and blood to the foetus this may impair growth and link to low birth weights. Babies born to smoking mothers are 30% more likely to have a premature baby which could lead to respiratory distress, problems feeding and they could have difficulty regulating their body temperature. Babies undergo withdrawal like systems and tend to be more jittery and harder to settle. Babies being brought up in a smoking household are at increased risk of cot death and may go on to develop asthma during childhood.

Pathophysiology: Tobacco smoke contains 1000 different compounds including carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, carcinogens. The two main compounds that cause harmful effects on a developing fetus is nicotine and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide has a higher affinity than oxygen for hemoglobin. Which when Carbon monoxide and hemoglobin combine they form boxy hemoglobin which is unable to carry oxygen, which leads to decreased oxygen delivery to the fetus and fetal hypoxia. Nicotine has cardiovascular and central nervous system effects. Nicotine is known to cross the placental barrier causing levels in the amniotic fluid and fetus 15% higher than the mother. The effects of cigarettes can remain with the fetus the rest of their lives. Ranging from

Cigarette smoking increases a wide range of issues, with prematurity (20-30%) and low birth weight (which doubles) being the most probable. The first trimester is considered a critical time for growth as the fetus is beginning to develop organs. If a woman smokes only in her trimester and then quits, she has put her fetus at risk of developing a birth defect. Also, the second and third trimesters are important as well due to the fact that neurological defects result if a woman is smoking

For our other target audience of pregnant women, we dedicated two slides to smoking during pregnancy and the repercussions of smoking around their new young baby. We gave them information such as a low birth weight, smaller organs, likelihood of cot death and an increased risk of miscarriage. After they have had their baby, we gave them other information. This information included things such as meningitis, hearing loss, cot death, asthma and breathing problems. As well as this, we also wanted to emphasise the mothers health and how it would effect them.

Moreover, they will have a birth weight on average 200g less than those born to non-smokers. Therefore, this could affect raises evenly such as if the mother smokes more the infant's weight will be less. The baby will have organs which are smaller than babies who born to non-smokers. The babies they will have poorer lung function as well as the infants are likely to be ill regularly. The babies born to mother that smoked fifteen cigarettes or more each day during pregnancy, they are taken to the hospital 2 times as often during the first 8 month of life. The babies could get painful diseases including; inflammation of the middle ear as well as asthmatic bronchitis more often in their early childhood. In addition, they are likely to become smokers

Over the years, statistics show that smoking cigarettes can cause many serious health issues. These issues compound when the smoker is expecting. Fourteen percent of U.S. mothers smoke while pregnant despite knowing the fact that smoking causes harm to both mother and child. In younger mothers, age 25 and under, that number rises significantly to 20 percent. If a woman smokes then becomes pregnant, she must decide whether or not to quit. Woman are aware that cigarettes are not good for them or their baby, but do they understand the severity of smoking while carrying their unborn child in their womb? In this paper I will evaluate how women who smoke while pregnant are at high risk for early miscarriage, preterm birth, and birth defects. Is smoking a cigarette worth risking the life of your unborn child?

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

Also, smoking while pregnant has also lead to being the largest cause of low birth weight in babies. Smoking while pregnant affects the fetal lung development, causing offspring to fail to reach maximum lung function in childhood with subsequent lifelong decreases in pulmonary function. ( (Hayatbakhsh MR, n.d.) At birth, infants born to smokers show decreased pulmonary functions tests. Basically, anything that has to do with their breathing is substantically decreased. This increases the chances of a baby being hospitalized for respitory infections, increased wheezing, and in childhood asthma. The following quote is a research study that has shown that smoking any type of nicotine contained cigarette will result in the following, ” Moshammer and colleagues studied more than 20,000 children aged 6 to 12 years old across Europe and North America and found in utero smoke was associated with decreases in lung function parameters, with a 4% lower MMEF corresponding to a 40% increase in risk of poor lung function (defined as MMEF < 75% of expected).” (35) That number is absolutely astonishing, 40 percent of children have an increased chance of poor lung function because mother’s do not understand or care to stop the negative outcomes of smoking nicotine e-cigs or cigarette’s. Preterm delivery ( before 37 weeks) becomes increased for pregnant smokers, which interrupts normal lung development formation in itself. Most of the studies have been primarily focused on animals and then compared to

Tobacco use also correlates with the amount of milk a mother is able to produce. According to Lisa Amir and Susan Donath “nicotine levels in breastmilk of women who smoke are almost three times higher than the level in the mother’s blood”. That quotes shows how tobacco use will affect the mother as well as the child when its born. A mother’s milk is a major component for the child to continue to receive nutrients after they are birthed. Therefore for a mother to use tobacco use while pregnant will cause issue. Likewise, tobacco use affects the placenta for example, “ Smoking can cause problems with the placenta—the source of the baby 's food and oxygen during pregnancy. For example, the placenta can separate from the womb too early, causing bleeding, which is dangerous to the mother and baby” (Tobacco use and pregnancy. Web). That quotes proves

Also, smoking reduces the ability of the lungs to absorb oxygen. When the fetus is deprived of sufficient nourishment and oxygen, the baby may not grow as fast or as much as it should. Smoking during pregnancy can have a different effect on males as well. Research conducted in Denmark studied the differences in men who were exposed to tobacco during pregnancy and men who were not. The results were that men who were exposed to 19 cigarettes a day during pregnancy had about 19% lower semen volume and 38% lower total sperm count than those who were not exposed to smoking while in the womb. Also, children who were exposed to smoking during pregnancy may be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder more easily than children who were not exposed to smoking during pregnancy.

Not only does smoking affect the smokers but also the people besides them who are inhaling the secondhand smoke into their lungs. It can also affect the health of an unborn child if the mother is a nonsmoker who is exposed to second hand smoke has a high chance of having a baby with a low birth weight. Smoking during a pregnancy causes more risks to the mother and baby. There are a few potential health problems a baby can encounter if the mother is a smoker, which are low birth weight, birth defects, and sudden infant death syndrome (Pietrangelo). According to the American Lung Association, a cigarette contains about 600 ingredients and when it burns there are more than 7,000 chemicals being generated from the time of being ignited. The chemicals that are being generated are poisonous and at least 69 of them can cause some type of cancer. Nicotine is one of the ingredients in cigarettes and has the ability to reach your brain in seconds. It being a central nervous system stimulant, which will make a person feel more energized for some time but as the effect slowly decreases, the human body feels tired and wants more. Nicotine is addictive which is why it makes quitting very hard for some

Smoking during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and low birthweight infant.

Exposure to second hand smoke, also called involuntary smoking, occurs when non-smokers breathe in the cigarette smoke from others around them. Second hand smoke is harmful to both pregnant women and infants (NTP). Paternal smoking reduces birth weight by about 2 oz. (Berger 115). After birth, babies exposed to cigarette smoke may experience more colds, lung problems, and even ear infections.

When oxygenation is altered, such as in asthma, the body’s tissues and organs are at risk for not receiving adequate oxygen. In asthma, the airways are in a constant state of inflammation and triggers cause further inflammation that leads to airway swelling and narrowing (Trakalo, 2015). Hypoxemia can result from an acute asthma attack when adequate oxygen is not delivered to the blood (Trakalo, 2015). Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics on tobacco use and pregnancy (n.d.), 10% of pregnant women say they smoked in the last 3 months of pregnancy.  Smoking during pregnancy not only puts the mom at risk for complications but can also increase the child’s risk of developing certain diseases later in life ("Tobacco use and pregnancy," n.d.). To decrease the incidence of childhood asthma, it is critical to study the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the child’s development of asthma later in life. Some research has concluded that in utero and prenatal secondhand smoke exposure is directly associated with an increased risk of a child developing asthma later in life up to adolescence (Thacher et al., 2014). It is essential to further study within the population of pregnant mothers (P), does a mother who smokes during pregnancy versus a mother who does not smoke during pregnancy put a child at greater risk for

Smoking starts causing harm, even to the unborn. A mother is a baby`s only form of life support through the umbilical cord. So,