Many people are aware of the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke. If you smoke during pregnancy, it only makes sense that those dangers would affect your unborn child as well. Yes, there have been studies and research performed on the subject. These studies show the connection between smoking during pregnancy and health problems in the babies. Many medical problems have been positively correlated with smoking while pregnant. Moreover, even if the pregnant mother does not smoke, yet is exposed to second hand smoke, then the dangers still exist for the baby. Here is information about some the serious consequences of smoking during pregnancy. As a responsible mother-to-be, you might want to immediately get help and advice from doctor about utilizing stop smoking aids to enable you to give up smoking as soon as possible.

Get help quitting from your prenatal doctor or your family doctor if you are pregnant. You can find various methods and products designed to help you quit smoking. But be aware that some of these quitting aids still contain nicotine. Nicotine patches send nicotine into your bloodstream which can still be absorbed by your baby. This is a better option than inhaling the hundreds of chemicals found in cigarettes but still poses a threat to your baby’s health. It is still highly recommended to speak with your doctor about the best course of action for you.

One of the possibilities caused by smoking during pregnancy is a higher chance of your baby having a cleft palate, cleft lip, or both.

The reality is that both are considered birth defects and either one or both are more possible in your baby due to the mother smoking while pregnant. A cleft in any tissue is a result of incomplete closing during development or growth before birth. The future effects on your child will be tremendous, various speech problems and social stigma will negatively impact your child.

You will see there are many other risks too that are associated with smoking while pregnant. You may not realize that a good number of mental retardation, learning disabilities and even cerebral palsy have been linked to preterm smoking. Sudden infant death is the biggest risk of smoking while pregnant.

A woman who smokes during pregnancy should find this very troubling.

At this time, we don’t completely understand the highly negative effects smoking during pregnancy can have on the baby. The issues discussed have mainly focused on the unborn baby but these problems don’t disappear after birth. The child will most likely be dealing with the consequences of their mother smoking while pregnant their entire life. Your child could have to deal with the dire consequences of you smoking while pregnant for their entire life. Quitting smoking is vital to the baby and the mother for this reason. Be a responsible parent-to-be, read and learn how to quit smoking before you give birth to your child. This will be the very best gift you ever give to your unborn child as well as to your personal health and wellbeing.