Smoking is well known to be a cause of significant illness and death in American society. These illnesses ranging from lung cancer to stroke cost billions of dollars in health care expenditures nationwide annually “Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death, killing 42,000 smokers and 53,000 nonsmokers in the US annually. The total cost of medical services for smokers is $50 billion annually” (Lightwood, Phibbs, and Glantz, 1999, 1). One significant component of these costs comes from illnesses and deaths related to women who smoke during pregnancy. The effects of smoking during pregnancy not only impact the mother’s health, but they increase the risk of complications during birth and increase the risk of disease and illness in the infant. The average cost is higher for women who smoke who experience complications during birth compared to non-smoking women who experience complications during birth, $10, 894 vs. $6,544 (Medical, 1997, 1048). These costs do not even take into consideration the expense of treating newborns whose illnesses stem from their mother’s smoking.
Smoking rates for minority women are on the rise, which is not a good indicator for any reversal in cost trends due to complications during birth from mother’s who smoke, or from treating their infants for smoking-related illnesses. Many women are unaware of the risk of cigarette smoking during pregnancy, still more are aware of the risks and continue their smoking habit regardless of the risks. This analysis will discuss the effects of cigarette smoking by mother’s on childbirth and infants. A conclusion will address some measures that might help reduce the number of mother’s who smoke during pregnancy.
The effects of alcohol consumption on women who drink during pregnancy are well known. The risks of drinking while pregnant include babies with smaller birth weights, heights, and head circumferences, abnormal facial features, and d...