Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy

Maternal smoking has been found to be a significant risk factor for low birth weight infants, a disadvantage which influences infant mortality, and long-term health outcomes of the surviving infants (Vogler & Kozlowski, 2002, p.241). Particularly in adolescents, of whom one in four is a current smoker, smoking and pregnancy remains a complex issue. Pregnancy compounds the ramifications smoking, as the association between smoking during pregnancy and multiple adverse outcomes, including maternal bleeding, low infant birthweight, infant death, and future delays in child development (Albrecht et al, 2000, p.709). Adolescents tend to engage in risk-taking behaviors despite known dangers, and particularly unwed mothers of low income tend to continue smoking, even when pregnant, causing risk to the fetus and infant.

As each pregnancy is a miracle, the perfect cooperation between the mother's body to protect and nourish the fetus during nine months, it is a miracle that is short-circuited when the mother chooses to smoke. The body's protective systems are limited, and whatever goes into the mother's system goes into the baby's bloodstream through the placenta (Brenneisen-Goode, 1998, p.6). Most pregnant women try to protect their infants by avoiding exposing their unborn children to harmful substances, but some do not, especially the very young. "The less educated the mother, the greater the chance she will continue to smoke during pregnancy (Brenneisen-Goode, 1998, p.6). Research shows that smoking retards the growth of the baby in the womb. The baby will be born on the average weighing six ounces less than babies of nonsmoking women. The reason for this is that the nicotine from the cigarettes restricts the blood vessels and the movements of breathing.

Although the weight loss can be quickly regained after birth, longitudinal studies of children of smoking mothers show that even seven years later, the children were shorter,...

Page 1 of 5 Next >

More on Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 15:22, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1693456.html