...ENG 1010 13 March 2014 Smoking While Pregnant There are many health problems that are caused by smoking cigarettes. Many women feel that it only affects them, but if they are pregnant or plan to become pregnant it can cause many health problems for the unborn child. If you are planning on getting pregnant or just found out you are pregnant you need to quit smoking immediately. Smoking causes many problems for you, your unborn child, and there are many ways to quit. When you smoke, you are at risk for many health problems. It harms nearly every organ in your body causing your health to deteriorate over time. It increases your risk of a heart disease and stroke by two to four times (Pg. 1 cdc.gov). Smoking makes it harder for women to get pregnant and harms the sperm in men, increasing the risk of birth defects. Your blood pressure raises due to the narrowing in your vessels, which can cause blockages, clots, and reduce blood flow to your legs and skin. Smoking can contribute to many complications during pregnancy for you and your baby. The baby is at increased risk of low birth weight, premature birth, miscarriage, or stillbirth. It lowers the available oxygen and raises heart rate to you and the fetus. Also, they can have lung problems and have birth defects, such as Orofacial clefts (cleft lip), after they are born. It can even contribute to sudden infant death syndrome, commonly known as SIDS. Now that you are aware of what smoking can do to you and your baby, you...
Words: 427 - Pages: 2
...The Effects of Smoking during Pregnancy Cassandra Buckner National American University Abstract There are many dangers to an unborn child that can follow them the rest of their lives from maternal smoking. Many studies and significant research shows smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of a long list of problems. Still birth is the most common complication, but placental dysfunctional, premature labor and low birth weight are also problems that can harm the fetus. Over 40% of children studied also had some form of heart defect. Exposure to cigarette smoke during pregnancy has also been linked to SIDS. Birth defects such as cleft palate and cleft lip can be caused from smoking while pregnant as well as your child being diagnosed with asthma. Speech defects as well as behavioral problems such as ADD/ADHD also play a role in maternal smoking. No one would give an infant a cigarette, so why would we while carrying our child smoke? Smoking during pregnancy can harm both the baby and the mother. Most would do anything to protect their child. Yet many women, who feel this way, continue to smoke while pregnant, insisting that the dangers are non-existent. In reality, there are many dangers to an unborn child that can follow them for the rest of their lives, if they survive gestation, and birth. Miscarriages, low birth weight, premature labor, and organ defects are just a few things that can plague the child of a smoking mother. There are many studies, and significant...
Words: 2193 - Pages: 9
...Smoking during Pregnancy COMM/215 It is a well-known fact that smoking while pregnant is a bad idea. It is unhealthy for someone who isn’t pregnant and therefore unhealthy for the unborn baby a pregnant woman carries. Many women, despite knowing this well-known fact, have continued smoking during their pregnancy. They would rather feed their addiction than to keep their child healthy and it is immensely wrong. It is unbelievable how women are willing to risk the life of their unborn child just to inhale nicotine. There are so many reasons why smoking during pregnancy is wrong, birth defects, miscarriage and stillbirth, and the risk of the baby developing lung problems. With all of these side effects combined, it seems it would be an obvious conclusion for women to not smoke while pregnant. Smoking is a bad choice to make. Cigarettes are addictive and cause cancer. Smoking while pregnant is not just a bad choice for the mother to make, but also a bad choice for her baby. It is one thing for someone to risk their own heath, and another thing to risk the life of an unborn baby. “A woman who smokes while being pregnant is more than 50% more likely to expose her unborn child to an infection within the womb in comparison to a non-smoker, as the smoker’s Absolute Risk Reduction (ARR) is 1.67 compared to the non-smoker.”( Mund, Louwen, Klingelhoefer, & Gerber, 2013). While it is a well-known fact that smoking during pregnancy is a bad idea, recent studies have shown just...
Words: 1123 - Pages: 5
...Smoking while Pregnant COMM/215 August 28, 2010 Dr. John Smoking while Pregnant In United States, smoking is responsible for about 443, 000 death per year. Smoking although disclosures pregnant mother and her baby to a serious health complications. The more the mother smokes, the higher the risk of the baby developing these and other problems associated with smoking cigarettes. Smoking while pregnant exposes the mother and her unborn baby to several health problems. When a pregnant women smokes her unborn baby smokes too. What this means is that the nicotine, carbon monoxide, and the other chemicals that the mother inhales with every cigarette are passing into her baby’s body. Ectopic pregnancy is an uncommon pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus. When this happens there is no way to save the pregnancy. According to American Lung Association, “women who smoke during pregnancy are estimated to count for 20%-30% of low birth weight babies, Up to 14% of prematurely deliveries and about10% of all infant death” (Biradar, Bhagavati, & Swamy, 2006, p. 1).Those babies born with low-birth weight are more vulnerable to many more newborn problems than normal-weight babies. Low birth babies are more vulnerable to many health problems such as breathing difficulties and long- term healthy problems in adulthood. The mother’s oxygenated blood runs in and out of the fetus through veins in the umbilical cord. If this course is obstructed, the fetus will not receive...
Words: 652 - Pages: 3
...Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a socialsituation or to relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too,and one with serious health consequences. Nicotine - An alkaloid (a nitrogen-containing chemical) made by the tobacco plant or produced synthetically. Nicotine has powerful pharmacologic effects (including increased heart rate, heart stroke volume, and oxygen consumption by the heart muscle), as well as powerful psychodynamic effects (such as euphoria, increased alertness, and a sense of relaxation). Nicotine is also powerfully addictive. Tar is a sticky substance that forms into deposits in the lungs, causing lung cancer andrespiratory distress. Carbon monoxide limits the amount of oxygen that the red blood cells can convey throughout your body. Also, it may damage the inner walls of the arteries,which allows fat to build up in them. Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is a small part of the air we breathe. There are many sources of Carbon Monoxide such as incinerators, car exhaust and gas furnaces. Ammonia: A colorless gas with a very sharp odor. Made both by humans and by nature, ammonia dissolves easily in water and evaporates quickly. Liquid ammonia is found in many household cleaners....
Words: 1883 - Pages: 8
...Imagine Smoking during pregnancy -low birth weight -oral hygiene -cancer mortality There are many different groups in the community that are affected by this higher incidence of smoking while pregnant. Since smoking in itself is at a higher incidence in Manistee county, 32.7%, compared to the 20.3% instance of the state of Michigan and the 7.8% incidence goal of Health People 2020, a larger portion of this county is affected in some way by this problem .When advising plans and techniques to provide knowledge and promote smoking cessation seminars and help decrease the smoking incidence, the focus will be for all smokers not just smoking during the course of pregnancy . This categorizes all smokers in Manistee as part of the group affected by this health problem. The more obvious group affected is the pregnant mother, the fetus, the family and friends of the pregnant mother, and all others that are in someway connected to each pregnancy. “23% of white women reported smoking during pregnancy compared with 18% African American and 12% Hispanic. (milhs.org)” in the state of Michigan, putting this race at a slightly higher risk when comparing the other two races inscidences of smoking during term. The minority groups, black (2.9%) and American indian (2.1%), which put the fetus at a higher risk for low birth weight automatically, are also affected by the higher rates of smoking because their risk becomes even more increased than it already is. “Babies born to African...
Words: 850 - Pages: 4
...Smoking and it is effect on pregnant mothers’ Comm/215 Smoking While Pregnant According to Center of Disease Control and Prevention ("Smoking & tobacco use,"), tobacco kills five million people each year. In United States, only smoking is responsible for about 443, 000 death per year. Many women smoke without knowing the negative effect that smoking can have on their unborn babies during the pregnancy and after. The more the mother smokes, the bigger the bigger it gets the babies likelihood of developing these and other problems associated with smoking cigarettes. Smoking while pregnancy disclosures the mother and her unborn baby to several health problems. When a pregnant women smokes her unborn baby smokes too. What this means is that the nicotine, carbon monoxide, and the other chemicals that the mother inhales with every cigarette are passing into her baby’s body. This on the other hand, can have a huge impact on the health of the mother and her unborn baby. One of the most serious pregnancy complications experienced by women who smoke during pregnancy is ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is an uncommon pregnancy that occurs outside the uterus. Smoking during the pregnancy decreases the growth and health of babies and increases the risk of a difficulties and diseases for both the mother and baby. Low birth babies are more vulnerable to many health problems such as breathing difficulties and long- term healthy problems in adulthood. . Smoking not only...
Words: 511 - Pages: 3
...Effects of Smoking and Pregnancy William Franklin Stewart Marshall University January 19, 2010 Thesis Statement Smoking during pregnancy is associated with many adverse outcomes for children as well as negative consequences for child health and development. Maternal smoking late in pregnancy reduces birth weight and size. Babies that are born to habitual smokers "weigh, on average, about 9 oz. less, and are shorter both at birth and in the years to come" (Berger 115). Nicotine is the addictive ingredient in cigarettes and breaking that habit can be nearly impossible for some women. What is the acceptable way for her to stop smoking? It's my opinion a woman needs to gather all of the information she can and then discuss her options with her doctor. Only she and the doctor can know how her body reacts to certain medications and to nicotine withdrawal. Discussed in this paper are some of the issues facing the mother and child. Effects of Smoking and Pregnancy Quitting Smoking First and foremost, a woman should quit smoking if she is thinking about becoming pregnant. Quitting will help produce a baby that will be of the same birth weight of a baby born of a woman who has never smoked. Doctors have different opinions to the correct way to quit. Some favor quitting cold turkey, stepping down gradually, taking prescription drugs such as Zyban and Chantix. Both of these need a prescription in most cases and both can have serious side effects as well. Wearing patches...
Words: 712 - Pages: 3
...THE EFFECTS OF SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY Smoking during pregnancy has been proven to increase the risk of pregnancy complications such as premature birth, low birth weight, still birth, miscarriages and sudden death syndrome (SIDS), as well as other defects within the heart, brain or lungs. This report will look at the effects smoking during pregnancy has on a baby before and after birth and will also clarify a variety of programmes that are available to help pregnant mothers quit smoking. Smoking during pregnancy is a very common dilemma that is happening all over the world. Usually this is an addiction that is picked up by most women at a very young age. While there are some mothers that are able to quit, there are many others out there that find it very hard to quit, putting themselves as well as their unborn child at the risk of having pregnancy complications or birth defects. A vast majority of pregnant women know that smoking is very harmful, not only to themselves but also to their unborn child. Although they may know a cigarette contains many harmful chemicals in it, they may not know exactly what chemicals are hiding in the cigarette and how harmful it can be for their unborn child. “Health experts figure if all pregnant women refrained from smoking, it would lead to an 11 percent reduction in the number of stillbirths and a 5 percent decrease in newborn deaths” (Thompson, 2011). A cigarette “contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing (carcinogenic)...
Words: 627 - Pages: 3
...Why Vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking The purpose of this synthesis is to argue why switching to a vaporizer is a healthier alternative when compared to smoking tobacco. Vaporizing liquid nicotine, or “vaping”, has become extremely popular in recent times. This new way to utilize the vice known as nicotine is widely viewed as a healthier alternative to tobacco products. There are a multitude of ways to “vape”, and it will be explained why this is healthier for you compared to smoking a cigarette. If you do choose to use nicotine products, then you should definitely use a vaporizer. If you are a cigarette consumer, you should stop immediately. Cigarette smoking is statistically one of the main causes of deaths in the United States of America. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), one in five deaths in the United States results from smoking cigarettes, which account for 480,000 deaths annually (www.cdc.gov). 42,000 of this estimated number includes deaths from secondhand smoke. That is 42,000 deaths a year from people who do not smoke, but people around them do, knowing what they are doing is harming themselves and those that they expose the cigarette smoke to as well. These 42,000 deaths a year can be prevented if people would quit smoking cigarettes. If the previously mentioned facts do not deter a cigarette smoker to quit, then maybe this will. There are an approximately 600 chemicals in a cigarette, and when smoked, they create more than 7,000 chemicals...
Words: 2309 - Pages: 10
...Running head: Smoking in pregnancy and offspring drug use Abstract This study was examined on how being exposed to cigarette smoking while pregnant is associated to drug use in adolescents. The researchers also examine if externalizing behavior mediates this relationship, while controlling for a number of potential covariates of this mediation process. Keyword’s addiction , adolescence Running head: Smoking in pregnancy and offspring drug use Maternal cigarette smoking predicts drug use in adolescents. Prenatal exposure to maternal smoking seems to link with adolescents experimenting with drugs, both directly and indirectly due to their behavior and the amount of adolescents that were reported to be using drugs. It is a known fact that over a billion people are negatively affected by the addiction to tobacco. The effects are evident in the first hand smokers and PEMCS as supported by the studies. Does cigarette smoking during pregnancy predicts drug use in adolescents? Yes because nicotine can affect the offspring brain, research has shown that along with the modification of the infant brain due to early exposure to nicotine, that makes them susceptible to addictive behavioral patterns, they are other contributing factors that lead to drug usage, such as living in a home that were disrupted by divorce and mental illness, and those who grew up in homes where drugs and alcohol were at play they are more likely to become abusers when they grow...
Words: 534 - Pages: 3
...clearly explained in detail, and between behavioral and social/cognitive theories the author describes which one explains his or her personality. A habit that was developed deals with smoking, and it has been going on throughout my entire family for several years. The habit was developed because of older siblings smoking and inviting the younger sibling to join in the smoking festivities. The role models for this bad habit that formed over these years were two male teenagers who had the responsibility of babysitting there younger sister while the mom was at work for several hours a day and night. The habit was adopted because the older male siblings use to blow smoke in the younger female sibling’s face starting at the age of 3 years old. They were young teenagers who liked to hang out with their friends, smoke, and blow it in her face in order to get their sister to fall asleep. The two brothers were young teenagers who learned the bad habit of smoking from their father who condoned it, and let their friends come over to his house and they all smoked together. The influence of their father made the two brothers think it was okay to introduce this bad habit to their younger sister. The bad smoking habit was continued throughout the younger sibling’s life because she had gotten use to smoking, and every morning...
Words: 1219 - Pages: 5
...Smoking is one of the leading killers in America and innocent people shouldn’t die because of it. For years people have been smoking in public thinking “it’s my body, I can do whatever I want to it” but now that it has been proven that smoking not only harms the smokers, but also those around him or her. Smokers should not be allowed to smoke around other people in public. Smokers should stop smoking. Smoking is very addicting to people and it’s bad for them and for the environment. It can cause many diseases and problems to people. Also it can kill people and cause relatives and friends to hurt also due to problems the smokers runs into. Smoking can also cause physical and mental appearance. Pregnant woman also can harm themselves and the child they are carrying while they are smoking due to the chemical. Today, nearly 3,000 young people across our country will begin smoking regularly. Of these 3,000 young people, 1,000 will lose that gamble to the diseases caused by smoking. The net effect of this is that among children living in America today, 5 million will die on early, preventable death because of a decision made as a child. Smoking can cause many diseases and problems physically and mentally. Smokers run into many complications while using the addicting abject called a cigarette. Cigarettes have addicting materials in them such as nicotine, which is what makes it so hard for people to stop smoking. When people keep smoking the nicotine affects their body...
Words: 686 - Pages: 3
...Cause and Effects of Smoking What are the causes of smoking? Is there anyone who does not know someone who smokes? We all know at least one family member, friend, or co-worker who smokes. They have chosen to smoke for some of then since they were in their early teens, but by just being around them, many people are also starting smoking indirectly. Before one chooses to take this risk he or she should think what problems they can face because of it. There are many causes for smoking but effects of smoking are same. Smoking is a hazardous habit because it leads to addiction, disease, and high-risk pregnancy. For example, addiction is one of the bad side effects of smoking and it is caused by nicotine. Once one inhales the cigarette he or she will want the need for another one. Many people change there personalities because of the addiction to smoking. One may adopt more grouchy and violent behavior and need a cigarette to relax, but instead it is doing more damage. Researchers have found ways to control addictions and some have succeeded while many have failed. People at a younger age start to get addicted by the nicotine in the cigarette and this is where the problem starts. One of the major effects of smoking is also causing of fatal diseases. First, a major disease caused by smoking is cancer. According to American lung association of Texas lung cancer is leading killer of both men and women in U.S.A and number one cause of lung cancer is smoking. This disease can change...
Words: 577 - Pages: 3
...Should smoking be allowed or banned in public places? Should smoking be allowed or banned in public? Smoking tobacco has been affecting what’s around us because more people start to smoke so that’s more pollution in the air. Some people feel that they constantly need to smoke in order to get through their day and not realizing what they’re doing to themselves and others. Smoking shouldn’t be allowed in public places like parks because of all the little kids running around. People shouldn’t smoke were there’s huge crowds like time square in New York City. Smoking while standing outside a restaurant is giving that place a bad name. Smoking in restaurants was aloud a couple of years ago but stopped. Smokers should stop smoking and look at the bigger picture and help not only save your life but save life’s around you who are inhaling just as much smoke as you are. On March 20, 2014 smoking parks and beaches has been 100% banned. On this date a bill was passed that there would be no more smoking on beaches or parks. If you are caught smoking in these areas you will face a $250.00- $1,000 fine. People who are caught breaking this law will start with a $250 fine then go to $500 then to $1,000 and more. This bill was passed on a vote of 78 people 4 were absence. The vote came to 67-7 that we should pass this law and move on to a healthy world. Lots of people were very upset about the bill that was passed. People liked to go on vacation to the beach lay down relax and either smoke...
Words: 1521 - Pages: 7
