Smoking is extremely harmful not just to the smoker but also to the persons who lives with the smoker. Unfortunately, the victims of such smoke are small children whose parents are smokers.
Exposure to Cigarette smoke is very damaging to a pregnant mother {even though she doesn’t smoke}. This smoke greatly affects the foetus. The effects are all the more worse in case of women who smoke during pregnancy.
Babies, who are exposed to their mother’s smoking through breast-feeding and environmental tobacco, unfortunately get Cotinine -a major metabolite of nicotine in their blood stream. Their urine when tested is found to contain high levels of Cotinine.
Another study showed that smoking while pregnant, can slow the growth of the unborn child and increase the risk of reduced birth weight.
This is probably because the carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke binds with haemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells), reducing the blood’s oxygen-carrying capability.
The small lungs and lighter weight of young children make them particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.
In young children, exposure to second-hand smoke is linked to increased risk of:
· Middle ear infections (including glue ear)
· Lower respiratory illnesses (including croup, bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia)
· The onset of asthma and worsening of asthmatic symptoms
· Reduced lung growth
· Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS, or cot death)
· Meningococcal disease.
· Children were also at risk of death due to fires caused by cigarettes
· Children of smokers are nearly three times as likely to smoke as children of non-
smokers.
· There is also some evidence that second-hand smoke effects children’s learning development and behavior.
Parents need to be very careful about smoking in front of their children. Women who are pregnant and cannot think about quitting, think about the harmful effect smoking can have on your baby. Husbands do not smoke in front of your pregnant wife; keep your house smoke free.
Smoking is a complete no-no for pregnant mothers. All this effort ultimately is going to benefit your baby and you.
Quitting smoking is the best way out. But for those of you who find it really tough, to quit smoking, make an effort not to smoke in front of children and others.
Smoke in solitude or don’t smoke at all.
