Among the many reasons women shouldn’t smoke when they’re pregnant is that it could cause the baby to experience sudden infant death syndrome. Women who smoke during pregnancy expose their babies to the harmful substance content of the cigarette which is too strong to be handled by the fragile and delicate infant. Stillbirth is also another factor that occurs when a pregnant woman smokes.

To look at the other damages caused due to smoking during pregnancy, the nicotine, tar and tobacco of a single cigarette can cause low birth weight of the foetus. Low birth weight can lead to a great many complications including prenatal death. During pregnancy, the carcinogen content of the cigarette could also affect the placenta that protects the foetus causing placenta abrasion.

Apart from the many physical symptoms that can occur due to smoking while bearing the child, the baby would suffer from terrible respiratory problems and infections. Not only would they find it hard to breathe, the chances of them developing asthma also increases. A baby born of a mother who used to smoke during pregnancy is more likely to have colic (stomach pain and indigestion).

When a pregnant woman smokes, the nicotine and other compounds found in tobacco pose both an immediate and an extended threat to the health of her developing child. Sometimes, smoking even reduces a woman’s fertility.

There is other constituents of cigarette smoke, carbon monoxide (CO), which can also change or interrupt basic physiological processes. CO is an odourless, colourless gas produced by burning carbon containing compounds. CO displaces oxygen from the molecule that normally carries it through the bloodstream to the organs and tissues. High levels of CO can be deadly. When a pregnant woman smokes, the trace amounts of CO that she inhales mean less oxygen will be delivered to her tissues and to her foetus.

Therefore, it is very important that every woman realises her responsibility in delivering a healthy child to the world. Smoking during pregnancy is a very harmful habit and can completely alter the health condition of the baby for the worse.