Smoking during pregnancy could give your child a heart defect

A research has found that children with heart defects were more likely to have been born to mothers who smoked, and the risk was highest in the heaviest smokers. Patrick M. Sullivan, clinical fellow in paediatric cardiology at Seattle Children's Hospital, said: 'Our research provides strong support for the hypothesis that smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of specific heart defects'. (Read: Beware Smoking during pregnancy could make your daughter a nicotine addict!)

Older women had a higher risk of having a child with a heart defect if they smoked. Cigarette smoking during pregnancy has been linked to many birth defects, such as cleft lips, cleft palates, and missing or deformed limbs. For the study, researchers used birth certificate data and ho9spital discharge records from Washington in the US. (Read: Five ways smoking during pregnancy can harm your baby)

The researchers identified 14,128 children born with a variety of heart defects between 1989-2011. Newborns whose mothers smoked were at about a 50 to 70 percent greater risk for anomalies of the valve and vessels that carry blood to the lungs (pulmonary valve and pulmonary arteries). They were at about 20 percent greater risk for holes in the wall separating the two collecting chambers of the heart (atrial septal defect). All of these defects often require invasive procedures for correction. (Read: Smoking during pregnancy can put your baby at risk of respiratory and other infections)

Here are five ways smoking during pregnancy can affect your baby's health:

Smoking makes your baby's brain smaller

According to a study, smoking during pregnancy can lead to babies with smaller brains which make them more prone to stress and anxiety. The reason behind it, scientists suspect, is that smoking affects the development of foetus by destroying neurons and reducing oxygen supply to the womb.

Smoking is likely to give your baby meningitis

According to British researchers, smoking during pregnancy trebles the chances of the baby developing meningitis. Meningitis is caused by an infection of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.

Smoking leads to low weight babies

According to the findings of a research conducted in Spain, it was found that women who smoked during pregnancy gave birth to lighter babies. A research was conducted on 1,216 newly born babies and it was seen that such babies were lighter by 216 grams on an average. For those who don't know, babies born with low birth weight are likely to suffer from malnutrition, developmental disorders, learning disabilities, heart-related issues and a host of other conditions.

Your kid is likelier to suffer from heart disease

According to a study, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more susceptible to heart disease because they have lower levels of HDL, than children of non-smokers. By the age of eight, children born to mothers who smoked had HDL levels of about 1.3 millimoles per litre as against a more normal level of 1.5 millimoles per litre among children of non-smoking mothers.

You're likelier to suffer problems during pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy does not create problems for the baby only after it's born. Even during the pregnancy period and delivery, several problems can arise. When you smoke during pregnancy, your unborn baby gets affected by the chemicals from the cigarette. There is an increased risk for premature rupture of the amniotic sac, placenta previa (a condition where the placenta is placed in an unusual position in the uterus), miscarriage, and neonatal death. (Read: The most comprehensive guide to first trimester dos and don'ts you'll ever need!)

So kick the butt and give your child the best life he or she deserves.

With inputs from: IANS

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