Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : October 9, 2014 5:10 PM IST
Pregnancy is the time when you should always try and tread the healthy path to keep your systems hale and hearty, for your little one to live, breathe and grow within you. So cut down on your vices. The first thing you should do in this regard is quit smoking in case you are addicted to it.
Also, if you think that an occasional smoke will not do much damage, then you are sadly mistaken. Remember each time you light your cigarette you are taking in roughly some 4000 plus chemicals inside you, which is not only bad for your baby but for your own health too. The nicotine and carbon-monoxide in your bloodstream causes maximum damage to fetal health and wellbeing. Nicotine restricts the supply of oxygen by narrowing the blood vessels in your body, including the umbilical cord, the lifeline for your baby's nutrients and oxygen supply. Also read things that happen to your body when you smoke.
Less supply of oxygen increases the chances of a still-birth or a premature delivery. It can also lead to low birth weight in babies with underdeveloped crucial organs like the heart and the lungs. It affects the brain development too by restricting neuron growth. Besides babies born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy also have an increased chance of developing respiratory diseases or have learning disorders in future. Hence there are reasons enough to quit smoking during pregnancy. Also read about the five ways in which smoking affects your pregnancy.
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