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What precisely are the effects of drinking and smoking on baby development during pregnancy?. SMOKING WHILE PREGNANT. “ Cigarette smoking is un- equivocally the largest and most important known modi- fiable risk factor for low birth weight and infant death . ". NICOTINE.
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What precisely are the effects of drinking and smoking on baby development during pregnancy?
SMOKING WHILE PREGNANT “Cigarette smoking is un- equivocally the largest and most important known modi- fiable risk factor for low birth weight and infant death."
NICOTINE • Twocomponentsthat cause harmful effects: carbon monoxide and nicotine. • Thesetwosubstances are ableto be transported over placental membranes • Carbon monoxide decreased oxygen delivery to the fetus • Nicotinecardiovascular and central nervous system effects
NICOTINE EFFECTS • Increase in spontaneous abortions seen in smoking women. • Low birth weight • increase in perina- tal (after 20 weeks gestation) and neonatal (in the first 28 days of age) mortality in smoking women.
Placentalproblems, such as: preterm delivery, fetal dis- tress, maternal coagulopathy and ischemic injur y to other organs • Attention deficit hyperactiv- ity disorder (ADHD) have been identified in the children (mental retardation) • Childhood cancer
DRINKING WHILE PREGNANT • Alcohol is a toxin. When you drink alcohol, it rapidly reaches your baby across the placenta, via your bloodstream
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) • Babies with FAS tend to have: • Facial defects • Born small and to carry on being small for their age • Learning difficulties • Poor coordination • Behavioural problems
Problems with your pregnancy • Miscarriage • premature birth. • TOO MUCH DRINKING Increase the risk of your baby being stillborn
Some hard facts about smoking during pregnancy • Common! – currently, 14 - 25% of pregnancies in the USA/ Europe • Higher in young women: 45% of pregnant under-20’s smoke • 40% of emergency room asthma visits from children live with smokers • Smoking doubles the incidence of premature birth, doubles the chance of stillbirth, doubles the chances of asthma or cot death • Smoking increases the rate of cleft palate and deformities by 25%
Some hard facts about smoking while pregnant • The foetus gets a higher dose of nicotine than the mother – and the nicotine targets the baby’s brain • Nicotine damages the placenta and severely decreases blood flow to the baby • Passive smoking increases the rate of stillbirth by 23% and increases the incidence of birth defects by 13%
Some hard facts about alcohol during pregnancy • Alcohol is the number one cause of mental retardation in children • Brain damage is permanent – memory, attention deficit, frontal cortical immaturity • Recommended maximum limit of alcohol in pregnant women is 1 – 2 units of alcohol per week • How much alcohol is a single unit?