Smoking during pregnancy: studies & cessation

Smoking during pregnancy is not only dangerous for the expectant mother, but also negatively affects the development of the child. Many smoking pregnant women assume that an abrupt stop smoking and the associated withdrawal symptoms harm the child and hängengen therefore the cigarettes not on the nail. 

However, there is no scientific evidence that withdrawal symptoms pass on to the baby. On the contrary, there are numerous studies that prove the negative consequences of smoking during pregnancy. Every cigarette not smoked benefits the baby and its development.

That's why in this article we want to introduce you to more on the topic of smoking during pregnancy and show you a few alternatives on how to stop smoking faster.

Why is smoking during pregnancy harmful?

Smoking is of course not only in pregnancy schädlich für us, but affects our health negatively at any time. Burning tobacco produces a mixture of over 4000 different substances, at least 250 of which are carcinogenic or toxic. Nicotine is a particularly potent poison that can lead to long-term health damage in the body. 

The nicotine levels contained in cigarettes are usually not high enough to cause acute nicotine poisoning, but years of smoking promote diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic bronchitis and many others. Smoking contaminates the blood vessels and leads to vascular calcification. For this reason, the body can no longer be supplied with sufficient blood and the risk für heart attacks, strokes and circulatory disorders in the arms and legs increases.

The lack of oxygen also affects the development of the baby during pregnancy. Nicotine is absorbed directly by the placenta and thus passes to the fötus ütus. The nicotine is not only deposited in the blood of the pregnant woman, but also at a high concentration in the mucous membrane of the womb. Smoking causes more and more harmful substances to reach the unborn baby and it can no longer be supplied with sufficient oxygen and nutrients. Each cigarette in pregnancy is thus smoked by the baby. 

Smoking during pregnancy: consequences

The undersupply of oxygen to the fötus and the reduced blood flow in the placenta can cause a number of developmental and growth disorders. These are collectively known as ‘fetal tobacco syndrome’. A study by the Österreichische Gesellschaften für Allgemein- und Familienmedizin shows the consequences of smoking during pregnancy.

Passive smoking in pregnancy

Cigarettes harm the baby, whether they are smoked actively or passively. Für a healthy development the child needs a smoke-free environment. In plain language, this means that not only the expectant mother should stop smoking, but also the father should never smoke in the presence of the child and also not in the apartment, because pollutants and smoke particles can settle überall on Möbeln and in carpets.

Pulling on the cigarette creates a very high combustion temperature, which inactivates some of the toxins contained in the cigarette. In sidestream smoke, this results in a higher concentration of some pollutants, even up to 100 times as high as in mainstream smoke. For this reason, pregnant women should never be in the immediate vicinity of a smoker.

Stop smoking during pregnancy

To avoid the diseases described above, there is only one way out: stop smoking. Quitting smoking has many benefits, not only for the pregnant woman herself, but also for the child and its development.

If there is a desire to have children, smoking should be stopped as early as possible. After the smoking stop nämlich also fertility is increased and the oxygen supply in the blood improves gradually.

Snus as an alternative to smoking

Because snus is a product that is taken exclusively orally and there is no combustion process, the dangers of secondhand smoke can be eliminated during consumption. For expectant fathers and mothers who do not manage to stop smoking, this is a good alternative so as not to harm the pregnant woman and the child.

Snus can also help with smoking cessation, as products have varying levels of nicotine. Particularly strong products like Siberia Black -80 Degrees WDP Slim have a nicotine content of 43 mg/g. Slightly less nicotine contains Skruf Super White Fresh with 18 mg/g. In addition, there are completely nicotine-free snus, such as edel CBD Mint. Thus, a gradual withdrawal can be successfully pulled through.