We all know that smoking can create health problems, but during pregnancy, it can have some deadly consequences for your unborn baby.
What can it do?
A study from the United States shows the importance of avoiding cigarettes during pregnancy. Over 400 babies are born each year with an orofacial cleft due to the mother smoking during the fetus’ early development, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Orofacial clefts, among similar deformities, have been found in six per cent of mothers who smoked during their fourth and ninth week of pregnancy. Orofacial clefts, or also known as a cleft lip, is the result of a fetus’ lip tissue forming incompletely.
Other consequences
If a mother smokes during this critical time of fetal development it significantly increases the chances for pregnancy complications and deformities. Other consequences can arise due to these complications like problems with feeding, hearing, speaking, and more depending on the deformity.
An important thing to remember is that a fetus can be harmed by smoke even if the mother isn’t the one smoking it, being around smoke can cause just as much damage.
The Surgeon General found that around 100,000 babies have died in the past 50 years from pregnancy problems resulting from parental smoking. These complications include Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, prematurity and low birth weight.