THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE DURING

PREGNANCY

By: Jennifer Matos

� Smokers are all around us, it is the deadly bad habit people can't seem to share off.

� Nicotine affects one health and whoever is around us, but especially unborn children. Many don't know the consequences smoking can bring to babies in the whom.

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•Lead and cyanide (2 of many components in nicotine) account for almost every nicotine related complication in a pregnancy.

•The international Child Care Practices study concluded in a survey or 21 centers in 17 countries determine that 22% of mothers and 45% of fathers where smoking at the time of pregnancy and birth. In the U.S. Alone 21.6% of males smoke and 16.5% of females smoke, this makes 43.8 million Americans Smoke.

� A large number of studies show that smoking during pregnancy affects the pre-natal growth and increases the risk of fetal mortality, morbidity and cognitive development. This also affects the behavior in children and adolescents.

� When a woman smokes during pregnancy the toxins in nicotine enters the blood stream and the blood stream is the fetus's only source of oxygen and nutrients.

� Smoking increases the baby's heart rate and increases the chances of miscarriage and stillbirths

� Nicotine also increases the risk of premature labor and low birth weight. � Smoking increases the baby's risk of developing repertory and lung

problems.

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•The smoke that comes out of the end of a cigarette contains more harmful substances that the smoke being inhaled by the smoker. •A pregnant woman that is regularly exposed to second hand smoke have increased the risk of her fetus developing lung cancers, heart disease, emphysema, allergies, asthma and many more.

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By: Jennifer Matos