Secondhand smoke effects on pregnancy injures both the mother and the baby

Secondhand smoke effects on pregnancy: Nicotine addiction

Secondhand smoking is also known as passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke is a mixture of smoke from a burning cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker. The burning smoke at the end of a cigarette or cigar normally has more harmful substances like tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and others than the smoke inhaled by the smoker. Pregnant women should not subject themselves to secondhand smoke effects as this put them at the risk of stillbirth, miscarriage, tubal pregnancy, underweight baby on delivery and many other pregnancy complications. The dangers of secondhand smoke is so high that even the young children must not be exposed as this may cause them to develop allergies, asthma, lung and ear infections and also increases the risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Babies and children exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop asthma, allergies, more frequent lung and ear infections, and are at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Secondhand smoke effects on pregnancy: Quitting smoking before or during pregnancy

Cigarette smoking is one of the most difficult addiction problems to deal with. Those addicted to smoking often find themselves relapsing quite regularly however this is not an indication of impossibility, you can quit successfully. Because of the challenges experienced while trying quitting, many smoking cessation programs have been established to help you leave smoking completely. We are not saying that the journey will be easy no, you may want to involve your doctor for more information on which cessation program to choose but in the meantime, the following are some hints you may use to help you kick out the habit of smoking from your life:

Keep away all the possible triggers like matches, lighters, and ashtrays.
Make it a rule that your home is a non-smoking area and ensure it is adhered to.
Request those who smoke to excuse themselves when they want to smoke so that they do not smoke around you.
Drink fewer caffeinated beverages as this may stimulate your urge to smoke. Also avoid alcohol, as it may also increase your urge to smoke and can be harmful to your baby.
Refrain from all habits connected with smoking. If you smoked while driving or when feeling stressed, try other activities to replace smoking.
Keep mints or gum preferably sugarless on hand for those times when you get the urge to smoke.
Stay active to keep your mind off smoking and help relieve tension: take a walk, exercise, read a book, or try a new a hobby.
Look for support from others. Join a support group or smoking cessation program.
Avoid smoking joints like bars or clubs, and smoking sections of restaurants.

Finally, like I said before, quitting smoking is not a walk in the park, it will take great commitment and discipline to achieve this objective. If you have made a decision to quit, involving the experts to help you defeat this problem becomes necessary. Experts’ at AWAREmed health and wellness resource center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury MD will be of great help to you. All you need to do is to schedule an appointment with her now for the commencement of your recovery process.