Secondhand smoke vulnerability to human health includes and are not limited to addiction

Secondhand smoke vulnerability to human health: Effects to pregnant women and children

Pregnant women who inhale secondhand smoke are more likely to have lower birth weight babies than women who do not inhale secondhand smoke. Once born, babies who are around cigarette smoke are more likely to get ear infections, develop bronchitis and pneumonia and die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Therefore secondhand smoke vulnerability can cause serious health problems in children including:

• Frequent lower respiratory illness
• Wheezing and coughing
• More frequent and severe asthma attacks
• Ear infections

It is therefore advisable that, women who are pregnant should avoid surroundings where heavy concentrations of secondhand smoke linger.

Secondhand smoke vulnerability to human health: Is smoking during pregnancy harmful?

For luck of better words I will say that it is never safe to stay around smokers when pregnant let alone smoking. This is very dangerous because smoking while pregnant: affects the placenta which is the source of your baby’s food and oxygen, lowers the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby and also increases the following:

• The chances of stillbirth
• The risk for certain birth defects like a cleft lip or cleft palate
• The risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
• The risk that your baby will be born prematurely
• The risk that your baby will be born with low birth weight
• Your baby’s heart rate
• Your baby’s risk of developing respiratory problems

Besides that, children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are at greater risk of: Behavioral problems, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disorders and becoming smokers themselves in the future. Therefore I recommend strongly that all pregnant women who are smoking should quit right way if not permanently then at least during their pregnancy.

Secondhand smoke vulnerability to human health: Is it too late to quit or is it harmful to smoke after delivery?

If you are pregnant, it is never too late to quit smoking. There are benefits to quitting smoking at any stage of your pregnancy. Quitting as soon as possible will help protect you and your baby from some health problems, such as low birth weight.

You might think it is safe to start smoking again after your baby is born, but your baby is not out of harm’s way. Remember that secondhand smoke is equally dangerous not just for your baby but to people around you. The best thing to do is to quit permanently because babies who are around cigarette smoke: have weaker lungs than other babies, are more likely to have health problems such as infections and more frequent asthma attacks and are at increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Therefore you need to protect your baby doing the following:

• Do not allow anyone to smoke near your child.
• Do not smoke or let others smoke in your home or car.
• Use childcare providers who do not smoke.
• Do not eat in restaurants that allow smoking.
• Do not take your child to other indoor public places that allow smoking.
• Teach children to stay away from secondhand smoke.

Finally breastfeed your baby is the best you can do but remember that, smoking may make it difficult to breastfeed because it changes your breast milk, disrupt your baby’s sleeping patterns and may even cause you to have problems releasing the breast milk. In conclusion life is lived once and doing the right things will help you have comfort in that life. Therefore for your health and your baby’s, you should quit smoking. Doing this will not be easy, you need to consult with doctor Dalal Akoury to help you go about it professionally and in the most healthy way.

Secondhand smoke vulnerability to human health: Effects to pregnant women and children