The Possible Damage Smoking during Pregnancy can Cause for Your Child There is a very high amount of awareness about the health dangers due to smoking as well as second hand smoke. If you smoke during pregnancy, it only makes sense that those dangers would affect your unborn child as well. There have been many studies done regarding this subject. These studies have found correlations between smoking and the effects on the babies. Medical problems have been positively linked to smoking during pregnancy. The dangers still existed for the baby if the mother didn't smoke but was exposed to second hand smoke. Smoking while pregnant can lead to the following serious consequences. Smoking during
![[WWW]](/wiki/classic/img/moin-www.png)
pregnancy can lead to your child's death. SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome, is more likely in young babies exposed to second hand smoke. SIDS is when a child under the age of one dies with no apparent cause as to why. This is an extremely serious risk to take with your child as a pregnant mother. Education and awareness could go a long way to helping the situation and if more women were made aware of the risks, they might be more willing to quit. Infants of smoking mothers are displaying an interesting trend. The babies in this category tend to have a higher heart rate than babies whose mothers did not smoke. The higher heart rate is approximately thirty percent greater (higher) than babies with non-smoking mothers. This applies to women who smoked during pregnancy. It is difficult to know the exact cause of this condition. Smoking can prevent the baby from receiving the normal amount of oxygen which could be part of the cause. The number of children with ADHD, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, is increasing. While the numbers keep increasing, millions are currently diagnosed every year with this condition. Researchers know that there are many causes of ADHD, but it is also known that smoking at least half a pack a day increases your child's tendency toward hyperactivity. As you know, that also means a higher risk of the child being diagnosed with ADHD. If you quit smoking you eliminate the risk of your child suffering from the many problems associated with smoking during pregnancy. This situation is pretty black and white. Researching all the possible risks to your baby will provide further motivation to quit if you need it. The list goes all the way to infant death, still births, and a higher incidence of SIDS, or sudden infant death syndrome. Anyone can see that smoking during pregnancy is extremely harmful for your baby and for you.
