Cebu City - Pregnancy is the period in which a fetus develops inside a woman's womb or uterus. This unique phase of a woman’s life usually lasts about 40 weeks, or just over 9 months, as measured from the last menstrual period to delivery.
Nutrition during pregnancy has critical implications for the child’s growth and development. Women in this stage should have a balanced and varied diet together with the right number of vitamins and minerals i.e., iron or ferrous sulfate, folic acid, and iodine to suffice the needs of the growing child inside the womb. She should avoid smoking or tobacco use as these have serious implications to her baby.
Smoking while pregnant exposes you and your unborn child to an increased risk of serious health problems. Passive smoking can also affect you and your unborn child. Australian studies showed that about 9 percent of women smoked during pregnancy in 2019.
Smoking compromises the utilization of vitamins and minerals in the placenta and is presented as a causative factor: calcium, vitamin B12 and vitamin C levels are lower in smokers. Other vitamin levels may be affected. Poor nutrition and other factors connected with smoking may result also in stillbirths, spontaneous abortions, congenital anomalies, and cancer in the offspring.
Pregnant women who smoke are at increased risk of a wide range of problems including miscarriage and premature labour. They (pregnant smokers) are twice as likely to give birth to a low-birth-weight baby compared to a mother who does not smoke. Low birth weight babies are at greater risk of death and are more vulnerable to infection, breathing difficulties and long-term health problems in adulthood.
The more cigarettes you smoke during your pregnancy, the greater your risk of complications and having a low-birth-weight baby. But cutting down the number of cigarettes you smoke does not reduce most of the risks to you and your baby. Stopping smoking completely early in your pregnancy best protects the health of you and your baby. But quitting at any time helps reduce harm.
According to studies and testimonials the efficient management of smoking in pregnant women is Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is the first-line treatment. NRT delivers lower levels of nicotine to the fetus than continued smoking and does not contain any of the other harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke. In addition, NRT has been shown to reduce smoking in pregnant women sufficiently to increase birth weight. // IMO Cebu Province Gabe Henriel P. Sucalit, RND
