Smoking is unhealthy and a considerable risk for the smoker, but also for those around them. Nevertheless, the number of tobacco users has been decreasing for years. However, the gender ratio is changing. Whereas it used to be mainly men who smoked, this has equalised in recent years. According to Federal Ministry of Health 20.8% of women are smokers.
Basically, everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. This is especially true during pregnancy, as the health and development of the unborn child is also affected and impaired. Although it is pleasing that the proportion of smoking pregnant women has fallen from around 20 % in the mid-1990s to around 11 % today. Conversely, however, this means that more than one in 10 women who are expecting a child (10.9% to be precise) still use cigarettes. And pregnant women under the age of 25 are even twice to three times as likely to do so.
Nicotine dependence is a recognised addiction. The fact that it is a disease explains why many smokers find it difficult to give up cigarettes. It takes strength and motivation. An existing desire to have children can strengthen this motivation when women - or men - want to stop smoking.
However, life histories also show that many women - and therefore of course many smokers - become pregnant unplanned. I also know some women who smoked and didn't even know they were expecting a baby at first. Most of those affected want to stop smoking for the sake of their baby as soon as they find out about their pregnancy. But when your hormones are on a rollercoaster during pregnancy and your mood changes with them, giving up cigarettes doesn't necessarily get any easier. Sometimes the nausea of pregnancy helps you to give up cigarettes. In any case, it is particularly worthwhile for pregnant women to take up one of the numerous (and sometimes free) offers of help to wean themselves off tobacco consumption.
Helpful for the Quit smoking are essential oils. Also suitable for pregnant women is the oil of Angelika Wurzel and Black pepper.
My midwife's tip: help yourself with organic essential oils
How does maternal tobacco consumption affect the child?
I would like to make it clear in advance: As soon as a woman finds out that she is pregnant, she should give up smoking without compromise. That means: not "less than before", not "just one cigarette a day" or "just one now and then", but none at all. Always use the thought of your child's health as motivation for this! I know that it can still be difficult and can also mean going cold turkey. Incidentally, there is still a myth that the unborn child will also suffer from withdrawal symptoms if the pregnant woman suddenly stops smoking. But this is wrong! The so-called cold turkey withdrawal from nicotine harbours no health risks for either the pregnant woman or her unborn child. On the contrary: studies show that giving up smoking completely without delay during pregnancy is better for the child than any gradual reduction.
Around 4800 chemical substances pollute the body during Smoking cigarettes. Of these, more than 250 are classified as toxic or even carcinogenic. The list of ingredients includes substances such as tar, but also benzene, arsenic, lead, chromium and even radioactive pollonium. But carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, blue smoke and the so-called "Seveso poison dioxin" (a highly toxic organic compound containing chlorine) are also part of the toxic mixture of tobacco smoking.
That doesn't sound good - and it isn't! Because all these substances are harmful to the mother, but also to the child. The unborn child always smokes via the umbilical cord, because all the toxins also enter its bloodstream via the umbilical cord. It is easy to imagine that the child's organism, which is still very sensitive and developing, is even less able to break down these substances than the body of an adult, and that the unborn child's organ development suffers considerable damage. In addition, the mother's tobacco consumption also impairs the blood circulation of her unborn child. Placenta. And for the child this means that it is less well supplied with oxygen and nutrients.
And this is how maternal smoking during pregnancy affects the baby:
▶︎ Higher risk of miscarriage and premature birth: Smokers are more than three times more likely to become pregnant during pregnancy. Miscarriage(37% higher risk) or Premature birth (39% higher risk).
▶︎ Increased risk ofGrowth disorders: Children of smokers are generally smaller and have a lower birth weight. Birth weightto the world. In addition, their head circumference is often smaller. Expressed as a number, the increased Risk of growth disorders at 127 %.
▶︎ Higher risk of malformations: At 13 % the Risk of malformations in the child, such as a cleft palate or a heart defect.
But even after birth, there are further dangers for children of smokers:
▶︎ Eincreased risk of sudden infant death syndrome: Just one cigarette a day during pregnancy doubles the risk of death. Risk of the baby, on Sudden infant death syndromealso known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
▶︎ Vincreased illnesses: The affected children suffer from respiratory infections or asthma more frequently than usual. If the pregnant woman smoked a lot, the child's risk of developing certain types of cancer also increases.
▶︎ Developmental delays: Increased mental and physical developmental delays are also frequently observed in children of smoking mothers. These manifest themselves in behavioural problems such as attention deficit disorder or aggression.
▶︎ Withdrawal symptoms: If the mother has smoked throughout her pregnancy, her baby often shows withdrawal symptoms in the first few weeks of life. These manifest themselves in crying fits or great restlessness.
How does smoking affect the mother's health?
Smoking generally impairs fertility. This means that the chances of pregnancy decrease for smokers. So if you are planning to get pregnant, you - and the potential father - should stop smoking already. Also Fertility treatments are only carried out after both parents have given up smoking.
In addition, pregnant smokers have an increased risk of
- premature rupture of the membranes: The Risk increases by around half in pregnant women who smoke (52%).
- Placenta problems: The risk of placental abruption and placenta previa (placenta located in front of the uterine outlet) increases. Both can lead to serious complications that can endanger the life of the mother and child.
- Risk of thrombosis: As smoking constricts the blood vessels, the risk of Risk of thrombosis fourfold during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This also increases the risk of a stroke for the mother.
What about e-cigarettes?
Vaping, i.e. the vaporisation of liquids in e-cigarettes, has become increasingly widespread. But pregnant women should also steer clear of this. Even the nicotine-free liquids contain numerous substances whose effects have not yet been sufficiently researched, but which also enter the bloodstream of the unborn child. In addition, chemical compounds and substances such as formaldehyde, which are known to be carcinogenic, are produced during vaporisation. Even manufacturers of e-cigarettes point out that their products are not suitable for pregnant women.
By the way: when smoking shisha, you ingest even more harmful substances than through conventional cigarette consumption. Accordingly, hookahs are also not suitable for pregnant women.
How compatible is smoking with breastfeeding?
Some studies come to the conclusion that it is still better for mothers who smoke to breastfeed their babies than for their children not to be breastfed at all. Breastfeeding simply has such great Advantages for the baby and the mother. This includes, for example, the reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
The fact remains, however, that many of the harmful substances absorbed from the smoke stick pass into the mother's milk and are contained there in the same concentration as in the blood of the smoking mother. The only difference is that the small and often more sensitive body is much less able to cope with the substances. For example, the nicotine that the baby absorbs with breast milk when breastfeeding is broken down three to four times more slowly in the child than in the mother. The protective effect of breast milk against respiratory diseases in infants is also lost. It is now also known that the milk of smokers contains less fat, proteins and certain vitamins. Maternal smoking therefore also has an effect on the composition of breast milk.
Women who smoke 10 to 15 cigarettes a day or more are said to be heavy smokers. This group is often characterised by delayed milk production. In addition, heavy smoking apparently inhibits milk production, meaning that less milk flows than in non-smokers. Babies of heavy smokers often also show poorer sucking ability. The little ones sleep worse, are more restless and gain less weight. The affected children also suffer more frequently from colic and/or vomiting.
My conclusionIt is better not to smoke while breastfeeding! At the very least, you should minimise the daily amount of cigarettes as much as possible and not smoke at all for at least 30 minutes before breastfeeding.
How harmful is passive smoking?
If you realise once again that cigarette smoke contains around 4,800 harmful or toxic substances (see above), it is easy to see that pregnant women in particular should stay away from smoke and smokers. This is especially true in closed rooms.
Passive smoking is even more harmful for babies than for adults. The small body absorbs more smoke in relation to its weight than an adult body, but is less able to break down the smoke.
In smokers' households, the smoke also stubbornly lingers as so-called "third-hand smoke". This means that walls, floors, clothing, toys, etc. are contaminated with harmful substances. Babies also absorb harmful substances through contact with them, for example when crawling, crawling or putting objects in their mouths.
How can I stop smoking during pregnancy?
I think it's admirable when expectant mothers want to stop smoking out of consideration for their child. They are not only doing their baby's health a great favour, but also their own. Nobody has to make this effort alone, as there are numerous offers of help in various forms, some of which are free of charge. So don't be afraid to get the support that suits you. Experience shows that the chance of quitting smoking permanently is five times greater if you get professional support. The only important thing is that as a pregnant woman, you do not take any medication to quit smoking.
For example, you can find help with smoking cessation here:
▶︎ IRIS platform: Especially for pregnant women, the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) offers the quality-tested IRIS online programme for smoking and alcohol cessation counselling. The service is free and anonymous with personal psychological support or counselling via chat.
▶︎ Smoke-free initiative: Under www.rauchfrei-info.de you can find another online withdrawal programme at the BZgA. This is also free of charge.
▶︎ Apps: There are now also various apps for smoking cessation. They can be prescribed to you by your doctor and covered by your health insurance. One such application is, for example Non-SmokingHeroes App.
▶︎ Telephone counselling: You can call the free BZgA service number 0800 8 31 31 31 for advice on quitting smoking (Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; also free of charge from mobile phones).
▶︎ Health insurance: You can also contact your health insurance provider. Many offer (online) programmes themselves or subsidise corresponding therapies.
▶︎ Addiction counselling centres: Local addiction counselling centres also offer support. A Addiction help directoryThe German Centre for Addiction Issues (DHS) offers a search function for counselling centres in your area based on your postcode.
And what about fathers who smoke?
Dear fathers, you are equally responsible for the health of your child. It is known that smoking has a negative impact on sperm quality. This not only leads to problems in connection with the desire to have children, but also has an impact on the health development of the child. If the pregnant partner wants to stop smoking, she is embarking on a good, but sometimes not easy, path out of the addiction. Support from the partner is therefore important for the (expectant) mother to successfully quit smoking. So refrain from smoking in the presence of your pregnant/breastfeeding wife/girlfriend or your child, not only in the interest of a healthier smoke-free environment. It's best to quit smoking together with your partner.
Grandparents, relatives and friends should also refrain from smoking in the presence of a pregnant woman and also in the presence of a child and a breastfeeding mother.
