Why you shouldn't smoke during pregnancy.

The list of possible very harmful effects on a baby due to the mother smoking during pregnancy is long, indeed. If you smoke while pregnant you are guaranteeing your child will have at least some of the known problems. There are too many known risks with smoking during pregnancy, even though there haven't been that many studies done. What potential mothers are aware of regarding smoking while pregnant and what is known about the risks seems to be worlds apart. It is extremely important for women to know what the possibilities are if they smoke while pregnant. Keep reading to learn about just a few of the known risks of smoking while pregnant.

Along with carbon monoxide and nicotine, when you smoke while pregnant you will be passing along the tar found in cigarettes, too. Yes, even the tar will affect the baby you are carrying. There is a range of lung complications that a baby can develop due to the mother smoking while pregnant. In short, the second hand smoke, inside the womb, will damage the baby's lungs. The possibility of complication is high. You probably didn't realize that all of those chemicals in your baby's blood stream from your smoking can cause the oxygen to be displaced or bound in some reactions. In order for us to live we have to have oxygen and babies need it to develop correctly too,

One of the possible birth defects caused by smoking is cleft palate, cleft lip or both.

The reality is that both are considered birth defects and either one or both are more possible in your baby due to the mother smoking while pregnant. A cleft in any tissue is a result of incomplete closing during development or growth before birth. There are tremendous obstacles your child will have to overcome in life.

Parents naturally want their child to do well and to excel, including academically. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to problems with your child's brain. This is because the baby doesn't receive sufficient amounts of oxygen from the mother. The exact effects your child will suffer later in life are difficult to determine. Still, there are definite correlations between the mother having smoked during pregnancy and children with a range of learning problems.

The most severe effect for your unborn child could potentially be fatal. Most of the known effects passed onto your baby are not fatal. However, you will be seriously compromising the health of your baby when you smoke. Your child's behavior may be adversely affected as well as other organs in the body.