You love your family and want the best for them. Let this be another reason for you to stop smoking. Strange as it may seem, passive smoking adversely affects a woman’s health, including her chances of conception. And this is more of a reason if your wife is pregnant; smoking harms the developing Fetus and may cause complications during childbirth. On one hand, exposing your children to second hand smoke increases the risk of respiratory and other illnesses in them. On the other, not to mention the injuries and deaths to children due to smoking-caused fires, your children may imitate you and in the process start smoking themselves.
Effect of second hand smoke on the pregnant wife
Numerous studies have revealed that pregnant women who smoke or are exposed to second hand smoke have increased chances of spontaneous abortions, premature births, stillbirths, and many other complications such as placental abruption, Placenta previa and a shorter gestation period. Both smoking during pregnancy and secondhand smoke exposure to the pregnant mother may cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy directly heightens the risk of each of the following: 1.Ectopic pregnancies 2.Infantile colic 3.Other birth and delivery problems 4.Childhood wheezing 5.Brain damage during gestation 6.Respiratory disorders in childhood 7.Growth retardation/ Low birth weight 8.Eye problems during childhood 9.Later overweight in children 10.Mental retardation 11.Abnormal blood pressure in infants + kids 12.Attention deficit disorder 13.Problems requiring neonatal intensive care 14.Other learning and developmental problems 15.Infant death from perinatal disorders 16.Behavioral problems 17.Cleft palate and lips 18.Youth and adult violence and criminality 19.Cancer-causing agents in infants’ blood 20.Smoking during adolescence 21.Potentially carcinogenic genetic mutations 22.Various health problems in adulthood 23.Childhood leukemia
Effect of second hand smoke on non-pregnant wife
Even if your wife is not expecting, passive smoking may affect her chances of conception. A study revealed that heavy active smoking and passive smoking were independently associated with delayed conception, and in active smokers, the delay increased with the number of cigarettes.
Effect of second-hand smoke on the children
Parental or other household smoking after birth further increases the chances that children will suffer from smoke-caused respiratory disorders (such as coughs and wheezing, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, potentially fatal lower respiratory tract infections) or other illnesses (such as meningitis, SIDS, eye and ear problems). Children may also be exposed to the danger of getting injured or dying from cigarette-caused fires. Every year, more than 20,000 children are hospitalized for respiratory illnesses caused by their parents’ tobacco use and over 1,000 die from them.
Young children may ingest cigarettes, cigarette butts, and other tobacco products that they find around the house, in ashtrays, or in the garbage, if you smoke at home.
Parents’ smoking influences children’s behavior
So far, we have discussed how smoking affects the physical health of your family. However, have you ever pondered upon how your children may get this habit from you? ‘Children ape what they observe!’
Your behavior and practices can strongly influence their behavior, both positively as well as negatively. If children observe you smoking, they are likely to adopt the same. Scientific studies have disclosed that fathers’ smoking habit is positively co-related with smoking teenagers.
If you must smoke, take your butt outside ~Author Unknown
To decrease the chances of exposing your wife and children to the ill-effects of smoking, it is a good idea not to smoke in their presence. When you have the urge, go to an isolated area and smoke. Better still, become a more socially responsible individual and spare everyone from something you would like to protect yourself from! |