Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden recently discovered some startling information about the effects of using snuff during pregnancy.
It’s commonly known that smoking during pregnancy is a terrible idea. Effects like asthma and developmental problems will certainly plague your child. Even being exposed to second-hand smoke while pregnant can lead to disastrous health consequences.
As bad as smoking is though, it may not be as dangerous as using snuff during pregnancy.
Many women who are smokers and become pregnant turn to snuff as an alternative believing it to be safer. While effects are different since the snuff isn’t burned, it does contain high amounts of nicotine that can be harmful to unborn children.
And although snuff use among women in Sweden is more than other countries, nicotine replacement therapies like gums and patches do pose some risks to unborn children as well.
Using data from 10,000 babies born in Sweden between 1999 and 2006, researchers compared information gathered on mothers from back when they were a few months pregnant.
Reviewing the health history of each of study’s participants, researchers found sleep apnea developed in one or two out of a thousand babies in women who did NOT smoke or otherwise use tobacco while pregnant. These cases increased by half in mothers who smoked during pregnancy.
But for mothers who used snuff – the sleep apnea cases increased by another half to over twice the number of cases as non-tobacco using mothers!!
Another interesting fact – using snuff had the same effect on sleep apnea regardless of whether birth was premature or not.
If untreated, sleep apnea can lead to learning, development, behavioral, growth and heart problems. Obstructive sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness that leads to learning and emotional issues. Children with sleep apnea may lag behind in many areas and even become frustrated and depressed.
Conditions like asthma, sleep apnea and others is why we strongly urge, if not demand our patients NOT smoke or use any type of tobacco during pregnancy. A lifetime of health and emotional problems for your child simply isn’t worth it.
Smoking, snuff or other tobacco use is bad enough without being pregnant. But exposing an unborn child to it adds a whole new level of danger and risks.
Pregnancy care physicians at All About Women are here to help you have a healthy pregnancy. One of the first steps to doing that is to not smoke or use tobacco.
(Original reporting courtesy of Medical News Today)