Case Study
April 1, 2012
Abstract Women who smoke is one of the major causes of adverse outcomes for babies. Many damaging effects are due to mothers who smoke compared to mothers who did not. Encouraging and educating women early of the dangers of the detrimental effects of smoking during pregnancy will help reduce the number of complications and increase the health for both mother and baby. By conducting studies and evaluating these methods will allow us to gather the necessary data to improve and implement programs to help develop a pregnancy that is safe and decrease the health risks from the baby.
Smoking and Pregnancy Smoking has been known to cause health problems for those who smoke and also for those exposed around them, known as second hand smoke. One known common health issue is cancer among those who smoke. Smoking during pregnancy doesn’t just affect the mother’s health, but also puts the fetus’s health at risk. The dangers associated with smoking during pregnancy include miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), birth defects (such as cleft lip or cleft palate), and even death (CDC, 2012). Creating a healthy environment for babies by quitting smoking will reduce the risk for these health risks. The baby will benefit from a healthy delivery and be less at risk of being born too early. Studies have also shown
Statistics of Mothers who smoke According to the CDC in the 2008 Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System (PRAMS), women who reported smoking during the last three months of pregnancy is approximately 13%. Out of women who smoked 3 months before pregnancy, 45% were able to quit during pregnancy. Among women who quit smoking during pregnancy, 50% relapsed within 6 months after delivery. Women who smoked during pregnancy have babies with lower birth rates in comparison to mothers who did not smoke. The leading cause of