The Possible Damage Smoking During Pregnancy Can Cause For Your Child

April 22, 2011 by Victor Hood  
Filed under pregnancy

If you smoke while pregnant you are guaranteeing your child will have at least some of the known problems. There is a large disconnect between what we know about the potential risks and what potential mothers are aware of. The consequences of smoking while pregnant need to be known and understood by all women. The following are a few of the known consequences of smoking while pregnant.

Cigarettes have hundreds of added chemicals which attack all of the systems. Smoking compromises the baby’s immune system making them more susceptible to colds and infections. The respiratory system also suffers from several complications due to smoking during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy can also lead to your child having problems with normal growth.

Smoking during pregnancy can lead to your child’s lung functions being seriously compromised. By smoking while pregnant, you place your child at a greater risk for lung issues such as asthma and a greater tendency for pneumonia. These children are also at a greater risk for bronchitis and other chronic respiratory symptoms. Keep in mind that these problems also involve your child’s immune system. These creates a greater susceptibility to infections.

Cases of ADHD, or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, are increasing among children. While the numbers keep increasing, millions are currently diagnosed every year with this condition. Researchers know that there are many causes of ADHD, but it is also known that smoking at least half a pack a day increases your child’s tendency toward hyperactivity. This leads to an increased risk of your child being diagnosed with ADHD.

Women who smoke during pregnancy expose their unborn child to several negative effects. There is still much to be learned, however, so more research needs to be done. The negative effects of smoking on the unborn child, however, are pretty clear. Finding a way to quit smoking is vital for pregnant women. Not being ready to quit or thinking it’s too hard are the reasons most people don’t quit. Take the time to do more research on this subject, however. Talk to your doctor to get help with beating a nicotine addiction as soon as possible, especially if you think are pregnant.

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Depression During Pregnancy

March 15, 2010 by Julie Thomas  
Filed under pregnancy

Do you feel like you are on the roller coaster of emotions during pregnancy? Few minutes of happy thoughts and after a second a move towards the dark and deep depression cave. 14 percent and 23 percent of pregnant women will experience depressive symptoms while pregnant and it is a well known fact that depression is common during pregnancy.

In 2003, approximately 13 percent of women took an antidepressant at some time during their pregnancy. Dr. Kimberly Ann Yonkers, one of the lead authors from Yale University said “Depression in pregnant women often goes unrecognized and untreated in part because of concerns about the safety of treating women during pregnancy.”

Infants born to women with depression have increased risk for irritability, less activity and attentiveness, and fewer facial expressions compared with those born to mothers without depression. Both depression symptoms and the use of antidepressant medications during pregnancy have been associated with negative consequences for the newborn.

Depression and its symptoms to a very large extend are also associated with fetal growth change and shorter gestation periods. And while available research still leaves a lot of questions unanswered, some studies have linked fetal malformations, cardiac defects, pulmonary hypertension, and reduced birth weight to antidepressant use during pregnancy.

The main problem is that identifying depression in pregnant women can be pretty much difficult as its symptoms mimic those associated with pregnancy, such as changes in mood, energy level, appetite, and cognition. Depressed women are more likely to have poor prenatal care and pregnancy complications, such as nausea, vomiting, and preeclampsia, and to use drugs, alcohol, and nicotine.

Two main hormones, estrogen and progesterone cause mood swings during pregnancy. Emotions are always unstable and feeling of depression is normal as any other body changes during pregnancy. She may move from great joy to deep despair within fraction of time. A pregnant woman may feel tearful with little cause or no cause at all. She may even find hard to express the reason of joy or despair. This is no psychological problem but; a clear picture of hormonal changes.

Mood Swings are most common during the first trimester that is between 6 weeks to 10 weeks of pregnancy. However the fluctuation resides during the second trimester. This is the period when she first feels the baby move. The feeling is great so is her emotions.

The third trimester is the most anxious one. This is the period when she worries about everything and anything that she can think of. However her major cause of anxiety lies not just on the labour and delivery process but also in baby care and parenting in general. She will feel physically uncomfortable with the growth of the abdomen and will feel irritated with the lightest noise as she lacks sleep in general. It may be more extreme if she is single without a partner. The hard-core fact of being a single mother can make her feel stressed and isolated. Pregnancy is the important period of any women’s life. It is during this time she is very vulnerable both, physically and mentally. One should try help a pregnant women. Believe me, even if she doesn’t ask for help, she indeed is in need of it.

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Breaking your Smoking Habit

May 18, 2009 by Amber Eamen  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

One of the hardest things to do in life is to quit smoking. The habit of smoking itself is often cited by most people as being the hardest part. Try replacing your smoking habit with a much healthier habit to aid in quitting smoking for good. Also, it’s important to remember that it will take time to get use to your new healthy habit just as it took time for you to get use to smoking.

If you are determined to quit smoking, you have made an impressive start. However, if you have decided to quit on your own, you are doing even better. Sounds strange does it? You would be surprised at just how many people decide to quit smoking by being informed by their doctor, spouse, parent, sibling or friend that they will be quitting. In order to successfully quit smoking for good you need to decide for yourself to quit. If you have actually made this decision on your own, you are doing an amazing job. If you are letting someone push you into quitting you are just setting yourself up for headaches, hassles and complications that are easily avoided.

A developed pattern in the way one smokes is something every smoker has. If you start smoking a pack a day, this becomes one of your habits. Breaking your smoking habit wil be easier if you start out with small steps. Success wil come if you change your habits slowly. Instead of smoking your usual cigarette after a meal, try brushing your teeth. You may realize you like the fresh mouth over the cigarette tasting one and this soon becomes a healthy habit. Chew gum or suck on hard candy if you are not able to brush your teeth after a meal.

You might find yourself in circumstances that trigger cigarette cravings. Of course, it is best to try to avoid these situations but sometimes that is impossible. Try to have an alternative to smoking if you can. For example, if you smoke right after work, carpool with others that don’t smoke, take a different route home, stop at the store, or take the bus. Also if getting in your car triggers cravings, have it detailed to get the smoke smell out. Just try to do something different to help you forget your cravings and they will soon pass.

Often times you will find yourself in positions that will make breaking your smoking habit difficult. By having a way to deal with these unavoidable times, you will be one step closer to quitting. Two of the popular methods for this include nicotine gum and stop smoking sticks. The nicotine gum is beneficial in public places and can be discreet. The stop smoking sticks are basically pretend cigarettes that keep your hands busy. If you find these helpful, you may be smoking more just because your hands are bored. Give your hands something more productive to do and this may at least help some of your smoking issues.

Breaking your smoking habit is a difficult process. It is likely to take you anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months to be cigarette free. Try cutting back on how many cigarettes you smoke daily if quitting cold turkey seems impossible. But regardless which method you choose, it will take time and effort for it to work. It takes on average 2 weeks to get use to a new habit and just as long if not longer to quit a bad habit.

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Why You Should Quit Smoking For Good

May 17, 2009 by Amber Eamen  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

With all of the unpleasant effects that smoking results, it is a wonder how many people still continue to smoke. Apart from the physical effects that unarguably are the most common negative effects of smoking, one could think of plenty of reasons why this habit should be kicked for good. It is important to take advantage of these reasons since there must be good reasons behind forcing yourself to quit. Quitting just when the impulse tells you is not the right way to start. It would, more likely than not, lead you to feel mad and discouraged that you have not accomplished what you envisioned to be possible.

Just by checking on your health, you would already find the reasons why you have to quit smoking. The list of dreadful diseases that smoking does to the body is quite long – lung cancer, heart problems, cancer of the larynx, high risk of heart attack and stroke. All of these potential problems that make a smoker prone to have should have been enough to scare people and make them vow never to pick a pack of cigarettes ever again. But, there are still those who continue to smoke and who seem not to be afraid. They feel that they cannot just stop smoking, or they are unable to stop because of the strong hold of nicotine addiction.

Breaking free from cigarette smoking is never known to be easy. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. Is that the kind of image that you would like to project to your kids? Most people would strongly say that they would not want their children to be smokers. If you engage in your habit at their presence what kind of modelling are you doing? The sad truth is parents who smoke have the greater likelihood of having children who also smoke. Try as you might, you have to work diligently to be a good example, which means you have to quit smoking yourself.

Many smokers find their health already complaining thus they need to quit. Most often the decision to quit already comes too late. Their health has already been damaged and sometimes the consequence is giving up their life, and not just their pack of cigarettes. But even then, making the supreme sacrifice of quitting is not honestly an attractive idea for most people.

It is a personal decision to quit and it is something that comes from the inner longing of the heart to change. It is certainly futile to have someone force you to quit. But it is to your benefit if you listen to the warning of people, particularly doctors, of how dangerous smoking can be to your health. Disregarding these well-meant warnings may just be to your ruin. The devastating effects of smoking will not only be on your health but also on your family. It is heartbreaking and stressful to have a smoker member in the family who smokes and who suffers its damaging consequences.

If you have checked your lifestyle as well as that of your family and want to improve both, the answer is very simple. If you make an honest and sincere effort to quit, you can immediately see the positive effects – huge improvement on health, a renewed relationship with your family, because you have shown them that you deeply care enough that you struggle just to beat the habit. Your family surely depends on you for guidance, support and love, and what better way to make them see you as dependable than seeing you in good health and free from a bad habit. It is important then that you make up your mind of the good reasons why you should quit so you can be on your way to successfully stop smoking.

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Smoking And Gum Disease Poses Big Risks To Your Health

May 16, 2009 by Rai Micht  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

There are more disadvantages than advantages when it comes to smoking. Even though the association between smoking and gum disease is widely known, experts had just currently completed a national research to certify the connection between smoking and gum disease. Red, tender bleeding and swollen gums are common manifestations of gum disease. In this articles, we shall discuss the link between cigarette smoking and gum disease.

The body’s ability to heal is compromised because smoking compresses the blood vessels, preventing it from flushing the tissues with antibodies that can slow healing. Cigarette smoking increases risks of health problems complications. The relationship between smoking and gum disease is quite obvious.

Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals in which many of them are poisonous. Current smokers were about four times more likely than people who have never smoked to have periodontitis, but ex-smokers who had abstained for 11 years faced no increased risk, according to the findings published in the Journal of Periodontology. Results showed that bone loss was greater in the subjects exposed to secondhand smoke regardless of if it was smoke from light or non-light cigarettes than those who were exposed to no smoke at all. The number ONE bad habit you can do that will affect your gums (negatively) is smoke.

Cigarette smoking may well be the major preventable risk factor for periodontal disease. Overall, regular cannabis users were three times more likely to have significant periodontal attachment loss than non-smokers of cannabis. The gingiva, being the most superficial tissue, provides most of the signs and symptoms of periodontal disease, such as swelling, redness, bleeding, recession etc.

Presently, there are various options for reversing swollen gums and gum disease, and are better options for expensive professional oral treatments, nonetheless it doesn’t mean dental consultations aren’t necessary, oral cavity and gums need to be cleaned. It is vital to prevent the advance of swollen gums and gum disease to more serious conditions like periodontitis, putting your dental health in top priority is essential in order to prevent swollen gums, gum disease and other probable health risks and complications from taking over. Unfortunately, most people affected by this condition are unaware of that they are suffering from gum disease since early symptoms appear to be painless.

Your dentist knows what the best gum disease treatment for you, follow the instructions and combine it with superior oral hygiene, and you’ll never know you will have again that healthy teeth and gums. Regular dental visit is important so that your dentist can recommend the appropriate treatment in the early stage of gum disease. By stopping smoking and exercising regularly, the gums can improve.

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The Powerful Secrets To Stop Smoking

May 15, 2009 by Philip Davis  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

People who smoke are aware of just how difficult it may be to stop smoking. While you are certainly aware of the medical reasons why you should not smoke that still doesn’t help you get over the hurdle of being able to quit. People have used many different ways to quit with different degrees of success. Some of the most common types of help include using a nicotine patch or chewing nicotine gum, getting prescription medication or getting hypnotized. There are many other methods as well. What has worked for one person may not work for you.

When you want to stop smoking you need to find the methods that work best for you. That can be hard to do. The reason that it is hard to quit smoking is that smoking is not only addictive physically but it is also a habit that is hard to break. Habits are reinforced all the time and this reinforcement is happening every time you smoke a cigarette making it more difficult to stop.

If you want to be successful in quitting smoking you need to get some help. Those who enlist some outside help will be much more apt to be able to quit smoking. The best help has proven to be an impartial supporter who can give you the tools you need to quit and who can give you non-judgmental information to help you along the way. Although your friends or family members may mean well they often don’t have the expertise to truly assist you.

A vast majority of smokers report using cigarettes as a way to reduce stress or to provide relaxation in their lives. If they have a stressful situation they often immediately turn to a cigarette to help get them through it. If this describes your actions you need to understand that you’re using smoking as an emotional crutch. You must replace smoking with some better ways of coping with stress emotionally.

There are many things that you can learn to do to help yourself when you want to quit smoking. It can be helpful to find out what other people have done because it may just be the thing you need to help you as well. Most people who eventually quit smoking report that it took them several failed attempts before they could actually quit smoking for good. You need to find a way to stop smoking once and for all so that you don’t want to start up again.

Many people avoid trying to stop smoking because they think that it will be too hard and too painful an experience to go through. What you need to do is find a way to quit smoking that won’t be painful to you. The worst of the situation will occur only during the first 72 hours since that is how long it takes for the body to stop craving nicotine. After that the only struggle is psychological. Most people fail to quit smoking because they don’t have a good plan for quitting and have no support to help them.

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How Many Attempts Do You Need to Quit Smoking for Good

May 15, 2009 by Amber Eamen  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

It certainly fires up the interest of many people to know exactly how many times would it take to attempt to quit smoking. Being able to grasp the number of tries is very important. You might wonder what this information can give you. This actually hopes to build your confidence when you have already decided a date that would set you to the task of quitting. If you have a good idea of the number of times that you have to attempt before you could really be successful, it will prevent you from being frustrated when you know that a single attempt cannot do it.

The majority of those who attempted to stop smoking would honestly tell you that sometimes it takes two attempts to succeed. While many people would readily give up on the first failure, it is better to give your venture another chance. You might ask why two attempts are necessary but the logic is very simple. Many people fail in their first try because they really thought that the whole process of quitting smoking is just simple. They have the surprise in their lives when in the program they realized, it is not that simple after all! They were caught off-guard with no preparation to battle against different problems which emerged.

Cutting the addiction to nicotine is never easy and it is wishful thinking to expect to succeed on the first try. If you are used to doing things on your own, quitting smoking without asking help from other people might just lower your chances of success. A push and prod from people may just be necessary for you to continue to persevere in your efforts. Without any preparation and countermeasure plans in the first attempt, you are surely heading off to failure. This is the reason why it usually takes a second try to succeed in quitting. Even if you have already made many unsuccessful attempts, it is still good to plan to quit smoking.

Admitting that quitting is difficult is a good first step. If you know that you will have many challenges ahead of you, you will be in a better position to draft a plan that would counter the potential problems. Knowing exactly what are these temptations and problems as well as identifying what had influenced you to smoke in the first place, would allow you to create a suitable plan. For example, you have identified stress as the cause why you smoke, then list down the sources of this stress and as much as possible avoid any encounters with them.

If you have carefully made a plan before the actual quitting attempt begins, you are heading yourself for a successful single try. But not having a plan would increase your chances of failure and to try once again or several times. Creating a plan is attainable. It only means that you know the potential problems which will arise and you have devised countermeasures for them. Just by taking the time to really think and organize your goals into a clear plan would help you overcome temptations and solve potential problems with flying colors.

Deciding to quit on a whim would certainly create problems in your efforts. Taking the time to plan would prove to be advantageous in your attempt to quit smoking. By thinking up of the little details for your plan, it can already go a long way towards your goals. Just try to be certain that these small details are well organized. You also need to have confidence too as you start in your venture. Feeling inadequate and incapable of the task would only pose greater problems for you. Trying to avoid problems or handling them well as they arise is the best formula in which a few attempts to stop smoking can work.

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Successfully Stop Smoking n Four Steps

May 15, 2009 by Amber Eamen  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

The fact that every smoker who wishes to quit smoking has to know is that breaking the habit would require a lot of personal dedication and determination. Additionally, you will encounter a lot of problems as you go along. Recognizing these potential problems and having a specific plan of how to solve them are important if you want to succeed in your efforts. Having an exact idea of how to approach the process of quitting will enable you to pick yourself up and not just readily stumble when you meet obstacles in your path.

Step 1. You need to devote a time to organize your plan of quitting smoking. This means looking for reasons which influence you to smoke and devising a plan by which you can conquer these influences. If you are addicted to smoking because of nicotine, then examine what products are you consuming which contains high level of it, then you would know how to curb your nicotine consumption. If you smoke because you are bored, then look for things that will keep you busy. However, if you smoke due to stress, better include in your plan stress-relief techniques.

Step 2. Get all the help you would need. Welcome help as they present to you such as the stop smoking aids available in the market, or the support and encouragement of your family and friends. If you have a problem of support, to begin with, then resolve these issues first. Like, when you are hard up on your budget and could not afford a nicotine gum. Save first for a couple of weeks. Once you have enough to buy, then start working on your goals.

Step 3. Monitor your progress. If you put your goals in writing, as well as the progress you are making in connection with your goals, you are making yourself accountable of the whole task. Like, if you decide to decrease your one pack a day habit to ten cigarette sticks a day, you should write down this new plan. This will make you see explicitly a new pattern of your smoking, and make you conscious of the sticks you have each day. You may find that as you track each of these cigarettes, you want to skip a few just so you would not anymore have to write it down. You have to be very honest though with yourself if you choose this method. Cheating on your log will not help you at all since the information you made is false.

Step 4. Celebrate your success. If you are able to manage a 24 hour period staying away from cigarettes, then celebrate. This does not have to be a big party in the neighbourhood for each time you meet a target but at least do something special. You might treat yourself to your favorite coffee or ice cream, or buy that book or purse you have been eyeing out. This will help you stay motivated on your plan. One day you can have that huge party or dream vacation, but only after you have successfully quit smoking for a longer period of time, say a year. This will give you a strong motivation to continue on your goal and the big savings that you got from skipping cigarettes can well afford you that trip or party.

Make sure that you follow each step wholeheartedly, and in no time, you are guaranteed to be able to join the league of those who become non-smokers in the world. Taking advantage of the help that is in your environment as well as making yourself accountable would head you to the right direction. You should also be specific of your expectation of yourself because this will help you be able to anticipate problems before they even appear. Simply waiting until problems come out is expecting a disaster. You owe it to yourself to be free from this habit. These suggestions would surely get you there in the soonest time.

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See How Easily You Can Quit Smoking Forever

May 12, 2009 by Philip Davis  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

Smoking is a bad habit that many people find hard to break. In fact quitting smoking is one of the hardest things to do. No wonder that so many people find it difficult to stop smoking. Research has found that many people make several attempts to quit smoking before they finally are able to. This is because smoking is a habit that becomes ingrained in your way of life.

There are many different methods that can be used to quit smoking. What works for one person may not work for another. This is because smoking is tied so closely to our own emotions. You may have already tried one or more ways to quit smoking only to find that you’re right back to smoking as much as ever. There are lots of things that people try including nicotine patches or gum, medication or even hypnosis.

The best way to try to quit smoking is to learn the way that will work best for you. Often smokers use cigarettes more often as a way to calm down when they are feeling stress or are nervous. For some cigarettes are used as a way to deal with stress. If that is your case than you must learn to find an alternative way to deal with these issues that isn’t harmful to yourself or others. This is just one of the many considerations to make when you want to quit smoking forever. If you choose a method that isn’t compatible with your own lifestyle you will see that it is harder to quit.

One of the best ways to learn how to quit smoking forever is to get help. The best type of help is an impartial person who understands how difficult it is to quit and can provide you with the resources and information that you need to stop smoking. The local laws and regulations in cities around the world is making it more difficult to smoke in public places. Before long you won’t be able to smoke in any public places.

You must know that smoking is a health risk. It contributes to major health problems like heart attack, stroke and cancer. When you quit smoking you will enjoy better health right away. Even those who have smoked for many years will find they feel better after they quit smoking. Smoking is also bad for others who are near you as well. The bad effects of second hand and even third hand smoke are still being investigated.

There is no better time to quit smoking than now. If you are reading this article it’s because you are ready to take some positive steps in your life towards quitting smoking. There is no need to hassle with any of the different techniques that you may hear about. Instead you need to find a way to quit smoking that works for you and works now. Don’t waste your time and energy trying to quit smoking only to start smoking again soon thereafter. Look for a way to stop smoking that will be easy and pain free.

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Ease the Stress Associated with Quitting Smoking

May 12, 2009 by Amber Eamen  
Filed under Smoking and Pregnant

Knowing how to exactly reduce the stress that goes with trying to quit smoking will not be that easy. There are just composites of factors that can stress you out in your venture that it is important for you to have some ideas of what these problems are and how they should be addressed. As it is, the struggle to quit smoking would bring you to a difficult position. Unless you know what you are getting into, you will find out just how difficult it is to succeed in your attempt. Learning the ways to relieve stress often goes together with reducing to smoke itself, thus it is natural to see that the problem of stress complicates trying to quit.

If you aim to quit smoking for real, you have to learn how to relax and lessen stress. Since your life is not contained in a shell, you have to learn, therefore, how to deal with stress. Some activities that can help you out are yoga, meditation and even an enjoyable and relaxing shower or bath. If you feel stressed out at work, give yourself a break by walking around the building or sipping that relaxing cup of tea. You have to be smart to beat stress before it breaks you down. If you do not deal well with your stress, you will find it interfering your plan to quit. Ultimately, you would end up going back to your earlier habit, smoking even more and damaging further your health.

Think of a hobby that you can engage to free yourself from stress brought by family and work. Most people have the same feeling that job do cause a lot of stress at some point. Taking a hobby that can relieve you of stress even just for awhile can be very helpful. This will allow you to come back with much vigor and a clearer mind for work. If you have no hobby at the moment, better look for one. Just be sure it is something that you find delightful and relaxing. It would be a bad idea to choose for one which reminds you a lot of your job or of other similar stressful events.

Always find time to give relaxation to yourself. Everyone needs time for solitude, especially when you are trying to quit. You need these precious moments to unplug yourself from the demands of life. If you are constantly surrounded by people, you will find your patience decreasing steadily. It would make you snap easily which then would lead to higher stress level. If you stay up 10 minutes more or get up 10 minutes earlier, you can spend these moments collecting your thoughts together.

It is a fact that many people get hooked to smoking to relieve themselves of stress. This means you have to come up with some techniques for stress relief, otherwise, your attempt might just end up in yoyo. Working to overcome the habit of smoking is not simple and easy. It involves a lot of diligence, and trying to lessen the stress in your life is a good start. If you are like most people who could not avoid stress, then try to properly handle stress. These suggestions might just help you cope with stress without trying to get another stick of cigarette again.

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