Why Pregnant Women Shouldn't Smoke

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Zack Williams English III 3rd Period Why Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Smoke Arsenic, formaldehyde, tar. Should babies be exposed to these harmful chemicals while in the womb? Well if the mother is a smoker then the baby will. Women who smoke while pregnant can cause adverse and permanent health issues to themselves and their baby. How does a pregnant mother who smokes effect the baby? Babies exposed to the harmful chemicals in cigarettes while in their mother’s womb could have a number of health issues. One of which is stunted growth. A mother who smokes a pack a day could shed over half a pound of the baby’s weight at birth. A mother who smokes two packs a day could take over a pound and a half off the baby’s weight at birth. The baby could also have problems such as underdeveloped lungs and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Women who smoke while pregnant can cause a number of health issues for their baby. Not only will smoking harm the baby, but it also harms the person who is smoking in the first place. There are over 4,000 harmful chemicals in cigarettes. Cigarettes are the number two leading cause of death in the U.S. And they are a major contributor to heart disease, the number one cause of death in the U.S. Cigarettes also contain a number of carcinogens and are the number one cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Cigarettes are harmful for both the mother and the baby. And there’s always the possibility the baby will be stillborn, or have SIDS, and will die before it has the chance to live. This would cause severe mental and emotional stress for mother, knowing it was her fault she lost her baby. She could be sacred for life and never recover. The mother could become so distraught over the death of her baby that she could attempt suicide. Losing a child at birth would be devastating for a mother. Mothers who smoke while pregnant will expose their

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