Smoking? Look What It Does to Your Baby!

One of the first questions a pregnant woman is asked is whether she smokes. Everyone knows how harmful smoking is during pregnancy for the fetus. Despite this knowledge, some women struggle to quit smoking. For their benefit, a new study presents a clear and particularly disturbing picture of the effects of smoking directly on the fetus in the womb. According to all evidence, smoking harms development.

20 fetuses participated in a study published in the journal Acta Paediatrica. 80 four-dimensional ultrasound scans were conducted on fetuses between 24-36 weeks, of mothers who smoked an average of 14 cigarettes a day, and fetuses whose mothers did not smoke at all. The study assessed mouth movements and gentle touch. All babies were born healthy, but the impact on development was already evident in the womb. The four-dimensional ultrasound images show that mouth movements of fetuses of smoking mothers are significantly increased. These fetuses were found to frequently have hand movements over their faces, much more than fetuses of non-smoking mothers.

The reason for this, according to the researchers, might be that the central nervous system of the fetus, which controls fetal movements — particularly facial movements — did not develop at the same rate and in exactly the same way as in fetuses of mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy.

"These findings indicate that nicotine exposure in itself affects fetal development," says the study's lead author, Dr. Nadia Reissland, who explains that the mother’s stress and depression also impact development.

The study emphasizes that this is a pilot, and in order to draw more definitive conclusions, the precise relationship between smoking, maternal stress, and anxiety needs to be understood, and the effects of smoking fathers should also be considered.