Risk factors of e-cigarettes to pregnant women and their unborn child
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
The fact of the matter, vaping is not as safe as one would think even if it appears to be a better alternative to smoking cigarettes. Especially when it comes to pregnant women who want to make the change from smoking regular cigarettes to smoking e-cigarettes.
Obviously they would make this switch because they believe that vaping is a safer option than smoking regular cigarettes. And they also don’t feel strong enough to quit cold turkey. However, the unfortunate truth is that smoking e-cigarettes during pregnancy is not safe either, as research that has been conducted over the years indicates.
In fact, recent research has suggested that vaping could cause birth defects of the face and the mouth in the fetus.
In fact, a group of researchers ended up purposely exposing frog embryos to chemicals that are inhaled through vaping, because frogs are similar to humans in the embryo stage.
It has been found that the formations of the skull and face in the frog embryo have been negatively impacted by the exposure to the vaping chemicals.
The health neural crest cells in the embryo is critical because it is the key factor for the development of craniofacial features as they can form tissues such as glands, skin, teeth, cartilage and bones.
As the embryos were exposed to the chemicals from vaping, the facial measurements changed and incidents of cleft palates increased.
When you think about it as well, vapor is not safe because it is composed of many chemicals that you would not even want to think of breathing in even if they are less “toxic” than what regular cigarettes are composed of.
The e-liquids in e-cigarettes are composed of propylene, vegetable glycerin, glycol and nicotine, as well as as other flavoring factors. When inhaled, this is what e-cigarette smokers are inhaling. Vapors that are composed of these chemicals.
Researchers found that all frog embryos exposed to the vapors did develop cleft palates. And they even noted that complex e-liquids that mixed flavors such as berries and cream seemed to have impacted the facial features of the frog embryos dramatically.
Some embryos also developed smaller heads in addition to cleft palates, and even the same e-liquids without nicotine present had the same effect.
There you have it. Smoking e-cigarettes is just as dangerous as smoking regular cigarettes.
As it is known, smoking regular cigarettes while pregnant has been known to cause miscarriages, asthma in newborns, low birth weight, learning disabilities and premature birth. In fact, there has been an increased link to SIDS and smoking during pregnancy.
Smoking e-cigarettes causes facial defects in embryos, so the best thing is to completely quit smoking cold turkey once you find out that you are pregnant.
That is extremely difficult, and that said listed below are tips on how to quit smoking cold turkey:
The best thing to do is to drink by sipping cold water and eat according your urges. This advice is counterintuitive especially if you need to monitor your weight gain, and it is counter intuitive for people who want to quit smoking and want to lose weight at the same time.
However it is best to have apples, bananas, berries, and vegetables on hand when you feel an urge coming on.
For instance, if you feel an urge to smoke come on, then go grab your veggies and even have dip on hand that is not made from raw eggs as that also creates potential complications. Your doctor or dietician can advise you on what kind of dips are safe to use for your veggies.
However, veggies dipped in something tasty can be helpful and drink plenty of water at the same time.
First is to eat and drink according to your urges.
Healthy eating is not only beneficial to your baby's growth, but it is also a good way for you to divert your thoughts from your urges. When you feel your urge getting the better of you, munch on an apple or eat a banana.
Not only are you able to control your urges by using this method but you are killing two birds with one stone by quitting the bad habit of smoking and eating nutritiously to help the development of your baby- and with fruits and vegetables you also don’t have to worry about gaining too much weight during your pregnancy.
When you are quitting smoking cold turkey, then you have to do the same by limiting your coffee intake to one cup a day and to stop drinking alcohol all together.
This is a lot to go through alone so make sure you have support from your husband and your friends. Be clear on how you need to change your lifestyle for the sake of the health of your unborn baby and have them support you.
For instance, if your husband continues to smoke, make it clear to him that he must smoke outside of the home and away from you. If he doesn’t want to quit smoking, then he will have to keep doing so after the baby is born.
Why not indulge in some relaxation as well while making these difficult but necessary changes. You can always listen to good music, watch a great movie, meditate, read a book, surf online (but don’t look up anything that could worry you) and anything that is considered to be a healthy escape.
In fact, it is crucial that you remain calm during your pregnancy in addition to quitting smoking so you are less stressed, as high levels of stress can be harmful as well.
Always remember that when you do get pregnant with a baby girl or a baby boy, whether you planned a pregnancy or you didn’t but plan to keep the baby- you have to do what is best for the baby which is the best for your health as well. Unfortunately quitting smoking cold turkey is essential, and since it is known that vapors from e-cigarettes can cause birth defects, that is not option. Eat plenty of fruits and veggies to stave off the urge, and drink plenty of cold water. Get support from your loved ones that you need. A healthy baby in the end will be the result of your hard work and sacrifices you made.
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