Stress due to emotional responses can lead to various snags during pregnancy. However, emotional state is erratic and cannot be controlled from going on. You can prevent yourself from some of the emotional stresses that are caused by precarious habits.

Though emotional stress cannot brunt the fetus directly, but it may quicken heart rate or elevate the proportion of stress hormone, which in-turn can have undesirable effects. By maneuvering proper stress management protocol, you can save yourself and your baby from the off-putting effects of stress.

Social isolation can intensify depression resulting in increasing stress. At such a time, family support plays a major role. You can even keep yourself occupied and cheery by interacting to friends and other populace by various social congregations. During pregnancy, the major objective should be to keep oneself happy and consoled. There should not be any sense of remoteness.

Besides chipping in amiable activities, there are other ways that can help you to administer stress. Habits such as listening to soothing music, practicing meditation and yoga, can lessen the physical responses resulting stress. Proper exercise during pregnancy renders benefits to the would-be mothers. However, before you start with any exercise regime consult your personal medical practitioner.

For a healthy tot, you should feed yourself with healthy food. Fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals and grains are some of the best foods for an expectant mother. Healthy body and healthy mind of the mother are the prime necessities for giving birth to a healthy child.

There are certain activities, which are not conducive for pregnancy and should be avoided by a pregnant lady by all means. Smoking is one such thing. Smoking during pregnancy not only affects the baby’s health in an adverse way, but it also creates many complications for the mother.

What is injurious to health?

The smoke of cigarette contains an approximate number of 2000 components many of which are utterly harmful for pregnant women and their babies. Some such components are nicotine, carbon monoxide and cyanide. These substances often cross the placenta and affect the baby’s health.

The harmful affects

At the very onset, it is essential to mention the fact that more a woman indulges in smoking, the more the complications. The baby of a mother, who smokes, is generally smaller and weighs less sometimes around 170 to 200 grams lesser than healthy baby.

Smoking during pregnancy can also lead to genetic abnormalities and hence cause cleft lip, cleft palate, and problem with eyes, ears, bowel and spinal cord. Some other probable problems are ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths, miscarriage, premature birth, placenta-related disorder, thrush, Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), polyhydramnios, etc. A baby matured in a smoke-filled womb can even develop a disease in later life – like asthma.

Apart from the baby, a smoking mother can also face several health hazards – like excessive vomiting, chest infection, blood clotting, premature rapture of the membranes, vaginal bleeding, etc.

Therefore it is immensely beneficial for women, particularly mothers to stop smoking. Support from family, friends and health professionals can help a woman to overcome smoking habit.