Watch out! These 2 substances can affect your baby

The effects of these two substances, highly harmful to the human body, are much more harmful for pregnant women. Find out why

Alcohol and tobacco are two substances to which we are constantly exposed in our social life and which are extremely harmful to people. However, its effects are much more harmful for pregnant women because they can put at risk the course of pregnancy and the health of the baby.

Leer en español: ¡Cuidado! Estas 2 sustancias pueden afectar a tu bebé

According to the newspaper Vital, the dangers of tobacco are given by more than 4 thousand substances, of which 40 are carcinogenic, to which the baby is immediately exposed. In addition to nicotine, which narrows blood vessels and decreases the arrival of oxygen and nutrients to the baby, mothers and children will be exposed to tar, cadmium, carbon monoxide, arsenic, cyanide, among others.

This is why, according to the baby center, smoking during pregnancy doubles the chances of a baby being born prematurely or weighing less than 2.5 kilograms at birth. Asthma problems are also more frequent because nicotine causes a delay in the development of your lungs.

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Babies of pregnant women who smoke are much more likely to have learning disorders, behavioral problems, or have especially low mental ratios.

Alcohol, on the other hand, quickly goes to the blood, crosses the placenta and reaches the baby. Unlike our liver, that of a fetus cannot metabolize the substance, so he is directly exposed to: delay in the areas of language, thinking, movement and social skills, growth problems, mental or behavioral issues, as well as facial anomalies.

After birth, it is also not recommended that babies be exposed to these substances.

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"One percent of the concentration of alcohol in the mother passes through the placenta or breast milk to the baby. That's why it is not recommended during pregnancy or during lactation", says Camilo Uribe, a toxicologist at the baby's Abc newspaper.

In addition, regarding the cigarette, María Cristina Sáenz, member of the Colombian Milk League states that: "babies exposed to nicotine exhibit extreme behaviors: sometimes they are very alert and sometimes they are sleepy. Some are irritable, cry inconsolably, and suck often the breast, but do not do well and do not eat enough. Babies who get sleep also eat less, are underweight, and do not grow as they should".

LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Báez
Translated from “¿Sabes cómo el alcohol y el tabaco afectan a tu bebé durante el embarazo?”

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