Final answer:
Smoking during pregnancy is contraindicated due to carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke binding with hemoglobin, reducing oxygen for the fetus, and nicotine acting as a teratogen. It can lead to complications like low birth weight, premature birth, stillbirth, and SIDS. Smoking also affects the effectiveness of therapeutic drugs and overall cardiovascular health.
Step-by-step explanation:
Why Is Smoking Contraindicated in Pregnancy?
When a mother smokes during pregnancy, the developing baby is subjected to harmful effects due to a variety of substances present in the cigarette smoke. Notably, carbon monoxide from the smoke binds with hemoglobin in the mother's blood, which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. This lack of available hemoglobin for the fetus means that the fetus gets less oxygen, which is crucial for healthy development. Moreover, smoking is identified as a teratogen, with nicotine having the ability to pass through the placenta and reach the fetus, potentially causing vasoconstriction of the fetal blood vessels, growth, and other severe complications like preterm labor, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Cigarette smoking can also increase the levels of liver enzymes that break down drugs, rendering certain therapeutic drugs used during pregnancy less effective. This can have further negative implications for both the mother's and the baby's health. Furthermore, the overall cardiovascular effects of smoking, such as heart rate elevation and the narrowing and weakening of blood vessels, pose additional risks to both the mother and fetus.
The SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING explicitly states that smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and complications during pregnancy, reinforcing the importance of avoiding smoking for the health of both the mother and the developing child.