There is the old saying “there are two kinds of stupid and that’s all three of ‘em” which may well apply to smoking while pregnant. At this point in time there is not anyone alive who does not now that smoking during pregnancy can cause serious bodily harm to the developing infant. Pregnant smoking has been linked to miscarriage, stillbirth, and low birth weight. Furthermore, smoking and pregnancy have sometimes been named as factors in maternal high blood pressure and onset of heart disease. Of course, visit a pregnant smokers chat room and you will find two schools of thought – on the one side are the pregnant smokers who are justifying their habits and think that a bit of cutting back is about as much concession to the infant as they will need to make; on the other side are those women who are smoking and pregnant and would love to be able to just quit but because nicotine has a stranglehold on them, their pregnant smoking is likely to continue.

While pregnant smoking is discouraged by every physician and clinic, it is not only the laundry list of effects of smoking while pregnant on the unborn child that has doctors worried. New studies have shown that pregnant smoking does not just affect the unborn child – assuming that it will survive the pregnancy unscathed – but also the power to affect that child’s offspring! The effects of smoking during pregnancy have now been shown to double the risk of a future grandchild to suffer from asthma – all because of the pregnant smoking of a mom today.

Of course, there is more to smoking pregnant women than just cigarettes. While the risks of a pregnant woman smoking are well known and documented, the risks of smoking marijuana while pregnant are not as easily documented. First and foremost, most drug users are hesitant to report their illegal behavior to physicians and unless the doctor is able to note the tell tale signs of marijuana use she or he will not be able to discuss properly with the patient the risks she is taking.

While it is easy to say that pregnant women smoking are to blame for the harm befalling their children and grandchildren, second hand smoke during pregnancy is just as insidious. Thus, if dads to be are lighting up around moms t be, the effects are just as dire as those brought upon the children by women smoking cigarettes during pregnancy.