Pregnancy Smoking Can Lead to Behavioral Problems in Children

Smoking while bearing a child may affect the fetus adversely, providing for attention deficit disorders and unruly behavior in the child in future, warns the new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The risk of possible behavioral problems grows as mom’s smoking starts to interfere with the development of the unborn’s brain.

“There are four thousand toxic substances in cigarette smoke,” explains Alan Maryon-Davis, the president of the Faculty of Public Health. “Many of these will pass into the brain of the fetus and it is possible that they could have an effect on how the brain chemistry works.”

The statistics show that baby boys do get it the hard way. They are likely to develop recalcitrant behavior by 44 percent more with moms – light smokers, whereas the risk comes up to 80 percent for those boys whose mothers smoke too much.

No matter how much moms smoke, the attention deficit risk increases, and their boys are prone to developing hyperactivity.

Baby girls are also apt to develop conduct problems because of their moms’ smoking habits, but they seem to be impervious to hyperactivity and attention deficit problems.

Scientists leave no doubt as to the advisability of giving up smoking for those who care for their oncoming child’s health and behavior.

Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/Mattox.