Smoking While Preggo May Make Your Baby Psycho
Posted by: Ami Angelowicz
Filed in:
news
10:50AM, Thursday October 1st 2009
I know we all have “Mad Men” fever these days. On the off chance that you have become desensitized while watching Betty Draper suck those cancer sticks and throw back cocktails with her bun in the oven, let me remind you once again that smoking while pregnant is hazardous to the baby. Wait? You already knew that? But in case you need just one more good reason to quit lighting up while knocked up, a new U.K. study about smoking while pregnant is likely to scare the s**t out of you.
Children of mothers who smoked while pregnant are shown to have a 20 percent greater chance of displaying psychotic-like symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions. Aha! I bet that’s what happened to Megan Fox! Within that 20 percent, the chance of psychotic behavior becomes 84 percent more likely if the mother smoked 20 or more ciggies a day. For those of you who are bad at math like me … 20 cigs = 1 pack. Oh yeah, and as a side note: the same researchers found that drinking lots o’ booze while pregs can make your baby crazy too. So we’re all still sold on this not smoking/ not drinking while pregnant thing, right? Good. On that note, I hope little Eugene Draper doesn’t turn out cuckoo. [Daily Mail]
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skywalk
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 09:59 am: [report]
Oh that’s my problem!!
impoddity
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 12:26 pm: [report]
I have a cousin-in-law who smoked during with her 3-, 6-, and 8-year-old. I won’t be babysitting any of her kids anytime soon….
I Go To 11
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 12:35 pm: [report]
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had 2 coworkers that were pregnant the same time as me. Both were on kid #6 (!) and both smoked. It always disgusted me to see them outside, puffing on cigarettes with big pregnant bellies. I wanted to say to them, “How would you like it if you had to be in a smoke-filled enclosed space for 9 months?”
writergirl
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 12:40 pm: [report]
I can handle a pregnant woman drinking better than I can her smoking.
Erin G
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 12:49 pm: [report]
Hahaha my mom admitted to smoking when she was pregs with me, but not with my younger brother. Explains why I’m bipolar among other things, and my brother is perfectly normal.
bogart4017
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 01:05 pm: [report]
A co-worker smoked the entire time she was pregnant knowing what would happen. Her baby was born with a defective digestive system. It wasnt even worth it to say i told you so.
@Writergirl—you can handle drinking during pregnancy? My mother drank socially while she was pregnant with me and my 3 brothers. The results? 2 of us suffer from bouts of depression, 3 of us suffer from anxiety attacks, and two of us have panic attacks 1 so severely that he passes out at the drop of a hat. Of course she didnt ddrink when she wass pregnant with our sister. The result? Nothing. Just as normal as can be. No “chemical Imbalance”. Ain’t we blessed?
I’m sure shes waiting for one of us to point the accusatory finger but this also wouldnt be worth it.
dudette
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 02:27 pm: [report]
@bogart - I don’t want to be a jerk here, but drinking during pregnancy isn’t the best for your child, but it might not be the cause of these problems. Depression and anxiety disorders often run in families. Maybe your sister just got a different and less probable blend of the genes than your other siblings.
Mags
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 03:24 pm: [report]
So what happens to the kids of the women who still go to tanning beds during their pregnancy? Does the “bun in the oven” cook any faster? I kinda scares me.
retro chic
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 06:56 pm: [report]
I thought they always knew that there were neuro problems. Why would there just be developmental problems, stopping just short of psychiatric ones?
@IGoto11: //“How would you like it if you had to be in a smoke-filled enclosed space for 9 months?”//
That was quite vivid – it should be plastered on t-shirts, ads, etc. Plus, what should be wrong with saying it, if you thought someone is in danger? Sometimes a jolt is necessary, if unpopular.
MondimNebel
wrote on October 1 2009 @ 08:31 pm: [report]
I think with alcohol moderation is key- an occasional glass of wine or a beer really won’t do harm to the baby. What about back in the day when people (children included) wouldn’t drink water but drank beer instead (sure, beer was different back then)?
@ Igoto11: Love your imagery. (pregnant or not, it’s a habit that’s beyond me. then too, I seem to be allergic to the smoke)