If Mom Smokes, Her Preemie Won't Sleep

This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of a college for licensed practical nurse She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com

For mothers who smoke, the risk of a pre-term birth is extraordinarily high. Most of us know this, what's interesting is the results of a new study in the journal Sleep that show these pre-term babies are also at substantial risk for sleep disruptions so profound, they may cause developmental delays later in later childhood.

So, babies born to mothers who are considered heavy smokers are at risk for far more than low birth weight we've known about for some time.

According to the study:

"Results indicate that pre-term neonates born to heavy-smoking mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day displayed disrupted sleep structure and sleep continuity. From 7:00 PM to 8:00 AM they slept almost 2 hours less than controls who were born to nonsmoking mothers, and their sleep was more fragmented."

This is a frightening revelation because of the importance of sleep to babies. At a time of incredible growth and development, much of which happens during sleep, infants exposed cigarette smoke before they're born may not be developing properly. And, because preemies tend to sleep in short bursts rather than long periods like full-term babies, it becomes increasingly obvious the devastating impact smoking can have on a baby born too soon.

These include breathing problems such as sleep apnea (when an infant stops breathing for a moment) and respiratory infection. If your infant can't breathe properly, they can't get enough oxygen for optimal brain function.

Smoking during pregnancy is not healthy but increasingly, research shows that the harmful side effects of smoking may affect a baby well into early childhood and "may increase the chances for attention deficit disorder and impulsivity." Complications once attributed to low birth weight (itself often caused by smoking) seem to now be linked as much to prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke.

We should also note that, while the mother's habits most directly affect an unborn fetus, those around her are responsible as well. Prolonged exposure to any secondhand smoke is not ideal for a pregnant woman and no one should be allowed to smoke near a premature infant.

When all is said and done, smoking is a bad habit for everyone. If you are pregnant, ask your physician about smoking cessation programs that will help you break this destructive cycle. There are many wonderful programs to help you quit. Do it for your baby – and do it for yourself as well.