Benchmark-Early Childhood-Tobacco Products as Teratogens

Benchmark-Early Childhood-Tobacco Products as Teratogens

Every couple hopes for the best where pregnancy is concerned. In this case, a pregnant woman tries to refrain from habits and environmental factors that could be detrimental to the health of the baby. Doubtless, pregnancy is a period when utmost care needs to be taken for the safety of the fetus. However, despite all the measures that an expectant mother could put to warrant the baby’s safety, she may be unaware of some elements that could hamper the baby’s development. As such, inadequate information on teratogens and their ramifications inadvertently put numerous women and their unborn babies at risk of developing poorly.

Teratogens

Essentially, teratogens are those substances that could possibly produce functional or physical defects in fetuses when a pregnant woman gets exposed to the substance. In this light, the fetus is affected in various ways, including its exposure duration, development stage when it is exposed, and the teratogenic substance amount. The effects of teratogens on the embryo include physical malformations and issues with the fetus’s emotional or behavioral development. Their effects spill over to more severe reverberations, including preterm labor and miscarriages (Tantibanchachai, 2014). Therefore, in essence, teratogens pertain to all environmental agents causing damage to the fetus during the prenatal period. Various factors determine the complexity of the harm of teratogens on the fetus or the embryo. For example, when the pregnant mother takes large doses over a period of time, it contains more negative ramifications. Also, heredity plays a role in affecting the fetus. Through the mother’s genetic makeup, some people can naturally withstand environments that are more harmful than others (Berk, 2010). Other negative influences, such as inefficacious nutrition and additional teratogens, inevitably accelerate the ramification of a harmful agent. When it comes to age, the ramifications change depending on the person’s age when they were exposed.

Tobacco Products as Teratogens

When a woman is pregnant, tobacco smoking increases the hazards of health complications in developing babies, including low weight in newborns, preterm birth, and congenital disabilities at the lips and mouth. Even more severe is that smoking during and after a woman is pregnant significantly increases the likelihood of sudden death in infants.

In addition, e-cigarettes and different tobacco products have nicotine, which is the drug that is addictive in tobacco. It significantly increases the risks of harm to the fetus during pregnancy. In this case, the developing baby’s brain and lungs could be adversely affected. Smoking at this time causes breathing difficulties and brain damage to the infant, which culminates in cerebral palsy. Also, it could result in difficulties in hearing and seeing.

Impact of Teratogen

Tobacco smoking and pregnancy, in essence, never mix. The cigarettes harbor dangerous chemicals that contain tar, carbon monoxide, and nicotine. These substances can increase the dangers of pregnancy. Various effects include miscarriages and stillbirth. In case there is a sudden and unexpected loss of the fetus, which is often in the first trimester. Doubtless, smoking extensively exacerbates the possibility of early miscarriage and stillbirth due to the dangerous chemicals present in cigarettes. Equally devastating is the possibility of ectopic pregnancy. Here, nicotine causes contractions in the fallopian tubes, which prevents the embryo from going through. Ectopic pregnancy comes about when an egg that is fertilized gets implanted just outside of the uterus, either in the abdomen or the fallopian tube. Therefore, the embryo is removed to prevent complications that may be hazardous to the mother’s life.

Besides, tobacco products and their chemicals bring about placental abruptions. This condition involves the separation of the placenta from the uterine wall before the child is born. Severe bleeding comes as a result, which jeopardizes the life of both parties. When it comes to placenta previa, on the other hand, the complication of the placenta remains in the lower areas of the uterus. As such, the cervix is covered either fully or partially. The placenta then tears, leading to bleeding, and the fetus is deprived of essential oxygen and nutrients for development.

Preventions and Interventions

By protecting the baby from tobacco smoke, one can ensure the safety of the child is guaranteed. At this point, the pregnant mother must take away cigarettes from her presence and clean the house to eliminate the smell of cigarette smoke in her clothes. Also, the pregnant woman can ask her smoking partner to quit smoking with her or smoke away from her.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that smoking has a general effect on the newborn baby’s health and affects them in their development. Effects range from severe brain damage, difficulties in breathing, lung infections, and even cerebral palsy. As such, parents must make an effort to refrain from smoking during and after pregnancy to ensure that the child’s health is unperturbed.

References

Berk, L. E. (2010). Exploring lifespan development.

Carlson, J. (2020). 8 Dangers of Smoking While Pregnant. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/smoking-and-pregnancy#getting-pregnant.

Tantibanchachai, C. (2014). Teratogens | the Embryo Project Encyclopedia. Embryo.asu.edu. https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/teratogens.

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Benchmark-Early Childhood-Tobacco Products as Teratogens

Physical development in the womb has a strong impact on future physical, cognitive, emotional and social development throughout the lifespan. There are many toxins in the environment that can impact physical development and have a long-term impact. For this essay, you will examine the short-term and long-term impact of teratogens on an individual.