Results of a new study seem to fall in the "no brainer" category, but people are notorious for ignoring common sense, putting themselves and those around them at risk. Drunk driving comes to mind, but you would think that a pregnant woman would know better than to smoke while pregnant.
For all the naysayers, new evidence from the prestigious British Medical Journal confirms that women who are both overweight and smoke during pregnancy risk damaging their baby's developing heart.
Congenital heart abnormalities are some of the most common defects found at birth, with a likely cause known in only 15 percent of cases. Here is a cause that women can avoid.
Overweight women (BMI of 25 or more) who smoked were nearly three times more likely to have a child with a congenital heart defect than other women who either smoked or were overweight.
The combination deals a deadly blow to the unborn child. In babies born to these women the blood flow from the baby's heart to the pulmonary artery or aorta is reduced nearly three times the rate of other babies.
These findings add to the growing body of evidence that smoking and being overweight during pregnancy is associated with miscarriage/stillbirth, stunted growth, and premature birth.
Who wants any of that for their baby? Stop smoking. Achieve a healthy weight. Do it for your unborn child.
The study will be published online in Heart.
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