Impact of active and/or passive tobacco use on pregnancy and postpartum
summary
introduction
Smoking can cause side effects during pregnancy and postpartum. The objective of this study was to assess various impacts that active and/or passive maternal tobacco use can have on pregnancy, childbirth, newborn and breastfeeding, as well as the effect of tobacco cessation on the first trimester of pregnancy.
method
Prospective longitudinal study with a sample of 800 pregnant women. Four evaluations were conducted: first and third trimesters of pregnancy and two and 6/8 months postpartum. Sociodemographic, obstetric, health-related and tobacco-related information was collected, and abstinence self-reporting was biochemically validated.
results
Being an active and passive smoker predicts pregnancy complications (OR 2.50; IC 1.42-4.35) and childbirth (OR 3.10; IC 1.75-5.51) and intend not to breastfeed (OR 2.44; IC 1.35-4.42). Being an active smoker predicts complications in childbirth (OR 5.58; IC 2.64-7.77), the baby (OR 3.77; IC 1.53-9.36) and do not breastfeed both (OR 25.73; IC 11.95-55.40) and 6/8 months postpartum (OR 6.61; IC 3.21-13.58). Being a passive smoker reduces the intention to breastfeed (OR 1.81; IC 1.11-2.95) and lactation at two months postpartum (OR 1.94; IC 1.11-3.37). Women who stop smoking are less likely to experience complications in pregnancy and childbirth, more likely to attend prepartum and lactation classes, and increased weight of newborns.
Conclusions
Both active and passive tobacco use has a significant impact on both pregnancy and postpartum. Quitting smoking at the beginning of pregnancy reverses these effects.